Chapter 23 part 1

This chapter has some interesting concepts regarding African and Asian independence. People like Nelson Mandela, who believed in fighting against the domination of African people and dedicated his life to making change. He later became the first black African president which then gave Africa ties to other countries that had overruled the control of European rule or white settlers during the second half of the twentieth century. What I understand from part of the reading was that the independence took place mostly because of the pressure from nationalist movements. Political leaders recruited people, came up with plans and strategies, and developed ideas to negotiate with each other and with the colonial state. The most powerful among these soon became the "fathers" of their new countries as independence came about. For example, Mahatma Ghandi and Jawaharlal Nehru in India, Sukarno in Indonesia, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, and Nelson Mandela in South Africa. I think it's fascinating to read about the countries gaining their independence through self determination and amazing people like these leaders that fought for what they believed in and wanted to create positive change in these places.