Decolonisation Unpacked: How Britain Lost Its Empire and Found a New Role

This episode traces the gradual unraveling of Britain's imperial empire from 1947 onwards, looking at how economic exhaustion after WWII, nationalist struggles across India, Africa and the Middle East, and the strategic calculus of the Cold War reshaped British foreign policy. It also explores the creation of the Commonwealth and how former colonies negotiated new relationships with London while carrying forward legacies of colonial rule. By comparing different regions' timelines and motives we challenge the popular notion that decolonisation happened overnight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices