8.6 Newly Independent States

Choosing Paths of Government

After independence, new nations experimented with governing structures. Many adopted democracy modeled on former colonial powers, while others turned to communism (like China's PRC), military dictatorships, or one-party states to maintain order and pursue rapid development. Leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana) and Sukarno (Indonesia) sought paths distinct from both capitalist and communist blocs.

Economic Development Strategies

New states pursued economic independence through import substitution industrialization (ISI), building domestic industries to reduce reliance on foreign goods. Others embraced export-oriented economies, focusing on cash crops or raw materials. Multinational corporations and lingering neocolonialism often limited true economic sovereignty, as former colonial powers retained economic influence.

Regional Cooperation & Nonalignment

Facing pressure to pick sides in the Cold War, many newly independent states joined the Non-Aligned Movement, launched at the Bandung Conference (1955). Organizations like the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and ASEAN promoted regional solidarity, economic cooperation, and collective bargaining power on the world stage.

Key terms

Non-Aligned Movement

A coalition of newly independent states that avoided formal alliance with the US or USSR during the Cold War, formalized after the Bandung Conference.

Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI)

An economic strategy focused on developing domestic industries to replace imported goods, promoting self-sufficiency.

Neocolonialism

The continued economic and political influence of former colonial powers over independent nations.

Bandung Conference (1955)

A meeting of African and Asian nations promoting solidarity, anti-colonialism, and the roots of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Kwame Nkrumah

First prime minister of Ghana; advocate for pan-Africanism and cooperation among newly independent African states.

Try an AP-style question

Many newly independent African states faced challenges from…

1. a lack of natural resources everywhere
2. colonial borders splitting ethnic groups
3. European invasions after 1960
4. too much economic diversity