Lesson 19 New Developments in Asian, African and Latin American Countries

Bandung Conference

After the Second World War, national liberation movements swept across the globe in unprecedented numbers. Colonial empires collapsed and more and more Asian and African countries gained independence. These newly independent countries all face the common problem of consolidating their power and developing their economies. They opposed the Cold War and did not want to get involved in military conflicts between major powers.

In April 1955, in Bandung, Indonesia, representatives of 29 countries and regions from Asia and Africa held the first Asia-Africa Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference. The conference adopted the ten principles of peaceful coexistence, friendship and cooperation. The spirit of unity, cooperation and friendship among Asian and African countries and regions, the common opposition to imperialism and colonialism, the struggle for and consolidation of national independence, and the protection of world peace, embodied in the Conference, is known as the "Bandung Spirit". The Bandung Conference boosted the national self-confidence of Asian and African countries and regions, and inspired the struggle of Asian, African and Latin American people for national independence. Since the Bandung Conference, developing countries have emerged on the international stage as an independent political force. The five principles of peaceful coexistence proposed by China were recognized by the international community and gradually implemented.

The "Year of Africa"

The African national independence movement first began in North Africa, with Libya declaring independence at the end of 1951, and Egypt's revolution in 1952, when the Free Officers' Organization, led by Nasser, overthrew the British-backed feudal dynasty. In 1962, the Algerian people overthrew the French colonial rule after a long war of national liberation, and Algeria gained its independence.

In the 1960s and 1970s, African national independence movements reached a climax, with the majority of colonial countries gaining independence one after another. In 1960, 17 countries in Africa gained independence, and this year was called the "Year of Africa".

The independence of Namibia in 1990 marked the liberation of all African countries from the shackles of colonialism.

The struggle of the Latin American people to assert their national sovereignty

Cuba has long been controlled politically and economically by the United States. The Cuban people, under the leadership of Castro and others, fought for several years in an armed struggle that culminated in the overthrow of the U.S.-backed dictatorship in 1959. Later, Cuba thwarted a U.S.-backed mercenary invasion and embarked on a path of socialist development.

Located in the central part of the Republic of Panama, the Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is of economic and strategic importance. After the opening of the Panama Canal, the United States set aside a canal zone along the canal, which has always been controlled by the United States. In 1977, Panama signed a treaty with the United States. At the end of 1999, Panama regained full sovereignty over the Canal Zone.

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