Here is a detailed breakdown of the history of decolonization in the 19th century:
The 19th century saw some early waves of decolonization, though full-scale decolonization would not occur until the 20th century after World War II. Key events in 19th century decolonization include:
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Latin American wars of independence (1808-1833): Former Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Central and South America fought for and gained independence, establishing new nation-states. This included the independence of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and others.
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Greek War of Independence (1821-1830): Greece won independence from the Ottoman Empire after a 9-year war supported by the Great Powers.
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Revolutions of 1848: Nationalist uprisings occurred across Europe but did not lead to widespread decolonization. Hungary briefly gained independence from Austria.
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Abolition of slavery: Britain abolished slavery in its colonies in 1833, France in 1848, the United States in 1865 after the Civil War. This was a key step towards eventual decolonization.
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Dominion status for settler colonies: Starting in the mid-19th century, the British granted increasing autonomy to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which became self-governing “Dominions”. However, the indigenous populations remained under colonial rule.[1]
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Increasing anti-colonial movements: Resistance to European rule strengthened in many colonies in the late 19th century, such as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. However, this did not yet lead to independence.[2]
So in summary, the 19th century planted some of the seeds of decolonization through the independence of Latin America, increasing autonomy for settler colonies, and growing anti-colonial sentiment. However, most of Asia and Africa remained firmly under European imperial control, with full decolonization not occurring until the 20th century after the World Wars weakened the colonial powers.[1] The one major exception was the independence of Haiti from France in 1804 after a successful slave revolt.[1]
Citations:
[1] http://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/s10963.pdf
[2] https://www.britannica.com/place/history-of-Southeast-Asia-556509/Contemporary-Southeast-Asia
[3] https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/10/sse.html
[4] https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/decolonisation-of-asia-1945-1997/
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonisation_of_Asia
[6] https://study.com/academy/lesson/changes-in-africa-after-world-war-ii.html
[7] https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-283
[8] https://www.britannica.com/place/Latin-America/The-new-order-1850-1910
[9] https://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/europe-and-the-world/european-overseas-rule/fabian-klose-decolonization-and-revolution
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonization
[11] https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Africa/North-Africa-after-1830
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonisation_of_Africa
[13] https://academic.oup.com/book/697/chapter/135374154
[14] https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/asia-and-africa
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonization_of_the_Americas
[16] https://www.gale.com/c/decolonization-politics-and-independence-in-former-colonial-and-commonwealth-territories
[17] https://www.bu.edu/africa/outreach/teachingresources/history/colonialism/
[18] https://www.britannica.com/place/Latin-America/The-independence-of-Latin-America
[19] https://www.britannica.com/place/western-Africa/Decolonization-and-the-regaining-of-independence
Here is a table summarizing key events in decolonization during the 19th century:
| Date | Country/Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1804 | Haiti | Haiti gained independence from France after a successful slave revolt, becoming the first independent nation in Latin America and the Caribbean.[1] |
| 1808-1833 | Latin America | Former Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Central and South America, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil, fought for and gained independence, establishing new nation-states.[1] |
| 1821-1830 | Greece | Greece won independence from the Ottoman Empire after a 9-year war supported by the Great Powers.[1] |
| 1830s-1870s | Abolition of slavery | Britain abolished slavery in its colonies in 1833, France in 1848, and the United States in 1865 after the Civil War. This was a key step towards eventual decolonization.[1] |
| Mid-late 1800s | British settler colonies | Starting in the mid-19th century, the British granted increasing autonomy to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which became self-governing “Dominions”. However, the indigenous populations remained under colonial rule.[1] |
| Late 1800s | Anti-colonial movements | Resistance to European rule strengthened in many colonies in the late 19th century, such as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. However, this did not yet lead to widespread independence.[2] |
So in summary, the major decolonization events of the 19th century included the independence of Haiti and Latin America from European powers, Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, the abolition of slavery as a step towards decolonization, increasing autonomy for British settler colonies, and the growth of anti-colonial movements that would later lead to independence in the 20th century. However, most of Asia and Africa remained under European imperial control throughout the 1800s.[1][2]
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_national_independence
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonization
[3] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/features/africa_timeline
[4] https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/asia-and-africa
[5] https://www.britannica.com/topic/decolonization
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrhcC7GSdDU
[7] https://louis.pressbooks.pub/worldciv2/chapter/chapter-10-decolonization/
[8] https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctt1w8h2zm.5?seq=1