Political Processes
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| self-determination/self dɪˌtɜːmɪˈneɪʃn/ | A people's right to govern themselves. |
| decolonisation/dɪˌkɒlənaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | The ending of colonial rule and establishment of political independence or self-government for formerly colonised territories. |
| devolution/dɪvəˈluːʃn/ | The transfer of powers or responsibilities from a central government to regional or local authorities. |
| balkanisation/ˌbɔːlkənaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | The fragmentation of a larger political territory into smaller entities, often accompanied by rivalry or conflict. |
How states form and change
- States are not permanent — they form, split, and merge over time.
- Self-determination 自决 is a people's right to govern themselves.
- It drove the wave of independence after empires broke up.
A people's right to govern themselves is called...
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Self-determination drove decolonisation and independence movements.
From colony to country
- Colonialism left a world of empires ruling distant lands.
- After 1945, decolonisation 非殖民化 created dozens of new states in Africa and Asia.
- But colonial borders often ignored the nations living inside them.
Which political process?
Sort each example by the political process it shows.
Decolonisation after 1945 created many new independent states.
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Dozens of colonies in Africa and Asia became states.
Select all ways states can change.
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Independence, devolution, and unification change states; weather does not.
Match each term to its meaning.
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Decolonisation = new states; balkanisation = hostile fragmentation; self-determination = self-rule.
Splitting and joining
- Devolution 权力下放 gives regions more power and can lead to breakup.
- Balkanisation 巴尔干化 is when a state fragments into hostile smaller units.
- States can also unify (like Germany in 1990).
Transferring power from a central government down to regions is called ____.
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Devolution gives regions more self-rule and can lead to breakup.
Colonial independence did not fix everything. Many new states inherited superimposed colonial borders that split nations or forced rivals together — a root cause of later conflict. Self-determination and existing borders often clash.
After WWII, dozens of African colonies won independence through self-determination. But their borders were the old colonial lines drawn in Europe, cutting across ethnic groups — which later fuelled civil conflict in several new states.
States form and change through self-determination (a people's right to self-rule), decolonisation (new states after empire), devolution (regions gaining power), and even unification. Inherited colonial borders often clash with the nations inside them.
Write from decolonization
- A colony gains independence and is recognised as a sovereign state.
- The former colonial power no longer governs it.
What political process is this?
Colonies becoming independent states is decolonization.
What process ends colonial rule?
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Independence from an empire is decolonization.