Scope
This timeline follows the retreat of formal empire, anti-colonial struggle, and the early formation of postcolonial states after the Second World War.
Inclusion rule
Include events that materially changed colonial sovereignty, anti-colonial mobilization, state independence, territorial partition, or the institutional position of new states in world politics.
Why this timeline exists
Decolonization is one of the central political transformations of the 20th century. It changed who counted as sovereign, restructured international diplomacy, and generated new conflicts and developmental projects.
Key phases
- Immediate postwar imperial crisis
- Anti-colonial insurgency and negotiation
- Waves of formal independence
- Partition, civil conflict, and border formation
- Consolidation of postcolonial statehood
Anchor events
Initial seed events to be added.