AP World History / Cold War and Decolonization
Lesson
Independence and the search for a third path
Colonized peoples built new states while navigating superpower pressure.
Learning goals
- Explain decolonization as a political process with local leadership.
- Define nonalignment as a strategy, not a lack of interest.
Explanation
World War II weakened European empires and strengthened independence movements that had already been organizing for decades. New states in Asia and Africa inherited colonial borders, thin treasuries, and debates about language, land, and democracy. Independence was a beginning, not an ending.
Some leaders tried nonalignment: refusing to become a permanent client of either superpower. That strategy was practical. New governments wanted aid, arms, and markets without surrendering the independence they had just won. Partition, civil war, and remaining economic ties to former colonizers show how unfinished the process was.
Key terms
- decolonization. The process by which colonized territories gained political independence from imperial rulers.
- nonalignment. A strategy in which a state avoids locking itself into one Cold War bloc.
Common mistakes
- Writing decolonization as a gift from tired empires rather than as a struggle led by colonized people.
- Confusing nonalignment with isolation or with having no foreign policy.
Practice
Original Marlow Works items. Check the answer explanation after you try.
Which development best explains why Song China was able to support a large urban population?
Original Marlow Works item — not a College Board question.
Take your time—this is practice, not a test.
Answer explanation
What problem did nonalignment try to solve for a new state?
Answer. How to get resources and security without becoming a client of either superpower.
Independence was political; economic and military dependence could still return through the Cold War.
Related resources
External links with reuse status. Marlow Works is independent and does not copy restricted exam or textbook material.
Official / link only
AP World History: Modern course page
Official College Board course scope, units, and exam updates.
College Board · All rights reserved · accessed 2026-10-01
Do not copy CED prose, graphics, or sample questions.
Open sourceCC BY — attribution required
World History Volume 1: to 1500
Open textbook useful for AP World background through 1500.
Open Textbook Library listing · CC BY · accessed 2026-10-01
Verify the exact item license on the source page before republishing text.
Open source