IndependenceThe 1950s

Independence in the 1950s

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged independence — declarations, recognitions and transfers of sovereignty, narrowed to the 1950s — 13 of them, drawn from 12 nations, running from 1951 to 1958. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
13
Nations
12
Earliest
1951
Latest
1958
Africa
8
Asia
4
Europe
1

Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

  1. — Africa:

    Libya

    Independence of the United Kingdom of Libya

    Libya is proclaimed an independent federal monarchy under King Idris—the first state created through the United Nations.

    Era: Independence, Monarchy and the Coming of Oil

    Sources: The Kingdom of Libya is Established · History Today, Background Note: Libya · U.S. Department of State

  2. — Asia:

    Japan

    Treaty of San Francisco and end of occupation

    Signed in 1951 and effective in 1952, the peace treaty restores Japanese sovereignty and ends the Allied occupation.

    Era: Postwar Japan: Reconstruction and the Modern Nation

    Sources: Occupation and Reconstruction of Japan, 1945-52 · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian

  3. — Asia:

    Cambodia

    Full independence declared

    After Sihanouk's Royal Crusade for Independence, France transfers sovereignty and King Norodom Sihanouk declares Cambodia's full independence in Phnom Penh.

    Era: Decline, Foreign Pressure, and the French Protectorate

    Sources: Cambodia: Independence · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Cambodia Gains Independence from France · EBSCO Research Starters

  4. — Asia:

    Laos

    Full independence from France

    The Franco-Lao Treaty of Amity and Association transfers the last French powers to the Royal Lao Government, recognizing Laos as a fully independent and sovereign state.

    Era: The French Protectorate

    Sources: Laos: Under foreign rule · Encyclopaedia Britannica, A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Laos · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian

  5. — Europe:

    Austria

    The Austrian State Treaty

    Signed at the Belvedere in Vienna by the four occupying powers and foreign minister Leopold Figl, the treaty restored Austria's full sovereignty and ended the four-power occupation; it came into force on 27 July 1955.

    Era: The Second Republic: Neutrality, South Tyrol and Europe

    Sources: Austria Regains Its Independence (Austrian State Treaty, 1955) · EBSCO Research Starters: History

  6. — Africa:

    Morocco

    Restoration of independence

    France ends its protectorate by agreement with Morocco; Spain relinquishes most of its northern zone in April, restoring Moroccan independence under Sultan Mohammed V.

    Era: Independence and the Modern Kingdom

    Sources: French Colony to Sovereign State: Moroccan Independence · Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training, A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Morocco · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian

  7. — Africa:

    South Sudan

    Sudan's independence; the south sidelined

    Sudan becomes independent under a northern-dominated government, with southern demands for federalism largely unmet.

    Era: Marginalisation and Two Civil Wars

    Sources: History of South Sudan · Wikipedia

  8. — Africa:

    Sudan

    Independence of the Sudan

    Sudan becomes a sovereign republic, ending Anglo-Egyptian rule; its parliament chooses independence over union with Egypt.

    Era: Independence and the Long Civil Wars

    Sources: Anglo-Egyptian Condominium · Encyclopædia Britannica, Sudan · Wikipedia

  9. — Africa:

    Tunisia

    Tunisian independence

    France recognises Tunisian sovereignty; Bourguiba becomes prime minister.

    Era: French Protectorate & Independence

    Sources: Tunisian independence · Wikipedia, Habib Bourguiba · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  10. — Africa:

    Ghana

    Ghana wins independence

    The Gold Coast, united with British Togoland, became independent Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah — the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence and a beacon for the continent's decolonisation.

    Era: Independence and the Nkrumah era

    Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition: Ghana · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Ghana (country overview and history) · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Kwame Nkrumah · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  11. — Asia:

    Malaysia

    Merdeka: independence of Malaya

    The Federation of Malaya achieves independence under Tunku Abdul Rahman, who proclaims a sovereign, democratic state at Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

    Era: Occupation, the Emergency and Merdeka

    Sources: Federation of Malaya · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  12. — Africa:

    Guinea

    Guinea votes 'Non'

    In the constitutional referendum, Guinea overwhelmingly rejects de Gaulle's French Community — the only French African colony to do so.

    Era: The 'Non' of 1958 and the Sékou Touré Years

    Sources: Guinea Gains Independence from France · EBSCO Research Starters, French Guinea · Wikipedia, Guinea — History · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  13. — Africa:

    Guinea

    Independence proclaimed

    Days after France abruptly withdraws its aid and personnel, Guinea proclaims itself a sovereign republic with Ahmed Sékou Touré as president.

    Era: The 'Non' of 1958 and the Sékou Touré Years

    Sources: Guinea Gains Independence from France · EBSCO Research Starters, Guinea — History · Encyclopaedia Britannica