17 records
Africa
- BWAPolitics & Power
Botswana · 1950–1956
Exile and return of Seretse Khama
Britain exiles Seretse and Ruth to appease South Africa; he is allowed home in 1956 after renouncing the Bangwato throne, fuelling nationalism.
The Bechuanaland Protectorate
Sources: Sir Seretse Khama (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Seretse Khama (Wikipedia)
Asia
- CYPPolitics & Power
The énosis plebiscite
The Orthodox Church organised a plebiscite in which the overwhelming majority of Greek Cypriots voted for union with Greece; Britain refused, and Turkish Cypriots opposed it, sharpening communal division.
British Rule, the Demand for Énosis and the EOKA Campaign
Sources: EOKA (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Cyprus: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- INDPolitics & Power
India · 26 Jan 1950
Constitution and the Republic
The Constitution of India comes into force, making India a sovereign democratic republic with universal suffrage and fundamental rights; the day is celebrated as Republic Day.
Independence, Partition and the Modern Republic
Sources: Republic Day, India (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Republic of India — Republic Day (Know India, National Portal of India)
- JORPolitics & Power
Annexation of the West Bank
After his Arab Legion occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1948 war, King Abdullah formally annexed the territory and renamed the enlarged state the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The Arab Revolt, the Emirate of Transjordan and Independence
Sources: Abdullah I: Biography, History, and Assassination (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Jordan: Transjordan, the Hashemite Kingdom, and the Palestine war (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- LAOPolitics & Power
Laos · 1950 CE
Founding of the Pathet Lao
Prince Souphanouvong breaks with the Lao Issara to ally with the Viet Minh and proclaims the communist-oriented Pathet Lao ("Land of the Lao"), the future ruling movement.
The French Protectorate
Sources: Souphanouvong (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Pathet Lao (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- PRKWar & Rupture
North Korea · Late 1950
China enters the war
After UN forces push deep into the north, the People's Republic of China intervenes and drives the front back toward the 38th parallel, producing a stalemate.
The Korean War
Sources: The Korean War and Japan's Recovery (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · NSC-68 and the Korean War (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
- PRKWar & Rupture
North Korea · 15 September 1950
Inchon landing
US Marines, backed by naval and air bombardment, assault Inchon and quickly defeat its North Korean defenders. On 27 September MacArthur is authorized to conduct operations north of the 38th parallel.
The Korean War
Sources: Policy and Direction: The First Year, Chapter X, Crossing the Parallel (James F. Schnabel, U.S. Army Center of Military History (text mirrored by Korean War Online))
- PRKWar & Rupture
North Korea · 25 June 1950
North Korea invades the South
North Korean forces cross the 38th parallel, opening the Korean War; the North nearly overruns the peninsula before a US-led UN coalition intervenes.
The Korean War
Sources: The Korean War and Japan's Recovery (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · NSC-68 and the Korean War (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
- PRKWar & Rupture
North Korea · 1-4 August 1950
The Pusan Perimeter
US and ROK units withdraw behind the Naktong River into a rectangle nearly 100 miles from north to south and about 50 miles from east to west around Pusan, where the Eighth Army commander orders that there will be no further retreat.
The Korean War
Sources: Policy and Direction: The First Year, Chapter VII, Bolstering the Forces (James F. Schnabel, U.S. Army Center of Military History (text mirrored by Korean War Online))
- PRKWar & Rupture
North Korea · 21 November 1950
US troops reach the Yalu
Troops of the US 7th Division's 17th Infantry reach the Yalu River at Hyesanjin, as Chinese armies mass along the river in Manchuria and an unknown number have already entered Korea.
The Korean War
Sources: Policy and Direction: The First Year, Chapter XIV, The Threshold of Victory (James F. Schnabel, U.S. Army Center of Military History (text mirrored by Korean War Online))
- KORWar & Rupture
South Korea · 15 September 1950
Inchon landing
US Marines, backed by naval and air bombardment, assault Inchon and quickly defeat its North Korean defenders. On 27 September MacArthur is authorized to conduct operations north of the 38th parallel.
Division, the Korean War, and Authoritarian Rebuilding
Sources: Policy and Direction: The First Year, Chapter X, Crossing the Parallel (James F. Schnabel, U.S. Army Center of Military History (text mirrored by Korean War Online))
- KORWar & Rupture
South Korea · 25 June 1950
The Korean War
North Korea invades the South; a US-led UN force and Chinese intervention turn the war into a grinding stalemate that devastates the peninsula and kills millions.
Division, the Korean War, and Authoritarian Rebuilding
Sources: The Korean War and Japan's Recovery (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Korea (history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- KORWar & Rupture
South Korea · 1-4 August 1950
The Pusan Perimeter
US and ROK units withdraw behind the Naktong River into a rectangle nearly 100 miles from north to south and about 50 miles from east to west around Pusan, where the Eighth Army commander orders that there will be no further retreat.
Division, the Korean War, and Authoritarian Rebuilding
Sources: Policy and Direction: The First Year, Chapter VII, Bolstering the Forces (James F. Schnabel, U.S. Army Center of Military History (text mirrored by Korean War Online))
- KORWar & Rupture
South Korea · 21 November 1950
US troops reach the Yalu
Troops of the US 7th Division's 17th Infantry reach the Yalu River at Hyesanjin, as Chinese armies mass along the river in Manchuria and an unknown number have already entered Korea.
Division, the Korean War, and Authoritarian Rebuilding
Sources: Policy and Direction: The First Year, Chapter XIV, The Threshold of Victory (James F. Schnabel, U.S. Army Center of Military History (text mirrored by Korean War Online))
- TURPolitics & Power
First multiparty election
The Democrat Party won a landslide in the 1950 election, ending nearly three decades of one-party rule and marking Turkey's first peaceful transfer of power.
The Republic and Modern Türkiye
Sources: Democrat Party (Turkey) (Encyclopædia Britannica)
North America
- BLZPolitics & Power
Belize · 29 September 1950
The People's United Party founded
Amid anger over the 1949 currency devaluation, the People's United Party was founded and soon led by George Cadle Price; it championed democratic rights and self-rule and would dominate Belizean politics for decades.
Price, the PUP and independence
Sources: History of Belize (Encyclopædia Britannica) · George Price — prime minister of Belize (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Our History (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Belize)
South America
- ECUEconomy & Trade
Ecuador · 1950s
The banana boom
Ecuador becomes the world's largest banana exporter, the fruit replacing cacao as the leading crop and renewing coastal prosperity.
Cacao, Liberals and Bananas
Sources: History of Ecuador (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
9 records
Africa
- GNBPolitics & Power
Renamed an "overseas province"
Responding to international criticism, Portugal reclassified Guinea and its other colonies as "overseas provinces", recasting empire as an integral part of Portugal while colonial conditions persisted.
Portuguese Guinea and the late conquest
Sources: Portuguese Guinea (Wikipedia) · History of Guinea-Bissau (Wikipedia)
- LBYIndependence
Libya · 24 December 1951
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.
Independence, Monarchy and the Coming of Oil
Sources: The Kingdom of Libya is Established (History Today) · Background Note: Libya (U.S. Department of State)
- MOZPolitics & Power
Colonies redesignated 'overseas provinces'
Portugal renames its African colonies overseas provinces to resist decolonisation, while withholding citizenship and political rights from the African majority.
Chartered Companies and Forced Labour
Sources: Mozambique (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Mozambique (Wikipedia)
- SLEPolitics & Power
Rise of the Sierra Leone People's Party
Constitutional reform and the founding of the Sierra Leone People's Party under Milton Margai broadened African political participation and set the colony on the road to self-government.
Protectorate, the Hut Tax War, and independence
Sources: Sierra Leone (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Milton Augustus Margai (1895–1964) (BlackPast.org)
Asia
- JORPolitics & Power
Jordan · 20 July 1951
Assassination of King Abdullah I
Abdullah I was shot dead on the steps of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by a Palestinian gunman, opening a brief succession crisis before his grandson Hussein came to the throne.
The Arab Revolt, the Emirate of Transjordan and Independence
Sources: Abdullah I: Biography, History, and Assassination (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- NPLPolitics & Power
Nepal · 1950–51
Revolution restores the monarchy
A palace revolt and popular movement end Rana dominance and restore the sovereignty of the Shah crown under King Tribhuvan.
The Rana Century and the Return of the Crown
Sources: Nepal — Fall of the monarchy (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Rana era (Encyclopædia Britannica)
- PAKPolitics & Power
Pakistan · 16 Oct 1951
Assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan
Pakistan's first prime minister is assassinated at a rally in Rawalpindi, deepening the political instability of the new state's early years.
Partition and Independence
Sources: Liaquat Ali Khan (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Europe
- LUXPolitics & Power
Founding member of the ECSC
Following the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950, Luxembourg joined Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and West Germany as a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community, operating from 1952.
A Founder of the New Europe
Sources: The Schuman Declaration, 9 May 1950 (European Union (european-union.europa.eu)) · The history of the European Union, 1945-59 (European Union (european-union.europa.eu))
North America
- GRLWar & Rupture
Greenland · 1951–1953
Thule Air Base built
Under a 1951 NATO-era defence agreement, the United States constructed Thule Air Base in north-west Greenland, a major Cold War installation for bombers and early-warning radar, now the Pituffik Space Base.
War, the Cold War and the End of Colony
Sources: The history of US presence in Greenland (Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)) · A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Denmark (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
11 records
Africa
- EGYPolitics & Power
Egypt · 23 July 1952
Free Officers' revolution
A coup by the Free Officers overthrows King Farouk, ending the Muhammad Ali dynasty's effective rule and beginning the republican era.
The Modern Republic
Sources: Gamal Abdel Nasser (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Egyptian revolution of 1952 (Wikipedia)
- ERIPolitics & Power
Eritrea · 11 September 1952
UN federation with Ethiopia
Under UN Resolution 390 A (V) of 1950, Eritrea becomes an autonomous unit federated with Ethiopia, keeping its own parliament, flag and control of internal affairs.
Federation, Annexation and the Thirty-Year War
Sources: Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea (Wikipedia) · A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Eritrea (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
- KENWar & Rupture
Kenya · October 1952
State of emergency declared
As the Mau Mau revolt spreads, the colonial government declares a state of emergency that lasts until 1960, ushering in mass detentions and a brutal counter-insurgency.
Mau Mau and the Road to Independence
Sources: Mau Mau Rebellion (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Mau Mau (1952–1960) (BlackPast.org) · Kenya Emergency (Imperial War Museums)
Asia
- BGDCulture & Ideas
Bangladesh · 21 Feb 1952
The Bengali Language Movement
Students in Dhaka demanding that Bengali be a state language of Pakistan are shot by police; the martyrs become foundational to Bengali nationalism and, later, to UNESCO's International Mother Language Day.
Partition, East Pakistan and the Language Movement
Sources: Language Movement (Banglapedia (Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)) · International Mother Language Day (UNESCO)
- JPNIndependence
Japan · 1951-1952 CE
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.
Postwar Japan: Reconstruction and the Modern Nation
Sources: Occupation and Reconstruction of Japan, 1945-52 (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
- TURPolitics & Power
Turkey joins NATO
Turkey became a member of NATO in 1952, cementing its strategic alignment with the West throughout the Cold War.
The Republic and Modern Türkiye
Sources: Kemal Atatürk (Encyclopædia Britannica)
North America
- CUBPolitics & Power
Cuba · Mar 1952
Batista's coup
Anticipating electoral defeat, Fulgencio Batista seizes power in a bloodless coup and rules as dictator, provoking armed opposition.
The Republic: Occupation, Platt, Machado, and Batista
Sources: 26th of July Movement (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Republic of Cuba (1902-1959) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- GTMPolitics & Power
Guatemala · 1952 CE
Agrarian reform under Arbenz
President Arbenz's Decree 900 expropriates idle lands, including United Fruit estates, for the landless, alarming Washington.
Revolution, Coup, and Civil War
Sources: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954, Guatemala (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Guatemala: History (Postcolonial period and after) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- PRIFormation
Puerto Rico · 25 July 1952
Commonwealth established
Muñoz Marín proclaims the Constitution of the Commonwealth (Estado Libre Asociado), giving Puerto Rico self-government within U.S. sovereignty.
The Commonwealth and the Status Question
Sources: Puerto Rico: The Commonwealth (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Guide to Law Online: Puerto Rico — Constitution (Library of Congress)
South America
- BOLPolitics & Power
Bolivia · April 1952
The National Revolution
A popular insurrection brings the MNR and Victor Paz Estenssoro to power, launching reforms that reshape Bolivia.
The National Revolution and Military Rule
Sources: Victor Paz Estenssoro (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Bolivia: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)
- BOLEconomy & Trade
Bolivia · 1952-1953
Tin nationalised, suffrage and land reform
The revolutionary government nationalises the tin mines, grants universal suffrage to the indigenous majority, and decrees a sweeping agrarian reform.
The National Revolution and Military Rule
Sources: Victor Paz Estenssoro (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Bolivia: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)
19 records
Africa
- EGYFormation
Egypt · 18 June 1953
Republic of Egypt proclaimed
The monarchy is formally abolished and Egypt is declared a republic, with Muhammad Naguib as its first president.
The Modern Republic
Sources: Egyptian revolution of 1952 (Wikipedia)
- KENPolitics & Power
Jomo Kenyatta convicted
Kenyatta is tried and imprisoned for allegedly directing the Mau Mau, in proceedings later widely denounced as a sham; he is freed in 1961.
Mau Mau and the Road to Independence
Sources: Jomo Kenyatta (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Mau Mau (1952–1960) (BlackPast.org)
- MWIColonisation
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland created
Britain bound Nyasaland into a settler-dominated federation with Southern and Northern Rhodesia, provoking deep and sustained African opposition across Nyasaland.
Federation, Banda and independence
Sources: Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Formation of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (EBSCO Research Starters)
- MARPolitics & Power
Exile of Mohammed V
France deposes and exiles Sultan Mohammed V, an act that inflames the independence movement and unites Moroccans behind the monarchy.
The Alaouite Dynasty and the Protectorates
Sources: French Colony to Sovereign State: Moroccan Independence (Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training) · Alaouite Dynasty (1660–present) (Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in the United States)
- STPCatastrophe
São Tomé and Príncipe · 3 February 1953
The Batepá massacre
Under Governor Carlos Gorgulho, colonial police and settlers killed many Forro islanders who resisted forced labour — a massacre, with the toll uncertain, that became the founding memory of São Toméan nationalism.
Batepá, the MLSTP and the road to independence
Sources: Batepá Massacre (Museu do Aljube (Resistance and Freedom Museum, Lisbon)) · Batepá massacre (Wikipedia) · The February 1953 Massacre in São Tomé: Crack in the Salazarist Image of Multiracial Harmony (Academic article (Africa: Journal of the International African Institute))
- ZMBColonisation
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
Britain joined Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland into a federation dominated by white settlers, provoking widespread African opposition and galvanising nationalist politics.
Federation, nationalism and independence
Sources: Formation of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (EBSCO Research Starters) · Northern Rhodesia (Wikipedia)
Asia
- BTNPolitics & Power
National Assembly established
King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck creates the Tshogdu, Bhutan's National Assembly, beginning the reform of the country's institutions alongside the abolition of serfdom and land redistribution.
Opening to the World
Sources: Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, king of Bhutan (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies (Federal Research Division, Library of Congress)
- KHMIndependence
Cambodia · 9 November 1953
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.
Decline, Foreign Pressure, and the French Protectorate
Sources: Cambodia: Independence (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Cambodia Gains Independence from France (EBSCO Research Starters)
- IRNPolitics & Power
Iran · 1953 CE
The CIA-backed coup against Mosaddegh
Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who had nationalised the oil industry, is overthrown in August 1953 in a coup organised by the CIA and British intelligence, restoring the shah's power.
The Qajars, Constitutional Revolution and the Pahlavi Shahs
Sources: 1953 coup in Iran (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · 1953 Iranian coup d'état (Wikipedia)
- JORPolitics & Power
Jordan · 2 May 1953
King Hussein assumes power
After his father Talal was declared unfit to rule, the young Hussein bin Talal took full constitutional powers, beginning a reign of nearly half a century that shaped the modern kingdom.
Modern Jordan: Hussein, the Wars, Peace and Abdullah II
Sources: Hussein: King of Jordan, Biography and Facts (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · King Hussein bin Talal (1935-1999) (The Royal Hashemite Court)
- LAOIndependence
Laos · 22 October 1953
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.
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)
- PRKWar & Rupture
North Korea · 27 July 1953
Korean War armistice
An armistice halts the fighting and creates the Demilitarized Zone; no peace treaty is signed, freezing the division of the peninsula to the present day.
The Korean War
Sources: The Korean War and Japan's Recovery (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · US Enters the Korean Conflict (U.S. National Archives)
- PRKWar & Rupture
North Korea · 27 July 1953
The Demilitarized Zone is defined
The armistice, signed at Panmunjom by Lt. Gen. William K. Harrison Jr. for the UN Command and Gen. Nam Il for the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers, fixes a military demarcation line and has both sides withdraw two kilometres from it, making a buffer zone about four kilometres wide. The line follows the positions held at the end of the fighting, not the 38th parallel; the coast-to-coast length is given as 238 kilometres by National Geographic.
The Korean War
Sources: Armistice Agreement for the Restoration of the South Korean State (1953) (U.S. National Archives) · Why the Korean DMZ is not the 38th parallel (National Geographic)
- KORWar & Rupture
South Korea · 27 July 1953
Korean War armistice
An armistice halts the fighting near the 38th parallel and creates the Demilitarized Zone; no peace treaty is signed, freezing the division to the present day.
Division, the Korean War, and Authoritarian Rebuilding
Sources: The Korean War and Japan's Recovery (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Korea (history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- KORWar & Rupture
South Korea · 27 July 1953
The Demilitarized Zone is defined
The armistice, signed at Panmunjom by Lt. Gen. William K. Harrison Jr. for the UN Command and Gen. Nam Il for the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers, fixes a military demarcation line and has both sides withdraw two kilometres from it, making a buffer zone about four kilometres wide. The line follows the positions held at the end of the fighting, not the 38th parallel; the coast-to-coast length is given as 238 kilometres by National Geographic.
Division, the Korean War, and Authoritarian Rebuilding
Sources: Armistice Agreement for the Restoration of the South Korean State (1953) (U.S. National Archives) · Why the Korean DMZ is not the 38th parallel (National Geographic)
Europe
- NLDCatastrophe
Netherlands · 31 Jan – 1 Feb 1953
North Sea flood and the Delta Works
A storm surge floods the southwest, killing more than 1,800 people in the Netherlands and prompting the construction of the Delta Works flood defences.
The World Wars, Decolonisation and the Modern Netherlands
Sources: North Sea flood of 1953 (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- BHSPolitics & Power
Founding of the Progressive Liberal Party
Bahamians opposed to UBP and "Bay Street" dominance founded the Progressive Liberal Party, which became the vehicle of the movement for majority rule.
Majority rule and independence
Sources: The Bahamas — Independence (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Background Note: The Bahamas (U.S. Department of State) · Lynden Pindling (1930–2000) (BlackPast.org)
- GRLPolitics & Power
Greenland · 5 Jun 1953
From colony to Danish county
The revised Danish constitution abolished Greenland's colonial status and made it an integral county of the Kingdom of Denmark, a change the United Nations accepted as decolonisation.
War, the Cold War and the End of Colony
Sources: Greenland: History (Encyclopædia Britannica) · About Greenland / Politics in Greenland (Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland)) · Greenland's National Day, the Home Rule Act (1979), and the Act on Self-Government (2009) (Library of Congress, In Custodia Legis (Law Library blog))
South America
- GUYPolitics & Power
PPP victory and suspended constitution
The People's Progressive Party wins the first elections under universal suffrage and Jagan becomes chief minister, but Britain suspends the constitution and sends troops after 133 days.
Jagan, Burnham and the Road to Independence
Sources: Cheddi Jagan (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Guyana and Belize: Country Studies (U.S. Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)
11 records
Africa
- DZAWar & Rupture
Algeria · 1 November 1954
Toussaint Rouge: the war begins
The FLN launches coordinated attacks across Algeria on 1 November 1954, opening the war of independence against French rule.
The War of Independence
Sources: Algerian War (EBSCO Research Starters) · History of Algeria (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- TZAPolitics & Power
Founding of TANU
Julius Nyerere builds the Tanganyika African National Union, which campaigns for independence by constitutional means and comes to dominate the territory's politics.
Independence, Revolution and the Union
Sources: Julius Nyerere (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Tanganyika (1961–1964) (Wikipedia)
Asia
- KAZPeoples & Migration
Kazakhstan · from 1954
Khrushchev's Virgin Lands campaign
Nikita Khrushchev's drive to plough up the northern Kazakh steppe for grain brings hundreds of thousands of mostly Slavic settlers, transforming the republic's demography so that Kazakhs become a minority in Kazakhstan.
Soviet Kazakhstan
Sources: History of Kazakhstan (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)
- TKMEconomy & Trade
Turkmenistan · begun 1954
The Kara-Kum Canal
Construction began on the Kara-Kum Canal, which carried water from the Amu Darya across the desert to irrigate the cotton lands — a vast project that opened new farmland at heavy environmental cost.
Soviet Turkmenistan
Sources: Turkmenistan (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Turkmenistan: A Country Study (in 'Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies') (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)
- VNMPolitics & Power
Vietnam · 1954 CE
Geneva Accords divide Vietnam
The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam at the 17th parallel into a communist North and an anti-communist South pending reunification elections that are never held.
The Wars: Independence, Division, and Reunification
Sources: Geneva Accords (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Dien Bien Phu and the Fall of French Indochina, 1954 (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
Europe
- SVNPolitics & Power
Slovenia · 5 Oct 1954
London Memorandum on Trieste
The United States, United Kingdom, Italy and Yugoslavia agreed to divide the Free Territory of Trieste, placing Zone A under Italian and Zone B under Yugoslav administration.
Socialist Yugoslavia and the Road to Independence
Sources: The Trieste Settlement, October 1954 (London Memorandum) (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian (FRUS 1952-54, vol. VIII)) · Treaty of Osimo (1975) and the Trieste settlement (Free Trieste / international treaties archive)
- UKRPolitics & Power
Ukraine · 19 Feb 1954
Crimea transferred to the Ukrainian SSR
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet transferred the Crimean Peninsula from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR, citing economic and geographic ties, an administrative change within the USSR.
Soviet Ukraine, the Holodomor and the Second World War
Sources: Transfer of Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR, 19 February 1954 (Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) · History of Ukraine (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- BLZPolitics & Power
Universal adult suffrage
Britain granted universal adult suffrage to British Honduras in 1954; the PUP won the ensuing elections, beginning a long run of electoral dominance that carried Price's party toward self-government and independence.
Price, the PUP and independence
Sources: History of Belize (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Our History (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Belize)
- GTMPolitics & Power
Guatemala · Jun 1954
CIA-backed coup overthrows Arbenz
The covert operation PBSUCCESS pressures Arbenz to resign on 27 June 1954, ending the reform era and installing military rule.
Revolution, Coup, and Civil War
Sources: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954, Guatemala (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Guatemala: History (Postcolonial period and after) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- USAPolitics & Power
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, a landmark in the legal assault on Jim Crow.
Superpower, civil rights, and the modern era
Sources: Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation; U.S. History Collections (Library of Congress)
South America
- PRYPolitics & Power
Paraguay · 4 May 1954
Stroessner seizes power
General Alfredo Stroessner overthrows President Federico Chaves and assumes the presidency, beginning a thirty-five-year dictatorship under the Colorado Party.
The Stroessner Era, Democracy and Itaipu
Sources: Alfredo Stroessner (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Paraguay (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
11 records
Africa
- CMRPolitics & Power
Cameroon · July 1955
The UPC is banned
After waves of unrest, the French administration outlawed the UPC, pushing the movement underground and into an armed insurgency.
Partition: French Cameroun and British Cameroons
Sources: Cameroon War (1955–1964) (Wikipedia) · Ruben Um Nyobe (1913–1958) (BlackPast.org)
- SDSWar & Rupture
South Sudan · Aug 1955
Torit mutiny begins the First Civil War
Southern soldiers of the Equatorial Corps mutiny at Torit over fears of northern domination, an event marking the start of the First Sudanese Civil War.
Marginalisation and Two Civil Wars
Sources: History of South Sudan (Wikipedia) · Sudan: The Addis Ababa Agreement (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- SDNWar & Rupture
Sudan · 1955–1972
First civil war
Rebellion in the south, begun in 1955, grows into a 17-year war ended by the Addis Ababa Agreement of 27 February 1972, which grants southern autonomy.
Independence and the Long Civil Wars
Sources: First Sudanese Civil War (Wikipedia) · Addis Ababa Agreement (1972) (Wikipedia)
Asia
- CYPWar & Rupture
Cyprus · 1 Apr 1955
EOKA launches its armed campaign
EOKA, led by Colonel Georgios Grivas with the support of Archbishop Makarios III, began an armed struggle against British rule in pursuit of énosis, opening four years of insurgency and repression.
British Rule, the Demand for Énosis and the EOKA Campaign
Sources: EOKA (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- LBNEconomy & Trade
Lebanon · c. 1955–1975
Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East
Lebanon's golden age makes Beirut the banking, commercial and cultural capital of the region, renowned for its cosmopolitan prosperity.
Independence and the Golden Age
Sources: Lebanon (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Lebanon (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- CYNWar & Rupture
Northern Cyprus · 1955-1959
EOKA campaign for enosis
The guerrilla organisation EOKA, backed by Archbishop Makarios, fought British rule in pursuit of enosis (union with Greece); Turkish Cypriots opposed enosis and called for taksim (partition).
British Rule and the Roots of Conflict
Sources: Cyprus - History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Makarios III - Archbishop, President of Cyprus (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Europe
- AUTPolitics & Power
Austria · 26 Oct 1955
Declaration of permanent neutrality
After the last occupation troops left, the Austrian parliament passed a constitutional law declaring the republic's permanent neutrality, the condition on which the Soviet Union had agreed to withdraw.
The Second Republic: Neutrality, South Tyrol and Europe
Sources: Austria Regains Its Independence (Austrian State Treaty, 1955) (EBSCO Research Starters: History)
- AUTIndependence
Austria · 15 May 1955
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.
The Second Republic: Neutrality, South Tyrol and Europe
Sources: Austria Regains Its Independence (Austrian State Treaty, 1955) (EBSCO Research Starters: History)
- IRLPolitics & Power
UK annexes Rockall
British Royal Marines landed on the uninhabited Atlantic islet of Rockall in 1955 and claimed it for the United Kingdom; it was declared part of Scotland by the Island of Rockall Act 1972.
The Republic, Europe and the Northern Question
Sources: Who owns Rockall? The history of the Atlantic dispute between Ireland and the UK (TheJournal.ie) · Who owns Rockall? A history of disputes over a tiny Atlantic island (The Irish Times)
South America
- ARGPolitics & Power
Argentina · Sept 1955
Peron overthrown
The Revolucion Libertadora ousts Peron, who goes into an exile of nearly two decades while Peronism is banned at home.
The Peron Era and Political Turmoil
Sources: Juan Peron (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- GUYPolitics & Power
Guyana · 1955-1957
The PPP splits along ethnic lines
Forbes Burnham breaks with Jagan and forms the People's National Congress; the two parties harden into Afro- and Indo-Guyanese blocs that dominate national politics.
Jagan, Burnham and the Road to Independence
Sources: Guyana — Independence, Ethnicity, Politics (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Forbes Burnham (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
16 records
Africa
- DZAWar & Rupture
Algeria · 1956–1957
Battle of Algiers
A fierce urban campaign in the capital pits FLN cells against French paratroopers; the army's use of torture turns world opinion against the war.
The War of Independence
Sources: Algerian War (EBSCO Research Starters) · The Algerian War of Independence (Lumen Learning / SUNY World History)
- CPVPolitics & Power
Cabral founds the PAIGC
Amílcar Cabral and a small group founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, conceiving the two Portuguese territories as one nation to be liberated together.
Cabral, the PAIGC, and independence
Sources: Amílcar Lopes Cabral (1924–1973) (BlackPast.org) · Amílcar Cabral (Wikipedia) · History of Cabo Verde (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- EGYWar & Rupture
Suez Crisis
Nasser nationalises the Suez Canal; an invasion by Britain, France and Israel is forced into withdrawal, confirming Egypt's sovereignty and Nasser's standing.
The Modern Republic
Sources: Suez Crisis (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Gamal Abdel Nasser (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- GABEconomy & Trade
Oil discovered near Port-Gentil
Oil was discovered offshore at the Ozouri field near Port-Gentil in 1956; petroleum would become the foundation of independent Gabon's economy and a key source of state revenue.
Colonial Gabon and the road to independence
Sources: Gabon — Economy (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Gabon's Experience Managing Oil Wealth (Oil Wealth in Central Africa) (International Monetary Fund)
- GNBPolitics & Power
Amílcar Cabral founds the PAIGC
The agronomist Amílcar Cabral and a small group founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the movement that would lead the struggle against Portuguese rule.
Cabral, the PAIGC and the war of independence
Sources: Amílcar Cabral (Wikipedia) · History of Guinea-Bissau (Wikipedia) · Guinea-Bissau (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- MARIndependence
Morocco · 2 March 1956
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.
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)
- SDSIndependence
South Sudan · 1 Jan 1956
Sudan's independence; the south sidelined
Sudan becomes independent under a northern-dominated government, with southern demands for federalism largely unmet.
Marginalisation and Two Civil Wars
Sources: History of South Sudan (Wikipedia)
- SDNIndependence
Sudan · 1 January 1956
Independence of the Sudan
Sudan becomes a sovereign republic, ending Anglo-Egyptian rule; its parliament chooses independence over union with Egypt.
Independence and the Long Civil Wars
Sources: Anglo-Egyptian Condominium (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Sudan (Wikipedia)
- TGOPolitics & Power
Togo · 9 May 1956
British Togoland votes to join Ghana
In a UN-supervised plebiscite, about 58 per cent of British Togoland's voters chose union with the Gold Coast; the territory was integrated into Ghana, which became independent in 1957.
Conquest, partition and the mandates
Sources: 1956 British Togoland status plebiscite (Wikipedia) · British Togoland (Wikipedia) · History of Togo (Wikipedia)
- TUNCulture & Ideas
Code of Personal Status
Bourguiba's government bans polygamy and expands women's rights, a landmark reform in the Arab world.
The Republic & the Jasmine Revolution
Sources: Code of Personal Status in Tunisia (Wikipedia) · Habib Bourguiba (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- TUNIndependence
Tunisia · 20 March 1956
Tunisian independence
France recognises Tunisian sovereignty; Bourguiba becomes prime minister.
French Protectorate & Independence
Sources: Tunisian independence (Wikipedia) · Habib Bourguiba (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Asia
- LKAPolitics & Power
The Sinhala Only Act
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike is elected on a wave of Sinhalese nationalism and makes Sinhala the sole official language, alongside measures elevating Buddhism.
Republic, Civil War and the Modern Nation
Sources: Sri Lanka country profile (BBC News) · S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Europe
- HUNWar & Rupture
Hungary · 23 Oct – 4 Nov 1956
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956
A nationwide rising under premier Imre Nagy declared Hungary's withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact; the Soviet army crushed it on 4 November, killing some 2,500 Hungarians and driving about 200,000 into exile.
Communism, 1956 and the Return to Europe
Sources: Hungarian Revolution (1956) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- MCOCulture & Ideas
Monaco · 19 April 1956
Rainier III marries Grace Kelly
Prince Rainier III married the American actress Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace; their union brought the principality international glamour and helped drive its post-war revival.
Sovereignty Tied to France and the Making of the Modern Principality
Sources: Rainier III, prince de Monaco (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- TTOPolitics & Power
Eric Williams founds the PNM
The historian Dr Eric Williams founded the People's National Movement and won office, beginning a dominance of Trinidad and Tobago's politics that would carry the colony to independence.
Eric Williams, independence, and the republic
Sources: Eric Williams (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Trinidad and Tobago: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
South America
- BRAPolitics & Power
Brazil · 19 Sep 1956
A site and a builder for the new capital
Law 2,874, sanctioned by President Juscelino Kubitschek, fixes the boundary of the future Federal District on the central plateau and creates Novacap, the state company that will build the city. In 1957 Lucio Costa's Pilot Plan is chosen, and a law of 1 October 1957 sets the transfer of the capital for 21 April 1960.
The Vargas Era and Military Dictatorship
Sources: Lei n. 2.874, de 19 de setembro de 1956 (mudanca da Capital Federal) (Presidencia da Republica, Casa Civil (Planalto)) · Lei n. 3.273, de 1 de outubro de 1957 (fixa a data da mudanca da Capital Federal) (Presidencia da Republica, Casa Civil (Planalto)) · Do quadrilatero Cruls ao patrimonio historico e cultural da humanidade (50 anos de Brasilia) (Senado Federal do Brasil)
8 records
Africa
- GHAIndependence
Ghana · 6 March 1957
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.
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)
- MARPolitics & Power
Mohammed V becomes king
Mohammed V adopts the title of king, formalising the modern Moroccan monarchy as the country builds its independent institutions.
Independence and the Modern Kingdom
Sources: Alaouite Dynasty (1660–present) (Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in the United States)
- RWAPolitics & Power
The Hutu Manifesto
Hutu leaders publish the 'Hutu Manifesto' demanding an end to Tutsi domination; Belgian authorities and the Church begin to favour the Hutu majority over the Tutsi elite.
German and Belgian Rule
Sources: Rwandan Revolution (Wikipedia) · Divided by Ethnicity (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
- TUNPolitics & Power
Tunisia · 25 July 1957
Republic proclaimed
The monarchy is abolished and Tunisia becomes a republic with Bourguiba as first president.
French Protectorate & Independence
Sources: Habib Bourguiba (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Asia
- MYSIndependence
Malaysia · 31 Aug 1957
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.
Occupation, the Emergency and Merdeka
Sources: Federation of Malaya (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Europe
- BELPolitics & Power
Belgium · 1951–1957
Founding the European Community
Belgium was one of the six founders of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and the European Economic Community by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, with Brussels becoming the centre of European integration.
A Federal Kingdom at the Heart of Europe
Sources: History of the European Union, 1945–59 (European Union (european-union.europa.eu)) · 75 years of NATO: An Alliance firmly rooted in Belgium (Focus on Belgium (Federal Government of Belgium))
- FRAEconomy & Trade
North America
- HTIPolitics & Power
Haiti · 1957 CE
Papa Doc Duvalier takes power
Francois Duvalier becomes president and establishes a personal dictatorship enforced by the Tontons Macoutes, declaring himself president for life.
Occupation and Dictatorship
Sources: Haiti: Military regimes and the Duvaliers (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
26 records
Africa
- DZAPolitics & Power
The war topples the Fourth Republic
The Algerian crisis brings down France's Fourth Republic and returns Charles de Gaulle to power, opening the way to eventual negotiations.
The War of Independence
Sources: History of Algeria (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- CMRWar & Rupture
Cameroon · 13 September 1958
Killing of Ruben Um Nyobe
The UPC leader Ruben Um Nyobe was tracked down and shot by a French-led military unit; repression of the insurgency continued in the Bassa and Bamileke regions with heavy loss of life.
Partition: French Cameroun and British Cameroons
Sources: Ruben Um Nyobe (1913–1958) (BlackPast.org) · Cameroon War (1955–1964) (Wikipedia)
- CAFPolitics & Power
Central African Republic · 1 Dec 1958
Self-government under Boganda
Ubangi-Shari achieves self-government within French Equatorial Africa with Boganda as prime minister, months before his death in an air crash.
French Equatorial Africa to Independence
Sources: Central African Republic country profile (BBC News) · Barthélemy Boganda (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- TCDPolitics & Power
Chad · Nov 1958
Autonomous republic proclaimed
Chad became an autonomous republic within the French Community, a step toward the full independence achieved in 1960.
Rabih's empire and French conquest
Sources: Chad — Independence, Civil War, Lake Chad (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- COGPolitics & Power
Autonomy within the French Community
Following the September 1958 referendum, Middle Congo became the autonomous Republic of the Congo within the French Community, a self-governing step short of full sovereignty.
French Equatorial Africa, forced labour, and the Congo-Ocean Railway
Sources: Republic of the Congo (Encyclopædia Britannica) · History of the Republic of the Congo (Wikipedia)
- DJIPolitics & Power
First referendum keeps ties to France
Voters in French Somaliland choose to remain within the French Community rather than join independent Somalia.
Referendums and the Road to Independence
Sources: Djibouti (country and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Djibouti (Wikipedia)
- GABPolitics & Power
Internal autonomy as the Gabonese Republic
Under the 1958 French Community Gabon became an autonomous republic with Léon M'ba as head of government, a step short of full sovereignty within the French constitutional framework.
Colonial Gabon and the road to independence
Sources: History of Gabon (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Gabon — History (Nations Encyclopedia)
- GINIndependence
Guinea · 28 September 1958
Guinea votes 'Non'
In the constitutional referendum, Guinea overwhelmingly rejects de Gaulle's French Community — the only French African colony to do so.
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)
- GINIndependence
Guinea · 2 October 1958
Independence proclaimed
Days after France abruptly withdraws its aid and personnel, Guinea proclaims itself a sovereign republic with Ahmed Sékou Touré as president.
The 'Non' of 1958 and the Sékou Touré Years
Sources: Guinea Gains Independence from France (EBSCO Research Starters) · Guinea — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- MRTPolitics & Power
Autonomous republic and Nouakchott
Mauritania becomes an autonomous republic within the French Community, and the new capital of Nouakchott is established on the coast.
Independence and the Daddah Republic
Sources: Mauritania (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Moktar Ould Daddah (1924–2003) (BlackPast.org)
- NERPolitics & Power
Autonomous republic within the French Community
In the 1958 referendum Niger voted to become a self-governing republic within the French Community, with Hamani Diori emerging at the head of its government on the road to independence.
Conquest, the Voulet-Chanoine column and colonial Niger
Sources: Hamani Diori (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Hamani Diori (1916–1989) (BlackPast.org) · History of Niger (Wikipedia)
- SDNPolitics & Power
Sudan · 1 February 1958
Egypt asks for the territory north of the 22nd parallel
After a Sudanese election order covers areas north of the 22nd parallel that Sudan had administered since 1902, Egypt sends a note requesting their return, offering in exchange to hand over the Egyptian-administered area south of the parallel. Sudan replies that Egypt had not objected to two earlier elections there. Sudan states that it has written to the UN Security Council about the area every year since 1958.
Independence and the Long Civil Wars
Sources: International Boundary Study No. 18: Egypt (United Arab Republic) – Sudan Boundary (1962) (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Geographer (via FSU College of Law)) · Sudan: Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (3 March 2017) (UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) · Egypt: Declaration to the UN Secretary-General (4 May 2017) (UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea)
- TGOPolitics & Power
Olympio's CUT wins the elections
Sylvanus Olympio's nationalist CUT defeated the pro-French parties in the 1958 elections, and Olympio became head of government of the Trust Territory of French Togoland.
Independence and the killing of Olympio
Sources: Sylvanus Olympio (Wikipedia) · French Togoland (Wikipedia) · Togo (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- ZMBPolitics & Power
Zambia · October 1958
Kaunda founds ZANC
Breaking with Harry Nkumbula's ANC, Kenneth Kaunda founded the radical Zambia African National Congress; it was banned in 1959 and Kaunda imprisoned, but the movement continued as UNIP.
Federation, nationalism and independence
Sources: Kenneth Kaunda (New World Encyclopedia) · Northern Rhodesia (Wikipedia)
Asia
- BTNPolitics & Power
Slavery abolished
The third king abolishes slavery and serfdom, one of the first acts of a reign that would open a closed kingdom deliberately and slowly.
Opening to the World
Sources: Bhutan country profile (BBC News)
- CHNCatastrophe
China · 1958 CE
Great Leap Forward and the great famine
Mao's Great Leap Forward forces rapid collectivization and crude industrialization, causing a famine from 1959 to 1961 that killed an estimated 15 million to tens of millions of people.
The People's Republic: Revolution, Upheaval, and Reform
Sources: Great Leap Forward (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Great Leap Forward famine (EBSCO Research Starters)
- IRQPolitics & Power
Iraq · 14 July 1958
Republican coup ends the monarchy
Army officers led by Abd al-Karim Qasim overthrow the Hashemite monarchy in a predawn coup; King Faisal II is killed and the Republic of Iraq is proclaimed.
The Republic, Saddam Hussein and the Wars
Sources: ʿAbd al-Karīm Qāsim (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Iraq — The Republic of Iraq (Encyclopædia Britannica)
- PAKPolitics & Power
Ayub Khan's military coup
General Ayub Khan seizes power in Pakistan's first military takeover, beginning a decade of presidential rule and a recurring pattern of army intervention in politics.
Partition and Independence
Sources: Pakistan: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division) · Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq (Encyclopædia Britannica)
- SYRPolitics & Power
Syria · 1958–1961
Union with Egypt — the United Arab Republic
Syria merges with Nasser's Egypt to form the United Arab Republic in 1958, but resentment of Egyptian dominance dissolves the union in a 1961 coup.
The French Mandate and Independence
Sources: United Arab Republic (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Syria — history (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Europe
- FRAFormation
Fifth Republic founded
De Gaulle's new constitution creates the strong presidency that governs France today.
The Republics & the Modern Nation
Sources: France — The Fifth Republic (Encyclopædia Britannica)
- ISLWar & Rupture
First Cod War (12 nautical miles)
Iceland extended its fishery limit from four to twelve nautical miles in 1958; after confrontations at sea Britain accepted the twelve-mile zone in an exchange of notes of 11 March 1961, keeping access to its outer six miles for three years — the first of Iceland's victories over the Royal Navy.
The Cod Wars and the Modern Republic
Sources: Cod Wars (EBSCO Research Starters) · Iceland: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Exchange of Notes constituting an agreement between Iceland and the United Kingdom settling the fisheries dispute, 11 March 1961 (No. 5710) (United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 397)
- LUXPolitics & Power
Luxembourg · 1 Jan 1958
Founding member of the European Communities
Under the Treaties of Rome, Luxembourg became a founding member of the European Economic Community, joining what is now the European Union from 1 January 1958 and later adopting the euro.
A Founder of the New Europe
Sources: Luxembourg (EU country profile) (European Union (european-union.europa.eu)) · The history of the European Union, 1945-59 (European Union (european-union.europa.eu))
North America
- JAMPolitics & Power
Jamaica · 1958 CE
West Indies Federation
Jamaica joins the federation of British Caribbean colonies as its largest member, an experiment in regional union.
Self-Government and Independence
Sources: Jamaica: The independent country (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · The Federal Archives Fonds, 1958-1962 (West Indies Federation) (UNESCO Memory of the World)
South America
- COLCulture & Ideas
Colombia · 1958 CE
Garcia Marquez and Macondo
The journalist and novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez gives literary form to Colombia's history of violence and wonder, later winning the 1982 Nobel Prize.
La Violencia and the National Front
Sources: Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- COLPolitics & Power
Colombia · 1958-1974
The National Front
Liberals and Conservatives agree to alternate the presidency and share offices, ending partisan war but closing politics to other movements.
La Violencia and the National Front
Sources: History of Colombia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- VENPolitics & Power
Venezuela · 23 Jan 1958
Fall of Perez Jimenez and the Punto Fijo pact
A civil-military uprising ousts the dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez; party leaders sign the Punto Fijo pact, founding four decades of power-sharing democracy.
The Petro-State and the Democratic Era
Sources: Venezuela (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Venezuela: A Country Study (U.S. Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)
17 records
Africa
- CAFPolitics & Power
Central African Republic · 29 March 1959
Death of Boganda
Boganda, who had proclaimed the autonomous republic in December 1958 and championed a 'United States of Latin Africa', died in a plane crash months before independence; David Dacko succeeded him.
French Equatorial Africa to Independence
Sources: Barthélemy Boganda (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Barthélemy Boganda (New World Encyclopedia) · Remembering the national hero of the Central African Republic who died in a plane crash before independence (Face2Face Africa)
- GNQPolitics & Power
Made an overseas "province" of Spain
In 1959 Spain reclassified the colony as the "Equatorial Region," divided into the provinces of Fernando Poo and Río Muni, with elected local representatives sent to the Spanish Cortes — a first step toward decolonisation.
Spanish Guinea and the road to independence
Sources: Spanish Guinea (Wikipedia) · History of Equatorial Guinea (Wikipedia)
- GNBWar & Rupture
Guinea-Bissau · 3 August 1959
The Pidjiguiti massacre
Portuguese police opened fire on striking dockworkers at the Pidjiguiti quay in Bissau, killing scores; the killings turned the PAIGC away from peaceful protest and toward armed struggle.
Cabral, the PAIGC and the war of independence
Sources: Pidjiguiti massacre (Wikipedia) · History of Guinea-Bissau (Wikipedia)
- LBYEconomy & Trade
Commercial oil discovered
The discovery of oil in commercial quantities at the Zelten field transforms Libya's prospects; exports begin in 1961.
Independence, Monarchy and the Coming of Oil
Sources: Libya: The discovery of oil (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Zelten oil field (Wikipedia)
- MWIPolitics & Power
Malawi · March 1959
State of emergency and Operation Sunrise
Amid mounting agitation against federation, the governor declared a state of emergency and detained Banda and over a thousand Congress members; the Devlin Commission later condemned the use of force and likened Nyasaland to a police state.
Federation, Banda and independence
Sources: Nyasaland emergency of 1959 (Wikipedia) · Devlin Commission (Wikipedia)
- MLIPolitics & Power
Mali · January 1959
The Mali Federation with Senegal
French Soudan and Senegal join in the short-lived Mali Federation, with Modibo Keïta as a leading figure; it dissolves in August 1960.
French Soudan and Independence
Sources: Mali Federation (Wikipedia) · Modibo Keita — 1st President of Mali (Encyclopædia Britannica)
- NAMPolitics & Power
Namibia · 10 December 1959
The Old Location shootings
Police killed about a dozen residents of Windhoek's Old Location protesting forced removal to Katutura township, an atrocity that helped galvanise the nationalist movement.
South African rule, the mandate, and apartheid
Sources: History of Namibia (Wikipedia) · South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) (Wikipedia)
- RWAPolitics & Power
Rwanda · November 1959
The Hutu 'Social Revolution'
A Hutu uprising, tolerated by the Belgian authorities, kills hundreds of Tutsi and drives many into exile, breaking the power of the Tutsi monarchy.
Revolution, Independence and Exile
Sources: Rwandan Revolution (Wikipedia) · Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda — Historical Background (United Nations) · Divided by Ethnicity (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
- SENPolitics & Power
Mali Federation formed
Senegal and the Sudanese Republic unite in the Mali Federation, seeking a federal path out of French rule.
Independence and the Senghor Republic
Sources: Mali Federation (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Mali Federation (Wikipedia)
- TZACulture & Ideas
Tanzania · July 1959
Mary Leakey finds the Zinjanthropus skull
At Olduvai Gorge, Mary Leakey uncovers the robust hominin skull OH 5 (Zinjanthropus / Paranthropus boisei), a landmark in the study of human evolution.
Cradle of Humankind: Olduvai and Laetoli
Sources: Olduvai Gorge (Wikipedia) · Mary Leakey (Wikipedia)
Asia
- BRNPolitics & Power
Brunei · 29 September 1959
Constitution grants self-government
A written constitution gives Brunei internal self-government and ends the British Residency, with Britain keeping control of defence and foreign affairs.
Oil, the Japanese Occupation, and the Road to Self-Government
Sources: History of Brunei (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Omar Ali Saifuddin (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Country Facts: Brunei Darussalam (Permanent Mission of Brunei Darussalam to the United Nations)
- CYPPolitics & Power
Cyprus · Feb 1959
The Zürich-London Agreements
Greece and Turkey reached a compromise at Zürich, endorsed in London by Britain and Cypriot leaders, setting the terms for an independent Cyprus that excluded both énosis and partition.
Independence, the Breakdown of Power-Sharing and UNFICYP
Sources: EOKA (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Cyprus: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- IRNPolitics & Power
Iran · 1959 CE
A committee proposes undoing the 1935 name request
In the summer of 1959 a committee of statesmen and scholars reported to the government proposing that the change of name be reversed. According to the scholar Ehsan Yarshater, a Foreign Ministry circular then made the use of either name, Persia or Iran, optional.
The Qajars, Constitutional Revolution and the Pahlavi Shahs
Sources: Communication: Iran or Persia? (Iranian Studies 22:1, 1989) (Ehsan Yarshater, Iranian Studies)
- CYNPolitics & Power
Northern Cyprus · February 1959
Zürich and London agreements
Britain, Greece, and Turkey, with Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot leaders, agreed terms for an independent bicommunal republic, barring both enosis and partition and naming the three powers as guarantors.
British Rule and the Roots of Conflict
Sources: Cyprus - History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Cyprus: A Country Study (U.S. Library of Congress (Federal Research Division))
North America
- CUBPolitics & Power
Cuba · 1 Jan 1959
Triumph of the Revolution
Batista flees and the 26th of July Movement takes power; Fidel Castro soon leads the new government, which turns toward socialism.
The Revolution and the Cold War
Sources: Cuban Revolution (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · 26th of July Movement (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- USAPolitics & Power
United States · 3 January 1959
Alaska becomes the 49th state
Ninety-two years after the purchase mocked as 'Seward's Folly', Alaska entered the Union as the 49th state. Gold had already transformed the territory — it was the gateway to the Klondike fields after 1896, and a rush followed the 1898 discovery at Nome — and in 1968 the discovery at Prudhoe Bay of the largest oil field in North America, carried south from 1977 by the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, remade its economy again.
Superpower, civil rights, and the modern era
Sources: Purchase of Alaska, 1867 (Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State) · Nome (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Prudhoe Bay (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Alaska (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
South America
- ECUCulture & Ideas
Ecuador · 1959 CE
Galapagos National Park
Ecuador declares the Galapagos Islands a national park, the basis of their later inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cacao, Liberals and Bananas
Sources: History of Galapagos (Galapagos Conservancy) · Galapagos Islands (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)