Question

Explain the Atlantic Charter with the background of 20^th century Decolonisation.

Answer 1

1. The process of decolonisation was accelerated in short time because of the conflicts among European coloniser countries, occurrence of First and Second World Wars and the anti-colonial movements in the colonies.
2. The European countries could not have reasoned out colonisation and the exploitation of colonies from intellectual platform.
3. The Indian freedom movement had reached culminating point, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Under the situation England had become aware of the reality of their diminishing power. This resulted in gradually introducing the system of internal autonomy in some of the colonies.
4. The process of decolonisation is supposed to have received a momentum mainly because of the document known as the “Atlantic Charter”.
5. This Charter was published together by Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England and Franklin Roosevelt, President of America.
6. The charter stated that the allied nations including England and America did not intend to grab any kingdom or country, the changes in political system and geographic borders of any country in the post-war period would happen only according to the wish of the citizens of the respective country and it was granted that all people in the world have the right to take their own decisions.