Decolonization

Decolonization refers to the process of ending colonization, or colonial control of a foreign territory by imperial nations (empires). This term can be viewed through the perspective of political control and the dismantling of trans-oceanic colonial empires in the 19th and 20th centuries, or through a cultural, psychological, and economic lens in a process seen as continuing to the present day.

Waves of Decolonization

Since the first academic studies of decolonization following the Great War, historians and social scientists viewing decolonization as a primarily political process have identified several "waves" of decolonization in the IDU.

Wave -1

Original academic treatments of the subject did not regard the end of foreign political control over certain territories in the 16th through 18th centuries as decolonization, which remains a generally accepted consensus to this day. Typically, this argument relies on the notion that the trans-oceanic empires during this time did not possess the capacity for wide-scale resource extraction and structures of governance aimed at overturning native cultures which characterizes colonization. This wave, referred to occasionally in the literature as "Wave -1," includes the independence of Frésir (1525), Boemont (1558), Larton (1640), Salad Land (1642), and Novella Islands (1725).

Wave 0

The 0th wave of decolonization, typically treated as distinct from later "true" decolonization according to similar reasons to those of Wave -1, include independence movements inspired by liberal enlightenment ideals in the late 18th century. The independence of Greater Acadia (1770), Narkim (1774), Gardavasque (1780), and Libertas Omnium Maximus (1798) fall into this category.

Wave 1

The first wave of decolonization accompanied the growth and spread of nationalist thought in the mid and late 19th century. The independence of Laeral (1858), Aredoa (1876), and Slokais Islands (1893) are considered the classic examples of first wave decolonization and are often analyzed alongside one another. Although the independence movements in these three East Hesperidan nations faced different colonial powers, the methods of control used by the different colonial powers shared important similarities, as did the methods of anti-colonial resistance utilized in the independence movements of these three nations. The independence of Aeluria during the 1870s, with the collapse of the Costenan Empire, is also grouped with the first wave.

The decolonization of the Patriarchal territory of Mariso (1827) by the Papal States of Sanctaria, and the subsequent liberation of Mariso (1827-1834) by Wosteaque, is quite different from the rest of the first wave decolonizations as the process started off naturally like the others, however Wosteaque had a invested interest in freeing Mariso, and over the course of the decolonization Wosteaque got more involved, until Wosteaque finally declared war.

Although it occurred mid-way between the time periods seen as the height of first and second wave decolonization, the independence of Andhrapur in 1910 is typically grouped with the first wave. Some historians consider Serriel to have decolonized with the coronation of Mansur Hazinedam as the first sultan of a unified Serriel in 1892, noting the embrace of nationalism and rejection of foreign influence over the nation which characterized the unification of Serriel, but this remains a matter of academic debate.

Wave 2

The second wave of decolonization occurred in the span of the 1920s, as geopolitical unrest and rising nationalism presented a renewed challenge to colonial rule. The growth of international tensions between colonial superpowers, spurred by factors such as Darya's aspirations for a maritime colonial empire, is seen as having fueled decolonization by diverting the attention of colonial powers in internecine conflict. Haesan's independence in 1921 kicked off this trend, with the country's geographic centrality and vibrant English-language literary movement, along with the development of a global mass media as exemplified by the first trans-oceanic radio broadcasts, allowed for events in Haesan to spur anti-colonial agitation in other countries.

The independence of High Fells from Opthelian corporate rule in 1926 was the sole lasting outcome of the second wave following Haesanese independence, but the growth of independence activism in Lehvant and other nations under colonial rule is also grouped with the second wave. Additionally, some scholars treat the Laeralian Revolution, which saw transnational ideological exchange with the independence movement in Haesan, as decolonial in a cultural sense in its efforts to undo the legacies of colonialism.

Wave 3

The third and largest wave of decolonization occurred following the Great War, as the destruction of the Daryan Empire, a growing international norm in favor of decolonization, and the economic toll of colonialism on exhausted colonial powers jointly led to the independence of numerous states. The Nuiqsut Confederation achieved independence from Opthelia in 1963, during the war, while Andhrapur, Kaijan, Sarena, and Lehvant all became independent within two years of the war's end in 1967; and Glanainn gained substantial autonomy short of full independence. Pharitaya and Kolda, which became independent in 1977 and 1984, respectively, are considered to have been part of the third wave of decolonization as well. These nations by and large were less industrialized and had lesser state capacity than the states which had achieved independence in previous waves, leading to in general worse democratic and economic outcomes.

Present Day

A majority of scholars believe that the creation of independent Huenya with the breakup of the Xiomeran Empire in the 2022 Second Xiomeran Civil War is a 21st-century example of decolonization, with subaltern ethnic groups achieving self-determination, but this is disputed by others who argue that the relationship between Tlālacuetztla and its Huenyan dominions did not meet the standard of colonization.