The 1960s

Africa

1. 🇧🇯BEN

   Benin · Independence · 1 August 1960

   Independence as the Republic of Dahomey

   Dahomey became a fully independent state on 1 August 1960, with Hubert Maga as its first president, ending French colonial rule.

   Behanzin, the French conquest, and colonial Dahomey

   Sources: Benin — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Hubert Maga (1916–2000) (BlackPast.org)

2. 🇧🇫BFA

   Burkina Faso · Independence · 5 August 1960

   Independence of Upper Volta

   Upper Volta gains full independence from France; Maurice Yaméogo becomes its first president.

   Independence and the Cycle of Coups

   Sources: Background Notes: Burkina Faso (U.S. Department of State) · Maurice Yaméogo (Wikipedia) · List of heads of state of Burkina Faso (Wikipedia)

3. 🇨🇲CMR

   Cameroon · Independence · 1 January 1960

   Independence of French Cameroun

   The UN trusteeship administered by France ended and French Cameroun became an independent republic, with Ahmadou Ahidjo as its first president.

   Independence, reunification and the Ahidjo years

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

4. 🇨🇫CAF

   Central African Republic · Independence · 13 August 1960

   Independence from France

   The Central African Republic became fully independent, with David Dacko as its first president and Bangui as its capital.

   French Equatorial Africa to Independence

   Sources: Central African Republic — Independence (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · David Dacko (Wikipedia) · Central African Republic — Country Profile (CIA World Factbook)

5. 🇹🇩TCD

   Chad · Independence · 11 August 1960

   Independence under Tombalbaye

   Chad gained full independence from France, with François Tombalbaye as first president; his southern-centred, authoritarian rule soon stoked northern grievances.

   Independence and civil war

   Sources: Chad — Independence, Civil War, Lake Chad (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · François Tombalbaye (Wikipedia)

6. 🇨🇬COG

   Congo · Independence · 15 August 1960

   Independence under Fulbert Youlou

   The Republic of the Congo became independent on 15 August 1960 with the Abbé Fulbert Youlou as its first president, a pro-Western leader who kept close ties to France.

   Independence, Youlou, and the Marxist People's Republic

   Sources: Fulbert Youlou (Wikipedia) · Republic of the Congo (Encyclopædia Britannica) · The Republic of the Congo Gains Independence From France (African American Registry)

7. 🇨🇩COD

   DR Congo · Independence · 30 June 1960

   Independence from Belgium

   The Congo becomes independent with Lumumba as prime minister and Kasa-Vubu as president.

   Belgian Congo & Independence

   Sources: Patrice Lumumba (Wikipedia) · Congo, Democratic Republic of the (CIA World Factbook)

8. 🇨🇩COD

   DR Congo · War & Rupture · 11 July 1960

   Katanga secedes; the Congo Crisis

   An army mutiny and Moïse Tshombe's Belgian-backed secession of Katanga plunge the new state into crisis and UN intervention.

   Belgian Congo & Independence

   Sources: Patrice Lumumba (Wikipedia)

9. 🇬🇦GAB

   Gabon · Independence · 17 August 1960

   Independence under Léon M'ba

   Gabon became an independent republic on 17 August 1960, with Léon M'ba as its first leader; he was formally elected president in February 1961, maintaining close ties to France.

   Independence, oil, and the Bongo era

   Sources: Léon M'ba (Wikipedia) · History of Gabon (Encyclopædia Britannica)

10. 🇬🇭GHA

    Ghana · Politics & Power · 1 July 1960

    Ghana becomes a republic

    Ghana adopted a republican constitution with Kwame Nkrumah as its first president, severing the last formal ties of British sovereignty.

    Independence and the Nkrumah era

    Sources: Ghana (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Kwame Nkrumah (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

11. 🇬🇳GIN

    Guinea · Politics & Power · 1960–1984

    Camp Boiro and the one-party state

    Under a one-party socialist regime, the Camp Boiro detention centre becomes the centre of a repression in which thousands of detainees are executed or die from torture and starvation.

    The 'Non' of 1958 and the Sékou Touré Years

    Sources: Camp Boiro (Wikipedia) · Guinea plans a Truth Commission (on Camp Boiro) (JusticeInfo.net)

12. 🇨🇮CIV

    Ivory Coast · Independence · 7 August 1960

    Independence under Houphouët-Boigny

    After choosing autonomy within the French Community in a 1958 referendum, Côte d'Ivoire became a fully independent republic on 7 August 1960, with Félix Houphouët-Boigny as its first president.

    Colony, forced labour, and the road to independence

    Sources: Côte d'Ivoire gains independence from France (South African History Online) · History of Côte d'Ivoire (Encyclopædia Britannica) · History of Ivory Coast (Wikipedia)

13. 🇨🇮CIV

    Ivory Coast · Economy & Trade · 1960s–1970s

    The 'Ivorian miracle'

    Liberal, export-led growth built on cocoa and coffee and close ties to France made Côte d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous states in sub-Saharan Africa, with Abidjan a thriving commercial hub.

    The Ivorian miracle and the long Houphouët-Boigny era

    Sources: History of Côte d'Ivoire (Encyclopædia Britannica) · History of Ivory Coast (1960–99) (Wikipedia) · Background Notes: Cote d'Ivoire (U.S. Department of State)

14. 🇰🇪KEN

    Kenya · Politics & Power · 1960–1963

    Lancaster House conferences

    Three constitutional conferences in London negotiate Kenya's path to independence amid rivalry between KANU and the federalist KADU.

    Mau Mau and the Road to Independence

    Sources: Lancaster House Conferences (Kenya) (Wikipedia) · History of Kenya (Wikipedia)

15. 🇲🇬MDG

    Madagascar · Independence · 26 June 1960

    Independence from France

    Madagascar becomes a sovereign republic; Philibert Tsiranana is its first president.

    Independence & the Republics

    Sources: Madagascar (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Madagascar Gains Independence From France (African American Registry)

16. 🇲🇱MLI

    Mali · Independence · 22 September 1960

    Independence of the Republic of Mali

    The former French Soudan becomes the independent Republic of Mali; Modibo Keïta becomes its first president the following day.

    French Soudan and Independence

    Sources: Modibo Keita (1915–1977) (BlackPast.org) · Modibo Keita — 1st President of Mali (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Mali Federation (Wikipedia)

17. 🇲🇷MRT

    Mauritania · Independence · 28 November 1960

    Independence of the Islamic Republic

    Mauritania gains full independence from France; Moktar Ould Daddah leads the new state and becomes its first president in 1961.

    Independence and the Daddah Republic

    Sources: Moktar Ould Daddah (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Moktar Ould Daddah (1924–2003) (BlackPast.org) · Mauritania (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

18. 🇳🇦NAM

    Namibia · Politics & Power · 19 April 1960

    Founding of SWAPO

    The South West African People's Organisation was founded under Sam Nujoma as successor to the Ovamboland People's Organisation, becoming the leading movement for Namibian independence.

    South African rule, the mandate, and apartheid

    Sources: South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) (Wikipedia) · History of Namibia (Wikipedia)

19. 🇳🇪NER

    Niger · Independence · 3 August 1960

    Niger gains independence

    Niger became a sovereign republic on 3 August 1960 with Hamani Diori as its first president; the United States recognised it the same day. Diori established a one-party state closely tied to France.

    Independence, uranium and the long droughts

    Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition: Niger (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Hamani Diori (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Hamani Diori (1916–1989) (BlackPast.org)

20. 🇳🇬NGA

    Nigeria · Independence · 1 October 1960

    Nigeria gains independence

    Nigeria became an independent state within the Commonwealth on 1 October 1960, with Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as its first prime minister; it became a republic in 1963.

    British conquest, amalgamation and colonial Nigeria

    Sources: Nigeria (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · A Guide to the History of Recognition: Nigeria (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom (South African History Online)

21. 🇸🇹STP

    São Tomé and Príncipe · Politics & Power · 1960s

    Founding of the MLSTP

    São Toméan exiles organised the liberation movement that became the MLSTP, based for a time in Gabon, drawing strength from the memory of Batepá.

    Batepá, the MLSTP and the road to independence

    Sources: São Tomé and Príncipe — After independence (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (Wikipedia)

22. 🇸🇳SEN

    Senegal · Independence · 4 April 1960

    Independence within the Mali Federation

    France grants the Mali Federation independence, transferring power on 4 April 1960; full independence follows on 20 June.

    Independence and the Senghor Republic

    Sources: Mali Federation (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Mali Federation (Wikipedia)

23. 🇸🇳SEN

    Senegal · Independence · 20 August 1960

    Senegal proclaims separate independence

    After the federation collapses, Senegal secedes and proclaims its own independence; Senghor is elected first president.

    Independence and the Senghor Republic

    Sources: Mali Federation (Wikipedia) · Léopold Sédar Senghor (web dossier) (African Studies Centre Leiden)

24. 🇸🇴SOM

    Somalia · Independence · 1 July 1960

    Birth of the Somali Republic

    British Somaliland (independent 26 June) and the former Italian Somaliland unite on 1 July 1960 to form the independent Somali Republic, with Aden Abdullah Osman Daar as first president.

    Independence, Union and the Siad Barre Era

    Sources: Somalia (country and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Background Notes: Somalia (U.S. Department of State) · Trust Territory of Somaliland (Wikipedia)

25. SOL

    Somaliland · Independence · 26 June 1960

    Independence of the State of Somaliland

    The British Somaliland Protectorate became the independent State of Somaliland on 26 June 1960, briefly receiving diplomatic recognition from a number of governments before its planned union with the south.

    Five Days of Statehood and the Union of 1960

    Sources: State of Somaliland (Wikipedia) · British Somaliland (Wikipedia)

26. SOL

    Somaliland · Formation · 1 July 1960

    Union with the south forms the Somali Republic

    Five days after its own independence, the State of Somaliland united on 1 July 1960 with the newly independent former Italian Somaliland to create the Somali Republic, fulfilling the pan-Somali ideal of a single state.

    Five Days of Statehood and the Union of 1960

    Sources: State of Somaliland (Wikipedia) · British Somaliland (Wikipedia)

27. 🇿🇦ZAF

    South Africa · Politics & Power · 21 March 1960

    Sharpeville massacre

    Police fired on a peaceful anti-pass-law protest at Sharpeville, killing at least 69 people and wounding scores more; the atrocity drew global condemnation and led to the banning of the ANC and PAC.

    Apartheid and the liberation struggle

    Sources: Sharpeville massacre (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sharpeville Massacre, 21 March 1960 (South African History Online) · South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996–2002) (African Transitional Justice Hub (CSVR))

28. 🇹🇬TGO

    Togo · Independence · 27 April 1960

    Independence of the Republic of Togo

    French Togoland became the fully independent Republic of Togo, ending UN trusteeship; the United States recognised the new state the same day, and Olympio was elected its first president in 1961.

    Independence and the killing of Olympio

    Sources: Sylvanus Olympio (Wikipedia) · French Togoland (Wikipedia) · A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Togo (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Togo Gains Independence From France (African American Registry) · Togo (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Asia

1. 🇨🇾CYP

   Cyprus · Independence · 16 Aug 1960

   Independence and the Treaty of Guarantee

   The Republic of Cyprus became independent under a Greek-Turkish power-sharing constitution; the Treaty of Guarantee bound Britain, Greece and Turkey to its independence and territorial integrity, and Britain kept two Sovereign Base Areas.

   Independence, the Breakdown of Power-Sharing and UNFICYP

   Sources: Treaty of Guarantee, signed at Nicosia, 16 August 1960 (United Nations Peacemaker) · A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic and Consular Relations: Cyprus (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

2. CYN

   Northern Cyprus · Independence · 16 August 1960

   Independence of the Republic of Cyprus

   Cyprus became an independent bicommunal republic under a power-sharing constitution, with Makarios III as president and Fazıl Küçük as Turkish-Cypriot vice-president, and Britain retaining sovereign base areas.

   The Bicommunal Republic and Its Breakdown

   Sources: Cyprus - History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Cyprus: A Country Study (U.S. Library of Congress (Federal Research Division))

3. 🇺🇿UZB

   Uzbekistan · Catastrophe · 1960s–1980s

   Cotton monoculture and the death of the Aral Sea

   Soviet irrigation for cotton diverts the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and the Aral Sea shrinks drastically from the 1960s — a notorious man-made environmental catastrophe.

   Russian Conquest and Soviet Rule

   Sources: Desiccation of the Aral Sea (Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, Michigan State University) · Uzbekistan — Russian and Soviet rule (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

1. 🇧🇪BEL

   Belgium · Independence · 30 Jun 1960

   Independence of the Congo

   The Belgian Congo became the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, ending Belgium's central African colony amid turmoil and a swift descent into crisis.

   A Federal Kingdom at the Heart of Europe

   Sources: Belgian Congo (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

1. 🇬🇹GTM

   Guatemala · War & Rupture · 1960-1996

   Civil war and the Maya genocide

   A thirty-six-year conflict leaves some 200,000 dead or disappeared, mostly Maya, with the state held by the CEH to have committed genocide.

   Revolution, Coup, and Civil War

   Sources: Guatemala Peace Agreements, 1996 (Memory of the World) (UNESCO) · Efrain Rios Montt (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Guatemala: History (Postcolonial period and after) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

South America

1. 🇧🇷BRA

   Brazil · Politics & Power · 21 Apr 1960

   Inauguration of Brasilia

   The purpose-built modernist capital, designed by Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer, is inaugurated in the interior, shifting Brazil's centre of gravity inland.

   The Vargas Era and Military Dictatorship

   Sources: Brasilia (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)

Africa

1. 🇦🇴AGO

   Angola · War & Rupture · January–March 1961

   Revolt breaks out

   The Baixa de Cassanje cotton workers' revolt, the 4 February attack on a Luanda prison, and the UPA's 15 March uprising in the north marked the start of Angola's war of independence against Portugal.

   Revolt, liberation movements and independence

   Sources: History of Angola (Wikipedia) · Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Baixa do Cassange Revolt (Museu do Aljube (Resistance and Freedom Museum, Lisbon))

2. 🇧🇮BDI

   Burundi · Politics & Power · 13 Oct 1961

   Assassination of Prince Louis Rwagasore

   Weeks after UPRONA's electoral victory, Prime Minister Prince Louis Rwagasore, the independence hero and son of Mwami Mwambutsa IV, is shot dead; the killing is later traced to rival politicians with foreign involvement.

   Ruanda-Urundi: German and Belgian Rule

   Sources: Louis Rwagasore (Wikipedia) · Prince Louis Rwagasore (1932–1961) (BlackPast.org) · History of Burundi (Wikipedia)

3. 🇨🇲CMR

   Cameroon · Formation · 1 October 1961

   Reunification and federation

   The Southern Cameroons joined the republic to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon, uniting francophone East Cameroon and anglophone West Cameroon following the Foumban Conference.

   Independence, reunification and the Ahidjo years

   Sources: 1961 British Cameroons referendum (Wikipedia) · Cameroon (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · A Guide to the History of Recognition: Cameroon (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

4. 🇨🇲CMR

   Cameroon · Independence · 11 February 1961

   The British Cameroons plebiscite

   In a UN-supervised vote the Northern Cameroons chose to join Nigeria while the Southern Cameroons chose to reunite with the Republic of Cameroon.

   Independence, reunification and the Ahidjo years

   Sources: 1961 British Cameroons referendum (Wikipedia) · Cameroon (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5. 🇰🇲COM

   Comoros · Politics & Power

   Internal autonomy granted

   A year after Madagascar's independence, the Comoros are granted internal autonomy, with their own governing council and capital at Moroni.

   Autonomy and Independence

   Sources: Comoros: History (Encyclopædia Britannica) · History of the Comoros (Wikipedia)

6. 🇨🇩COD

   DR Congo · Politics & Power · 17 Jan 1961

   Assassination of Lumumba

   Captured and transferred to Katanga, Patrice Lumumba is killed; Belgian officers were present and foreign involvement is widely documented.

   Belgian Congo & Independence

   Sources: Patrice Lumumba (Wikipedia)

7. 🇪🇷ERI

   Eritrea · War & Rupture · 1 September 1961

   Armed struggle begins at Mount Adal

   Hamid Idris Awate and a small ELF band fire on Ethiopian forces, the conventional start of the thirty-year Eritrean War of Independence.

   Federation, Annexation and the Thirty-Year War

   Sources: Eritrean War of Independence (Wikipedia) · History of Eritrea (Wikipedia)

8. 🇲🇼MWI

   Malawi · Politics & Power

   Malawi Congress Party wins the elections

   Banda's Malawi Congress Party won the 1961 legislative elections decisively, securing African control of the colonial legislature and accelerating the path to self-government.

   Federation, Banda and independence

   Sources: Malawi (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Hastings Kamuzu Banda (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

9. 🇷🇼RWA

   Rwanda · Politics & Power · 25 September 1961

   Monarchy abolished by referendum

   A UN-supervised referendum abolishes the monarchy and rejects King Kigeri V; Grégoire Kayibanda's Parmehutu wins the concurrent elections.

   Revolution, Independence and Exile

   Sources: 1961 Rwandan monarchy referendum (Wikipedia) · History of Rwanda (Wikipedia)

10. 🇸🇱SLE

    Sierra Leone · Independence · 27 April 1961

    Independence from the United Kingdom

    Sierra Leone became an independent state within the Commonwealth under Prime Minister Sir Milton Margai, ending British colonial rule begun in 1808.

    Protectorate, the Hut Tax War, and independence

    Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition: Sierra Leone (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Milton Augustus Margai (1895–1964) (BlackPast.org)

11. SOL

    Somaliland · Politics & Power

    Early northern discontent with the union

    Power, the capital and government institutions concentrated in Mogadishu, and a 1961 constitutional referendum drew weak support in the north, planting early grievances about an unequal union.

    Five Days of Statehood and the Union of 1960

    Sources: State of Somaliland (Wikipedia) · Somaliland at 30: Still unrecognised, but alive and well (African Arguments)

12. 🇹🇿TZA

    Tanzania · Independence · 9 December 1961

    Tanganyika gains independence

    Mainland Tanganyika becomes independent from Britain under Nyerere and TANU; it becomes a republic with Nyerere as president on 9 December 1962.

    Independence, Revolution and the Union

    Sources: Julius Nyerere (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Tanganyika (1961–1964) (Wikipedia)

13. 🇿🇲ZMB

    Zambia · Politics & Power

    The Cha-cha-cha campaign

    Under Kaunda, UNIP launched a campaign of mass civil disobedience known as the Cha-cha-cha against colonial rule and the Federation, intensifying pressure for African self-government.

    Federation, nationalism and independence

    Sources: Northern Rhodesia (Wikipedia) · Zambia Politics: Kaunda (GlobalSecurity.org)

Asia

1. 🇰🇼KWT

   Kuwait · Independence · 19 June 1961

   Independence from Britain

   Kuwait and Britain ended the 1899 protectorate agreement and Kuwait declared full sovereignty under Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, despite an immediate Iraqi claim.

   Oil, Independence, and the Welfare State

   Sources: Kuwait: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Remembering the Father of Democracy in the Gulf, Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem (Middle East Institute)

2. 🇲🇳MNG

   Mongolia · Politics & Power

   Mongolia admitted to the United Nations

   Mongolia is admitted to the United Nations in 1961, broadening international recognition of its independence after decades in which its sovereignty had been disputed between its powerful neighbours.

   Independence, Revolution, and the People's Republic

   Sources: Mongolia: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division) · History of Mongolia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇰🇷KOR

   South Korea · Politics & Power · 16 May 1961

   Park Chung-hee's military coup

   General Park Chung-hee seizes power and launches state-led, export-driven industrialization, the Miracle on the Han River, alongside authoritarian repression.

   Division, the Korean War, and Authoritarian Rebuilding

   Sources: Park Chung-Hee (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Korea (history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

1. 🇩🇪DEU

   Germany · Politics & Power · 13 Aug 1961

   Construction of the Berlin Wall

   East Germany began building the Berlin Wall to stop its citizens fleeing west, creating the most potent symbol of the Cold War division of Europe.

   Division, the Federal Republic and Reunification

   Sources: Germany (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇷🇺RUS

   Russia · Culture & Ideas · 12 April 1961

   Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space

   Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth aboard Vostok 1, a triumph of the Soviet space program that followed the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and symbolized Soviet scientific power in the Cold War.

   The Soviet Union

   Sources: Soviet Union (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Russia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

1. 🇨🇺CUB

   Cuba · War & Rupture · Apr 1961

   Bay of Pigs invasion

   A brigade of U.S.-backed Cuban exiles lands at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Castro and is defeated within days.

   The Revolution and the Cold War

   Sources: The Bay of Pigs Invasion and its Aftermath, April 1961-October 1962 (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Bay of Pigs invasion (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇩🇴DOM

   Dominican Republic · Politics & Power · 30 May 1961

   Assassination of Trujillo

   Trujillo is ambushed and gunned down near Santo Domingo by conspirators including military officers, ending the long dictatorship and opening a contested transition.

   U.S. Occupation and the Trujillo Era

   Sources: Rafael Trujillo (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇯🇲JAM

   Jamaica · Politics & Power · 19 Sept 1961

   Referendum to leave the federation

   Jamaicans vote to withdraw from the West Indies Federation, dooming it and opening the way to separate independence.

   Self-Government and Independence

   Sources: The Federal Archives Fonds, 1958-1962 (West Indies Federation) (UNESCO Memory of the World) · Jamaica: The independent country (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Africa

1. 🇩🇿DZA

   Algeria · Independence · 18 March 1962

   Évian Accords

   France and the FLN sign the Évian Accords, agreeing a ceasefire and a self-determination referendum that will lead to Algerian independence.

   The War of Independence

   Sources: Algerian War (EBSCO Research Starters) · The Algerian War of Independence (Lumen Learning / SUNY World History)

2. 🇩🇿DZA

   Algeria · Independence · 5 July 1962

   Independence proclaimed

   After a referendum on 1 July and French recognition on 3 July, Algeria proclaims its independence on 5 July 1962, ending 132 years of French rule.

   The War of Independence

   Sources: A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Algeria (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Ahmed Ben Bella (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇧🇮BDI

   Burundi · Independence · 1 July 1962

   Independence under the monarchy

   Burundi becomes independent from Belgium as a constitutional monarchy under Mwami Mwambutsa IV, separating from Rwanda and retaining its throne.

   Ruanda-Urundi: German and Belgian Rule

   Sources: History of Burundi (Wikipedia) · Burundi: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Mwambutsa IV of Burundi (Wikipedia)

4. 🇪🇷ERI

   Eritrea · War & Rupture · November 1962

   Haile Selassie annexes Eritrea

   After steadily eroding Eritrean autonomy, the emperor dissolves the federation and annexes Eritrea as a province, hardening the independence war.

   Federation, Annexation and the Thirty-Year War

   Sources: Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea (Wikipedia) · History of Eritrea (Wikipedia)

5. 🇬🇲GMB

   Gambia · Politics & Power

   Jawara leads toward self-rule

   After a new 1960 constitution created a House of Representatives, Dawda Jawara of the People's Progressive Party became premier in 1962, leading the colony through internal self-government toward independence.

   The British colony and the river enclave

   Sources: The Gambia (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Dawda Jawara (Wikipedia) · History of the Gambia (Wikipedia)

6. 🇲🇿MOZ

   Mozambique · Politics & Power

   FRELIMO is founded

   Exiled nationalist groups unite in Dar es Salaam to form FRELIMO under Eduardo Mondlane, dedicated to ending Portuguese rule in Mozambique.

   FRELIMO, Liberation War and Independence

   Sources: Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) (EBSCO Research Starters) · Mozambican War of Independence (Wikipedia) · Eduardo Mondlane (Wikipedia)

7. 🇷🇼RWA

   Rwanda · Independence · 1 July 1962

   Independence from Belgium

   Rwanda becomes a sovereign republic with Grégoire Kayibanda as first president, ending Belgian rule of Ruanda-Urundi; Burundi gains independence the same day.

   Revolution, Independence and Exile

   Sources: History of Rwanda (Wikipedia) · Rise of Rwanda (EBSCO Research Starters)

8. 🇺🇬UGA

   Uganda · Politics & Power

   Path to independence negotiated

   Constitutional conferences in London settle a federal arrangement preserving Buganda's special status, clearing the way for Ugandan self-government and independence.

   The Uganda Protectorate

   Sources: History of Uganda (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · U.S. Relations With Uganda / History (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

9. 🇺🇬UGA

   Uganda · Independence · 9 October 1962

   Uganda gains independence

   Uganda becomes independent from the United Kingdom with Milton Obote as prime minister; the constitution preserves a federal status for Buganda and the other kingdoms.

   Independence and the First Obote Era

   Sources: History of Uganda (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · U.S. Relations With Uganda / History (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Milton Obote (1925–2005) (BlackPast.org)

Asia

1. 🇧🇳BRN

   Brunei · War & Rupture · 8 December 1962

   The Brunei revolt

   The Parti Rakyat Brunei's armed wing launches an uprising against the sultanate and the Malaysia plan; British forces crush it within days, and the party is banned.

   The 1962 Revolt, Independence, and the Modern Sultanate

   Sources: History of Brunei (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇰🇼KWT

   Kuwait · Politics & Power · 11 November 1962

   Constitution and National Assembly

   A constitution was promulgated and elections in 1963 created the National Assembly, the Gulf's first and longest-serving elected parliament.

   Oil, Independence, and the Welfare State

   Sources: Remembering the Father of Democracy in the Gulf, Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem (Middle East Institute) · Kuwait: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇱🇦LAO

   Laos · Politics & Power · 1962 CE

   Geneva agreement on Lao neutrality

   An international agreement declares Laos neutral and provides for a coalition government, but the country remains a contested corridor of the Vietnam War.

   Civil War, the Secret War, and the Pathet Lao

   Sources: Laos: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Indochina wars (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

4. 🇲🇲MMR

   Myanmar · Politics & Power · 2 March 1962

   Ne Win's coup

   General Ne Win overthrows the elected government, imprisons U Nu, and inaugurates decades of military rule under the Burmese Way to Socialism.

   Independence, Ne Win, and Decades of Military Rule

   Sources: U Ne Win (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Myanmar (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5. 🇳🇵NPL

   Nepal · Politics & Power · 1960–62

   Panchayat autocracy

   King Mahendra dissolves parliament in 1960 and bans parties; the 1962 constitution installs the partyless panchayat system under royal control.

   The Rana Century and the Return of the Crown

   Sources: Nepal — Fall of the monarchy (Encyclopædia Britannica)

6. 🇦🇪ARE

   United Arab Emirates · Economy & Trade

   Abu Dhabi exports its first oil

   After commercial oil was struck in Abu Dhabi from 1958-1960, the first cargo of crude was exported from Das Island in 1962, beginning the transformation of the emirates' fortunes.

   The Fall of Pearls, the Rise of Oil, and Federation

   Sources: History (Discover UAE) (Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington DC) · History of the United Arab Emirates (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

7. 🇾🇪YEM

   Yemen · Politics & Power · 26 September 1962

   Revolution founds the Yemen Arab Republic

   Army officers under Abdullah al-Sallal overthrew the imam and proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic, igniting a civil war that drew in Egyptian and Saudi forces until 1970.

   The Two Yemens: Revolution and Independence

   Sources: Yemen: History (ancient kingdoms, Islam, the imamate, unification and war) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Yemen (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

Europe

1. 🇧🇪BEL

   Belgium · Politics & Power · 1962–1963

   The linguistic frontier fixed

   Language laws drew a fixed border between Dutch-, French- and German-speaking areas and created four language regions, entrenching the divide between Belgium's communities.

   A Federal Kingdom at the Heart of Europe

   Sources: Belgium: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇲🇨MCO

   Monaco · Politics & Power

   The 1962 constitution

   Rainier III promulgated a new constitution that reduced the sovereign's powers, abolished capital punishment and granted women the right to vote.

   Sovereignty Tied to France and the Making of the Modern Principality

   Sources: Rainier III, prince de Monaco (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇻🇦VAT

   Vatican City · Religion · 1962–1965

   The Second Vatican Council

   Opened by John XXIII on 11 October 1962 in Saint Peter's and concluded under Paul VI in 1965, Vatican II reformed the worship, self-understanding and outward relations of the Roman Catholic Church.

   Vatican II, the Modern Papacy and a World Patrimony

   Sources: Second Vatican Council (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

1. 🇨🇺CUB

   Cuba · War & Rupture · Oct 1962

   Cuban Missile Crisis

   Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba trigger a thirteen-day confrontation; a U.S. quarantine and a Soviet agreement to withdraw the missiles avert nuclear war.

   The Revolution and the Cold War

   Sources: The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962 (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Cuban missile crisis (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇨🇺CUB

   Cuba · Economy & Trade · Feb 1962

   U.S. embargo made comprehensive

   President Kennedy expands the trade embargo to cover nearly all commerce with Cuba and makes it permanent.

   The Revolution and the Cold War

   Sources: The Bay of Pigs Invasion and its Aftermath, April 1961-October 1962 (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

3. 🇩🇴DOM

   Dominican Republic · Politics & Power · Dec 1962

   Election of Juan Bosch

   In the first free elections in decades, the reformist writer Juan Bosch wins the presidency, only to be overthrown by the military after seven months in 1963.

   Intervention, Balaguer, and Democracy

   Sources: Juan Bosch (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of the Dominican Republic (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

4. 🇯🇲JAM

   Jamaica · Independence · 6 Aug 1962

   Independence

   Jamaica becomes an independent nation within the Commonwealth, with Alexander Bustamante as its first prime minister.

   Self-Government and Independence

   Sources: Jamaica: The independent country (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Independence (Jamaica Information Service)

5. 🇯🇲JAM

   Jamaica · Politics & Power · 1962 CE

   Two-party democracy

   Independent Jamaica settles into a competitive democracy contested by the JLP and the PNP, with peaceful alternations of power.

   Independent Jamaica and Global Culture

   Sources: Jamaica: The independent country (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

6. 🇹🇹TTO

   Trinidad and Tobago · Independence · 31 August 1962

   Independence from Britain

   Trinidad and Tobago became an independent state within the Commonwealth, with Eric Williams as first prime minister; the United States recognised the nation the same day.

   Eric Williams, independence, and the republic

   Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition: Trinidad and Tobago (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Eric Williams (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Trinidad and Tobago: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Africa

1. 🇧🇯BEN

   Benin · Politics & Power

   The cycle of coups begins

   General Christophe Soglo deposed President Hubert Maga in Dahomey's first military coup, opening more than a decade of chronic instability and repeated seizures of power.

   Coups, Kérékou, and the People's Republic of Benin

   Sources: Benin — Decolonization, independence and military coups (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · 1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état (Wikipedia)

2. 🇨🇻CPV

   Cape Verde · War & Rupture

   Armed struggle begins on the mainland

   Because the islands were unsuited to guerrilla war, the PAIGC waged its armed campaign on the Guinea-Bissau mainland from 1963, while Cape Verdean cadres filled the party's leadership.

   Cabral, the PAIGC, and independence

   Sources: Amílcar Lopes Cabral (1924–1973) (BlackPast.org) · Amílcar Cabral (Wikipedia) · History of Cape Verde (Wikipedia)

3. 🇨🇬COG

   Congo · Politics & Power · August 1963

   The Trois Glorieuses topple Youlou

   A three-day popular uprising in August 1963, led by trade unions and youth, forced Youlou's resignation; Alphonse Massamba-Débat took power and steered the country toward one-party "scientific socialism."

   Independence, Youlou, and the Marxist People's Republic

   Sources: Fulbert Youlou (Wikipedia) · Republic of the Congo (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Republic of the Congo (1960–present) (University of Central Arkansas, DADM Project)

4. 🇬🇶GNQ

   Equatorial Guinea · Politics & Power

   Autonomy and the name Equatorial Guinea

   A 1963 referendum approved a regime of autonomy granting limited internal self-government; the territory took the name Equatorial Guinea ahead of full independence.

   Spanish Guinea and the road to independence

   Sources: Spanish Guinea (Wikipedia) · History of Equatorial Guinea (Wikipedia)

5. 🇬🇭GHA

   Ghana · Politics & Power

   Founding of the Organisation of African Unity

   A leading Pan-Africanist, Nkrumah helped found the Organisation of African Unity, advancing his vision of a politically united and liberated Africa.

   Independence and the Nkrumah era

   Sources: Kwame Nkrumah (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

6. 🇬🇼GNB

   Guinea-Bissau · War & Rupture · January 1963

   The war of independence begins

   The PAIGC launched its armed campaign with attacks on Portuguese garrisons in the south, opening a guerrilla war that would steadily expand the "liberated zones" across the interior.

   Cabral, the PAIGC and the war of independence

   Sources: Guinea-Bissau War of Independence (Wikipedia) · History of Guinea-Bissau (Wikipedia) · Guinea-Bissau (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

7. 🇰🇪KEN

   Kenya · Independence · 1 June 1963

   Internal self-government (Madaraka)

   Kenya attains internal self-government under a KANU government led by Kenyatta, six months before full independence.

   Mau Mau and the Road to Independence

   Sources: History of Kenya (Wikipedia) · U.S. Relations With Kenya / History (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

8. 🇰🇪KEN

   Kenya · Independence · 12 December 1963

   Kenya becomes independent

   Kenya gains independence from the United Kingdom with Jomo Kenyatta as prime minister; one year later, on 12 December 1964, it becomes a republic.

   Mau Mau and the Road to Independence

   Sources: Mau Mau Rebellion (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · U.S. Relations With Kenya / History (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Jomo Kenyatta (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

9. 🇱🇾LBY

   Libya · Politics & Power

   Abolition of the federal system

   A constitutional reform replaces Libya's three-province federation with a unitary kingdom.

   Independence, Monarchy and the Coming of Oil

   Sources: Background Note: Libya (U.S. Department of State)

10. 🇲🇼MWI

    Malawi · Politics & Power · 31 December 1963

    The Federation dissolved

    Faced with African opposition and irreconcilable tensions, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dissolved at the end of 1963, clearing the way for the separate independence of Malawi, Zambia and Rhodesia.

    Federation, Banda and independence

    Sources: Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Formation of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (EBSCO Research Starters)

11. 🇷🇼RWA

    Rwanda · Catastrophe · 1963–1964

    Reprisals against the Tutsi

    An incursion by Tutsi exiles is met with mass killings of Tutsi civilians and a further exodus, setting a pattern of cyclical anti-Tutsi violence.

    Revolution, Independence and Exile

    Sources: History of Rwanda (Wikipedia) · Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda — Historical Background (United Nations)

12. 🇹🇬TGO

    Togo · Politics & Power · 13 January 1963

    Assassination of Sylvanus Olympio

    Demobilised soldiers, among them Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadéma, killed President Olympio in Lomé — widely cited as the first military coup against an elected leader in independent sub-Saharan Africa.

    Independence and the killing of Olympio

    Sources: Sylvanus Olympio (Wikipedia) · Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Wikipedia)

13. 🇹🇬TGO

    Togo · Politics & Power

    Grunitzky installed as president

    After the coup, Nicolas Grunitzky, Olympio's brother-in-law and political rival, headed a civilian government, but his weak administration left the military as the country's decisive power.

    Independence and the killing of Olympio

    Sources: Togo (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Wikipedia)

14. 🇺🇬UGA

    Uganda · Politics & Power · October 1963

    Mutesa II becomes first president

    Uganda becomes a republic and the kabaka of Buganda, Sir Edward Mutesa II, is elected its first president, a largely ceremonial post under the 1962 constitution.

    Independence and the First Obote Era

    Sources: Mutesa II of Buganda (Wikipedia) · President Sir Edward Muteesa II (State House Uganda)

15. 🇿🇲ZMB

    Zambia · Politics & Power · 31 December 1963

    Federation dissolved

    Sustained African opposition and shifting British policy brought the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland to an end, opening the way to independence for its territories.

    Federation, nationalism and independence

    Sources: Northern Rhodesia (Wikipedia) · Formation of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (EBSCO Research Starters)

16. 🇿🇼ZWE

    Zimbabwe · Politics & Power

    Founding of ZANU and ZAPU

    African nationalism crystallised in two movements: ZAPU under Joshua Nkomo and the breakaway ZANU, soon led toward armed struggle by figures including Robert Mugabe.

    White rule, UDI and the liberation war

    Sources: Zimbabwe: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Robert Mugabe (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Rhodesian Bush War (Second Chimurenga) (Wikipedia)

Asia

1. 🇧🇳BRN

   Brunei · Politics & Power

   Brunei stays out of Malaysia

   Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III decides not to join the new Federation of Malaysia, keeping Brunei on a separate course toward eventual independence.

   The 1962 Revolt, Independence, and the Modern Sultanate

   Sources: History of Brunei (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇨🇾CYP

   Cyprus · War & Rupture · Dec 1963

   Breakdown and the Green Line

   After President Makarios proposed constitutional changes, intercommunal violence broke out in December 1963; Turkish Cypriots withdrew from government and a ceasefire line dubbed the 'Green Line' was drawn through Nicosia.

   Independence, the Breakdown of Power-Sharing and UNFICYP

   Sources: Establishment of UNFICYP (Security Council Resolution 186, 4 March 1964) (United Nations (UNFICYP)) · Cyprus profile – Timeline (BBC News)

3. 🇰🇬KGZ

   Kyrgyzstan · Culture & Ideas

   Chingiz Aitmatov wins the Lenin Prize

   The Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov was awarded the Lenin Prize for 'Tales of the Mountains and Steppes', bringing Kyrgyz literature to a worldwide audience and becoming the republic's most celebrated cultural figure.

   Soviet Kirghizia

   Sources: Chingiz Aytmatov (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

4. 🇲🇾MYS

   Malaysia · Formation · 16 Sep 1963

   Formation of the Federation of Malaysia

   Malaya joins with Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement to form Malaysia, the founding act of the modern federation.

   The Formation of Malaysia and Singapore's Separation

   Sources: Federation of Malaya (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Malaysia: Political transformation (occupation, federation, NEP) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5. 🇲🇾MYS

   Malaysia · War & Rupture · 1963–1966

   Indonesian Confrontation (Konfrontasi)

   Indonesia's President Sukarno opposes the new federation and wages an undeclared campaign of armed confrontation against Malaysia until 1966, drawing in Britain, Australia and the United States.

   The Formation of Malaysia and Singapore's Separation

   Sources: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968: Indonesia/Malaysia (Konfrontasi and separation) (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Malaysia: Political transformation (occupation, federation, NEP) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

6. CYN

   Northern Cyprus · War & Rupture · December 1963

   Breakdown of power-sharing and intercommunal violence

   After President Makarios proposed constitutional amendments curtailing Turkish-Cypriot safeguards, the partnership collapsed and intercommunal violence broke out; Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the bicommunal state into enclaves.

   The Bicommunal Republic and Its Breakdown

   Sources: Cyprus - History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Cyprus - 1963 Constitutional Breakdown (Country Studies) (U.S. Library of Congress (Federal Research Division))

7. 🇾🇪YEM

   Yemen · War & Rupture · 1963–1967

   The Aden Emergency

   Nationalist groups led by the National Liberation Front waged a guerrilla and urban insurgency against British rule in Aden and its protectorate, hastening Britain's decision to withdraw.

   The Two Yemens: Revolution and Independence

   Sources: A Short History of the Aden Emergency (Imperial War Museums) · Aden: Yemen, Map, Population and Facts (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

1. 🇲🇰MKD

   North Macedonia · Catastrophe

   The Skopje earthquake

   A powerful earthquake devastated Skopje, killing more than a thousand people; the city was rebuilt with international aid as the modern capital of the republic.

   Partition, 'Vardar Macedonia' and the Yugoslav Republic

   Sources: North Macedonia: History (Ancient, Ottoman, Yugoslav) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

South America

1. 🇺🇾URY

   Uruguay · Politics & Power · c. 1963

   Rise of the Tupamaros

   The leftist urban guerrilla movement of the Tupamaros forms under Raul Sendic, turning to robberies, kidnappings and assassinations amid economic decline.

   Dictatorship, Recovery, and Modern Uruguay

   Sources: Tupamaro (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Uruguay (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Africa

1. 🇬🇦GAB

   Gabon · Politics & Power · February 1964

   Coup attempt reversed by France

   Military officers briefly ousted M'ba in February 1964, but French troops intervened within a day to restore him, illustrating the depth of post-independence Franco-Gabonese ties.

   Independence, oil, and the Bongo era

   Sources: Léon M'ba (Wikipedia) · History of Gabon (Encyclopædia Britannica)

2. 🇲🇼MWI

   Malawi · Independence · 6 July 1964

   Malawi independent

   Nyasaland became the independent state of Malawi within the Commonwealth, with Hastings Kamuzu Banda as prime minister; the United States recognised the new nation the same day.

   Federation, Banda and independence

   Sources: A Guide to the History of Recognition: Malawi (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Malawi (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Hastings Kamuzu Banda (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇲🇿MOZ

   Mozambique · War & Rupture · 25 September 1964

   War of independence begins

   FRELIMO launches its first armed attacks in Cabo Delgado, opening a decade-long guerrilla war against Portuguese colonial forces.

   FRELIMO, Liberation War and Independence

   Sources: Mozambican War of Independence (Wikipedia) · Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) (EBSCO Research Starters)

4. 🇿🇦ZAF

   South Africa · Politics & Power

   Rivonia Trial imprisons Mandela

   Nelson Mandela and fellow leaders of the ANC's armed wing were convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment, beginning Mandela's 27 years behind bars.

   Apartheid and the liberation struggle

   Sources: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (South African History Online) · Nelson Mandela (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5. 🇹🇿TZA

   Tanzania · Formation · 26 April 1964

   Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

   Tanganyika and Zanzibar unite to form the United Republic of Tanzania, with Nyerere as president and Karume as vice-president; Zanzibar keeps its own government.

   Independence, Revolution and the Union

   Sources: Articles of Union (Tanganyika and Zanzibar) (Wikipedia) · Tanzania: Independence, Unity, Sovereignty (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

6. 🇹🇿TZA

   Tanzania · Politics & Power · 12 January 1964

   Zanzibar Revolution

   The African majority overthrows the Arab-led sultanate of Zanzibar in a bloody uprising, establishing a republic under Abeid Karume.

   Independence, Revolution and the Union

   Sources: The Zanzibar Revolution of 1964 (BlackPast.org) · Tanzania: Independence, Unity, Sovereignty (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

7. 🇿🇲ZMB

   Zambia · Independence · 24 October 1964

   Independence of Zambia

   Northern Rhodesia became the independent Republic of Zambia, named after the Zambezi, with Kenneth Kaunda as its first president.

   Federation, nationalism and independence

   Sources: Kenneth Kaunda (New World Encyclopedia) · Kaunda Becomes Zambia's First President (EBSCO Research Starters) · Northern Rhodesia (Wikipedia)

Asia

1. 🇦🇫AFG

   Afghanistan · Politics & Power · 1933–1973

   The long reign of Zahir Shah

   Mohammad Zahir Shah rules for four decades of cautious modernisation and neutrality, introducing in 1964 a constitution that opens a brief era of parliamentary politics.

   Independence, Monarchy and the Republic

   Sources: Mohammad Zahir Shah — Reign, Abdication, Exile (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Afghanistan: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)

2. 🇨🇾CYP

   Cyprus · Politics & Power

   A UN mediator for the Cyprus question

   Resolution 186 also recommended that the Secretary-General designate a mediator to promote a peaceful and agreed settlement, beginning the long international effort to resolve the dispute.

   Independence, the Breakdown of Power-Sharing and UNFICYP

   Sources: Establishment of UNFICYP (Security Council Resolution 186, 4 March 1964) (United Nations (UNFICYP)) · UNFICYP – United Nations Force in Cyprus (Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations)

3. 🇨🇾CYP

   Cyprus · Politics & Power · 4 Mar 1964

   UN Security Council Resolution 186 establishes UNFICYP

   The Security Council unanimously recommended, with the consent of the Government of Cyprus, the creation of the UN Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus to prevent a recurrence of fighting and help restore order; UNFICYP became operational on 27 March 1964.

   Independence, the Breakdown of Power-Sharing and UNFICYP

   Sources: Establishment of UNFICYP (Security Council Resolution 186, 4 March 1964) (United Nations (UNFICYP)) · UNFICYP: United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (United Nations Peacekeeping) · UNFICYP – United Nations Force in Cyprus (Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations)

4. 🇯🇵JPN

   Japan · Economy & Trade · 1964 CE

   Postwar economic miracle

   Hosting the Tokyo Olympics symbolizes Japan's recovery as it becomes an industrial powerhouse during decades of rapid, sustained growth.

   Postwar Japan: Reconstruction and the Modern Nation

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

5. 🇱🇦LAO

   Laos · War & Rupture · 1964-1973

   The Secret War bombing

   The United States drops more than two million tons of bombs on Laos to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail, making it the most heavily bombed country per capita; vast unexploded ordnance remains a deadly legacy.

   Civil War, the Secret War, and the Pathet Lao

   Sources: Lao Special Guerrilla Unit and Royal Lao Army Veteran Interviews (Library of Congress) · U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Program in Lao PDR (U.S. Department of State) · Indochina wars (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

6. CYN

   Northern Cyprus · Politics & Power · 4 March 1964

   UN peacekeeping force (UNFICYP) established

   By Resolution 186 the UN Security Council created UNFICYP to prevent renewed fighting and restore normal conditions; the force has remained deployed in Cyprus ever since.

   The Bicommunal Republic and Its Breakdown

   Sources: UNFICYP Mandate (United Nations Peacekeeping) · Security Council Resolution 186 (1964) [Cyprus] (United Nations (UNSCR archive))

7. 🇵🇸PSE

   Palestine · Politics & Power

   Founding of the PLO

   The Palestine Liberation Organization was established as the umbrella body of the Palestinian national movement, later led by Yasser Arafat.

   Occupation, Dispossession, and the Present

   Sources: Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

8. 🇻🇳VNM

   Vietnam · War & Rupture · 1964 CE

   Gulf of Tonkin and U.S. escalation

   The Gulf of Tonkin incident leads Congress to pass a resolution authorizing the vast escalation of direct U.S. military involvement in the war.

   The Wars: Independence, Division, and Reunification

   Sources: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Vietnam War (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

1. 🇲🇹MLT

   Malta · Independence · 21 Sep 1964

   Independence

   Malta became an independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth on 21 September 1964, ending more than a century and a half of British colonial rule.

   The George Cross Island and the European Republic

   Sources: Malta: Modern history (British rule and independence) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇻🇦VAT

   Vatican City · Politics & Power

   The Holy See becomes a UN permanent observer

   The Holy See established a Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in 1964, choosing observer status to preserve its neutrality, distinct from the territory of Vatican City State.

   Vatican II, the Modern Papacy and a World Patrimony

   Sources: The Holy See Celebrates Years as Permanent Observer to the United Nations (Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN) · Diplomatic Relations of the Holy See (Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN)

North America

1. 🇧🇸BHS

   Bahamas · Politics & Power · 7 January 1964

   Internal self-government

   A new constitution granted the Bahamas internal self-government with a cabinet and a first premier, while Britain retained defence and external affairs.

   Majority rule and independence

   Sources: Background Note: The Bahamas (U.S. Department of State) · The Bahamas — Independence (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇧🇿BLZ

   Belize · Politics & Power

   Internal self-government

   Under a new constitution Britain granted internal self-government, retaining only defence and foreign affairs; George Price became premier, with Belizeans now running their own domestic affairs.

   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)

3. 🇵🇦PAN

   Panama · Politics & Power · 9 Jan 1964

   The Flag Riots

   Clashes over flying the Panamanian flag in the Canal Zone leave roughly two dozen Panamanians and several Americans dead, hardening demands to revise the 1903 treaty.

   The Canal and the Zone

   Sources: The Panama Canal and the Torrijos-Carter Treaties (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Panama (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

4. 🇺🇸USA

   United States · Politics & Power · 2 July 1964

   Civil Rights Act

   Signed by President Johnson, the Act outlawed discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin in employment and public accommodations.

   Superpower, civil rights, and the modern era

   Sources: Civil Rights Act (United States, 1964) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

South America

1. 🇧🇴BOL

   Bolivia · Politics & Power · 1964 CE

   Military coup ends the revolution

   The armed forces overthrow Paz Estenssoro, ending the revolutionary era and beginning eighteen years of military rule.

   The National Revolution and Military Rule

   Sources: Bolivia: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division) · Victor Paz Estenssoro (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇧🇷BRA

   Brazil · Politics & Power · 1 Apr 1964

   Military coup

   The armed forces overthrow President Joao Goulart and seize power, beginning twenty-one years of military dictatorship.

   The Vargas Era and Military Dictatorship

   Sources: Brazil (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇨🇴COL

   Colombia · War & Rupture · 1964 CE

   Founding of the FARC

   Peasant self-defence groups consolidate into the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the largest of the leftist guerrilla movements.

   Armed Conflict and the Search for Peace

   Sources: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Colombia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

4. 🇫🇰FLK

   Falkland Islands · Politics & Power

   Decolonisation Committee takes up the question

   From 1964 the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation began considering the question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and the dispute between the two governments.

   Decolonisation and the Sovereignty Dispute

   Sources: Falkland Islands (Malvinas) — The United Nations and Decolonization (United Nations, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs)

Africa

1. 🇩🇿DZA

   Algeria · Politics & Power · 19 June 1965

   Boumédiène seizes power

   Colonel Houari Boumédiène overthrows Ahmed Ben Bella and installs himself as president, beginning thirteen years of centralised socialist rule.

   Independent Algeria: Revolution, Civil War and Hirak

   Sources: Houari Boumedienne (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Boumédienne Seizes Power from Dictator in Algeria (EBSCO Research Starters)

2. 🇧🇼BWA

   Botswana · Politics & Power

   BDP wins the first general election

   Seretse Khama's Bechuanaland Democratic Party wins self-government elections; Gaborone is built as the new capital.

   Independence, Diamonds and Democracy

   Sources: History of Botswana (Wikipedia) · Sir Seretse Khama (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇧🇮BDI

   Burundi · Politics & Power · Jan 1965

   Assassination of PM Pierre Ngendandumwe

   Hutu prime minister Pierre Ngendandumwe is assassinated, deepening the political crisis that followed independence.

   The Fall of the Monarchy

   Sources: History of Burundi (Wikipedia) · Burundi: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

4. 🇧🇮BDI

   Burundi · Politics & Power · Oct 1965

   Failed Hutu coup and reprisals

   A Hutu-led coup attempt fails and is followed by army reprisals, foreshadowing later cycles of violence.

   The Fall of the Monarchy

   Sources: History of Burundi (Wikipedia) · Burundi: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5. 🇨🇩COD

   DR Congo · Politics & Power

   Mobutu seizes power

   Colonel Joseph-Désiré Mobutu takes full control in a military coup, beginning a three-decade dictatorship.

   Belgian Congo & Independence

   Sources: Mobutu Sese Seko, president of Zaire (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Mobutu Sese Seko (Wikipedia)

6. 🇬🇲GMB

   Gambia · Independence · 18 February 1965

   Independence from the United Kingdom

   The Gambia became independent within the Commonwealth as a constitutional monarchy, with Dawda Jawara as prime minister; the United States acknowledged independence the same day at ceremonies in Bathurst.

   Independence, republic and the Jawara years

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

7. 🇱🇸LSO

   Lesotho · Politics & Power

   Basotho National Party wins the pre-independence election

   Leabua Jonathan's BNP narrowly defeats the Basutoland Congress Party, positioning him to lead the territory to independence.

   High Commission Territory to Independence

   Sources: Leabua Jonathan (Wikipedia) · History of Lesotho (Wikipedia)

8. 🇲🇺MUS

   Mauritius · Politics & Power

   Chagos detached as the BIOT

   Before independence, Britain separates the Chagos Archipelago to create the British Indian Ocean Territory, leasing Diego Garcia for a US base.

   The Road to Independence

   Sources: Chagos Archipelago (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Expulsion of the Chagossians (Wikipedia)

9. 🇿🇼ZWE

   Zimbabwe · Politics & Power · 11 November 1965

   Unilateral Declaration of Independence

   Ian Smith's Rhodesian Front declared independence from Britain to preserve white-minority rule; Britain and the UN refused recognition and imposed sanctions.

   White rule, UDI and the liberation war

   Sources: Ian Smith (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Zimbabwe: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia) (Wikipedia)

Asia

1. 🇮🇩IDN

   Indonesia · War & Rupture · 1965–1966

   The anti-communist mass killings

   Following the 30 September coup attempt blamed on the PKI, an army-led purge kills an estimated 500,000 to over a million suspected communists and others, a vast atrocity that paves Suharto's path to power.

   Sukarno, the New Order and Democratic Indonesia

   Sources: Indonesia: US Documents Released on 1965-66 Massacres (Human Rights Watch) · Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 (Wikipedia)

2. 🇲🇾MYS

   Malaysia · Politics & Power · 9 Aug 1965

   Singapore's separation from Malaysia

   Amid deepening communal and political friction, Singapore is separated from Malaysia by mutual agreement and becomes an independent state.

   The Formation of Malaysia and Singapore's Separation

   Sources: Malaysia: Political transformation (occupation, federation, NEP) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968: Indonesia/Malaysia (Konfrontasi and separation) (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

3. 🇴🇲OMN

   Oman · War & Rupture

   Outbreak of the Dhofar rebellion

   An uprising began in the neglected southern province of Dhofar against Said bin Taimur's rule, growing into a Marxist-led insurgency that would dominate Omani affairs for a decade.

   Decline, British Influence and Isolation

   Sources: Oman: The early period (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Ancient Oman: Archaeological Digs and Historical Discoveries in the Sultanate of Oman (Library of Congress)

4. 🇹🇼TWN

   Taiwan · Culture & Ideas

   National Palace Museum opens in Taipei

   A permanent home opens in Taipei for a vast collection of Chinese imperial art and antiquities, much of it relocated from the mainland around 1948 to 1949.

   Cold War, the 'Two Chinas' Question, and the Economic Miracle

   Sources: National Palace Museum, Taipei (National Palace Museum)

Europe

1. 🇷🇴ROU

   Romania · Politics & Power · 1965–1989

   The Ceausescu dictatorship

   Nicolae Ceausescu ruled Romania from 1965, pursuing a foreign policy independent of Moscow while imposing a personality cult, pervasive secret-police control and harsh 1980s austerity.

   Dismemberment, the Second World War and communist rule

   Sources: Ceausescu Is Overthrown in Romania (EBSCO Research Starters)

North America

1. 🇨🇦CAN

   Canada · Culture & Ideas

   A new national flag and a maturing identity

   Canada adopted the red-and-white maple leaf flag in 1965, a symbol of a distinct national identity as the post-war country built a welfare state and universal health care.

   Modern Canada — multiculturalism, patriation, and reconciliation

   Sources: Canada (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇩🇴DOM

   Dominican Republic · War & Rupture · Apr 1965

   U.S. intervention and civil war

   A Constitutionalist rising to restore Bosch sparks civil war; President Johnson sends some 22,000 U.S. troops in Operation Power Pack, the second U.S. intervention of the century.

   Intervention, Balaguer, and Democracy

   Sources: Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations, 1961-1968 (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · History of the Dominican Republic (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇺🇸USA

   United States · Politics & Power · 6 August 1965

   Voting Rights Act

   The Act banned racial discrimination in voting and authorised federal oversight of elections, dramatically expanding Black political participation.

   Superpower, civil rights, and the modern era

   Sources: Civil Rights Act (United States, 1964) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

South America

1. 🇫🇰FLK

   Falkland Islands · Politics & Power

   General Assembly Resolution 2065 (XX)

   The UN General Assembly recognised a sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom and invited both to negotiate a peaceful settlement, taking account of the islanders' interests.

   Decolonisation and the Sovereignty Dispute

   Sources: Falkland Islands (Malvinas) — The United Nations and Decolonization (United Nations, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs) · Special Decolonization Committee Adopts Resolution Asking Argentina, United Kingdom to Resume Talks over Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (United Nations Meetings Coverage and Press Releases)

Africa

1. 🇦🇴AGO

   Angola · Politics & Power

   Founding of UNITA

   Jonas Savimbi founded the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, drawing support from the Ovimbundu and creating the third of the rival liberation movements alongside the MPLA and FNLA.

   Revolt, liberation movements and independence

   Sources: UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) (Wikipedia) · Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇧🇼BWA

   Botswana · Independence · 30 September 1966

   Independence of Botswana

   The protectorate becomes the Republic of Botswana with Seretse Khama as first president, entering nationhood as one of the world's poorest states.

   Independence, Diamonds and Democracy

   Sources: History of Botswana (Wikipedia) · Sir Seretse Khama (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Bechuanaland Protectorate (Wikipedia)

3. 🇧🇫BFA

   Burkina Faso · Politics & Power · January 1966

   Fall of Yaméogo; Lamizana takes power

   A popular revolt against austerity forces President Yaméogo to resign; Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana leads the army into government.

   Independence and the Cycle of Coups

   Sources: Maurice Yaméogo (Wikipedia) · Background Notes: Burkina Faso (U.S. Department of State) · Upper Volta Coup Leads to Military Government (EBSCO Research Starters)

4. 🇧🇮BDI

   Burundi · Politics & Power

   Micombero's military republic

   Michel Micombero installs a Tutsi-dominated military republic, concentrating power in the army and state.

   The Fall of the Monarchy

   Sources: History of Burundi (Wikipedia) · Ikiza or Burundi Killings of 1972 (EBSCO Research Starters)

5. 🇧🇮BDI

   Burundi · Politics & Power

   Monarchy abolished; republic declared

   Mwami Mwambutsa IV is deposed in July; his son reigns briefly as Ntare V before Captain Michel Micombero overthrows him in November, abolishes the monarchy and proclaims a republic.

   The Fall of the Monarchy

   Sources: History of Burundi (Wikipedia) · Burundi: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Mwambutsa IV of Burundi (Wikipedia)

6. 🇨🇫CAF

   Central African Republic · Politics & Power · 1 January 1966

   Bokassa seizes power

   Army commander Jean-Bédel Bokassa overthrew President David Dacko in the Saint-Sylvestre coup, beginning more than a decade of personal rule.

   Bokassa and the Age of Coups

   Sources: Jean-Bédel Bokassa (Wikipedia) · Central African Republic — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

7. 🇹🇩TCD

   Chad · War & Rupture

   FROLINAT and the civil war

   The National Liberation Front of Chad (FROLINAT) launched an insurgency rooted in northern and Muslim discontent, beginning decades of civil war.

   Independence and civil war

   Sources: Civil War Begins in Chad (EBSCO Research Starters) · François Tombalbaye (Wikipedia)

8. 🇬🇭GHA

   Ghana · Politics & Power · 1966–1981

   An era of coups

   Ghana endured repeated military takeovers and short-lived governments, with coups in 1966, 1972, 1978, and twice involving Jerry Rawlings in 1979 and 1981, amid economic decline.

   Coups, republics, and modern democracy

   Sources: Ghana (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · 1981 Ghanaian coup d'état (Wikipedia)

9. 🇬🇭GHA

   Ghana · Politics & Power · 24 February 1966

   Nkrumah overthrown

   While Nkrumah was abroad, the army and police seized power in a coup, ending the first republic and beginning decades of military and civilian upheaval.

   Independence and the Nkrumah era

   Sources: Kwame Nkrumah (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Ghana (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

10. 🇱🇸LSO

    Lesotho · Independence · 4 October 1966

    Independence as the Kingdom of Lesotho

    Basutoland becomes the independent Kingdom of Lesotho under King Moshoeshoe II and Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan, ending British rule.

    High Commission Territory to Independence

    Sources: History of Lesotho (Wikipedia) · Leabua Jonathan (Wikipedia) · 1966: Lesotho Becomes Independent (History Central)

11. 🇳🇦NAM

    Namibia · War & Rupture · 26 August 1966

    Armed struggle begins at Omugulugwombashe

    SWAPO's military wing, PLAN, fought South African forces at Omugulugwombashe, marking the start of the armed liberation war and of South Africa's long Border War.

    The liberation struggle, the Border War and the road to independence

    Sources: South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) (Wikipedia) · History of Namibia (Wikipedia) · South African Border War (Wikipedia)

12. 🇳🇦NAM

    Namibia · Politics & Power · 27 October 1966

    UN revokes the mandate

    The UN General Assembly terminated South Africa's mandate over the territory, declaring its continued administration illegal, and later renamed the territory Namibia in 1968.

    The liberation struggle, the Border War and the road to independence

    Sources: Namibia (country, history and government) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Namibia (Wikipedia)

13. 🇳🇬NGA

    Nigeria · Politics & Power

    Military coups and unrest

    A January 1966 coup killed Prime Minister Balewa; a July counter-coup and ensuing violence against Igbo communities deepened the crisis that would lead to civil war.

    Independence, the Biafran civil war and military rule

    Sources: Nigeria (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Nigerian Civil War (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

14. 🇺🇬UGA

    Uganda · Politics & Power · 24 May 1966

    Battle of Mengo and the fall of Buganda

    Obote suspends the constitution and orders the army under Idi Amin to storm the kabaka's palace; hundreds die and Mutesa II flees into exile, dying in London in 1969.

    Independence and the First Obote Era

    Sources: Mengo Crisis (1966) (Wikipedia) · History of Uganda (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Asia

1. 🇧🇩BGD

   Bangladesh · Politics & Power

   The Awami League's Six-Point demand

   Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League issues a six-point programme for the political and economic autonomy of East Pakistan, the charter of Bengali self-determination.

   Partition, East Pakistan and the Language Movement

   Sources: Mujibur Rahman (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Awami League (Encyclopædia Britannica)

2. 🇨🇳CHN

   China · Politics & Power · 1966 CE

   Cultural Revolution

   Mao launches the Cultural Revolution, a decade of political persecution, purges, and social upheaval that convulses Chinese society until his death in 1976.

   The People's Republic: Revolution, Upheaval, and Reform

   Sources: China (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · The Cultural Revolution (The National Archives (UK))

3. 🇦🇪ARE

   United Arab Emirates · Politics & Power

   Sheikh Zayed becomes ruler of Abu Dhabi

   Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan succeeded his brother Shakhbut as ruler of Abu Dhabi and began directing oil revenue into the building of a modern state.

   The Fall of Pearls, the Rise of Oil, and Federation

   Sources: Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al Nahyan (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History (Discover UAE) (Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington DC)

North America

1. 🇩🇴DOM

   Dominican Republic · Politics & Power · 1966 CE

   Balaguer wins the presidency

   In U.S.-backed elections after the intervention, the conservative Joaquin Balaguer defeats Bosch, beginning a dominance of Dominican politics that lasts three decades.

   Intervention, Balaguer, and Democracy

   Sources: Joaquin Balaguer (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations, 1961-1968 (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

South America

1. 🇬🇾GUY

   Guyana · Independence · 26 May 1966

   Independence of Guyana

   British Guiana becomes the independent nation of Guyana within the Commonwealth, with Forbes Burnham as first prime minister and Cheddi Jagan as opposition leader.

   Jagan, Burnham and the Road to Independence

   Sources: Guyana — Independence, Ethnicity, Politics (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Guyana (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

Africa

1. 🇧🇼BWA

   Botswana · Economy & Trade

   Diamonds discovered at Orapa

   De Beers geologists locate a major diamond kimberlite pipe at Orapa, the find that would transform Botswana's economy.

   Independence, Diamonds and Democracy

   Sources: Orapa diamond mine (Wikipedia) · Diamonds to development: Botswana's post-independence economic growth (The Boar)

2. 🇩🇯DJI

   Djibouti · Politics & Power · 19 March 1967

   Renamed Territory of the Afars and the Issas

   A second, disputed referendum again favours association with France; the territory is renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas.

   Referendums and the Road to Independence

   Sources: Djibouti (country and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Djibouti (Wikipedia)

3. 🇸🇿SWZ

   Eswatini · Politics & Power

   Self-government and elections

   Under a revised constitution Swaziland gains internal self-government; the king's Imbokodvo National Movement wins the elections, setting the stage for independence.

   British Territory and the Road to Independence

   Sources: History of Eswatini (Wikipedia) · Background Note: Swaziland (U.S. Department of State)

4. 🇬🇦GAB

   Gabon · Politics & Power

   Omar Bongo takes power

   On M'ba's death in November 1967 his vice-president Albert-Bernard (later Omar) Bongo became president; in 1968 he made the Gabonese Democratic Party the sole legal party, beginning a four-decade rule.

   Independence, oil, and the Bongo era

   Sources: Omar Bongo (Wikipedia) · History of Gabon (Encyclopædia Britannica)

5. 🇳🇬NGA

   Nigeria · Politics & Power · 30 May 1967

   Secession of Biafra

   Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the Eastern Region an independent Republic of Biafra, precipitating the Nigerian Civil War.

   Independence, the Biafran civil war and military rule

   Sources: Nigerian Civil War (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Civil war breaks out in Nigeria (6 July 1967) (HISTORY)

6. 🇳🇬NGA

   Nigeria · War & Rupture · 1967–1970

   The Nigerian Civil War

   Federal forces under General Gowon fought to reunify the country and blockaded Biafra; the resulting famine and fighting killed an estimated one to two million people, mostly civilians, before Biafra surrendered in January 1970.

   Independence, the Biafran civil war and military rule

   Sources: Nigerian Civil War (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Civil war breaks out in Nigeria (6 July 1967) (HISTORY)

7. 🇹🇿TZA

   Tanzania · Politics & Power · 5 February 1967

   The Arusha Declaration

   Nyerere proclaims Ujamaa, committing Tanzania to socialism and self-reliance, nationalising key sectors and launching the policy of collective villages.

   Independence, Revolution and the Union

   Sources: Arusha Declaration (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Arusha Declaration (Wikipedia) · (1967) The Arusha Declaration (BlackPast.org)

8. 🇹🇬TGO

   Togo · Politics & Power · 13 January 1967

   Eyadéma seizes power

   Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadéma overthrew President Grunitzky in a bloodless coup and took the presidency, beginning a rule that would last nearly four decades.

   The Eyadéma era and the Gnassingbé dynasty

   Sources: Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Wikipedia) · Togo (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

9. 🇺🇬UGA

   Uganda · Politics & Power

   Kingdoms abolished

   A new republican constitution abolishes the kingdoms of Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole and Toro and makes Obote executive president of a centralised, unitary Uganda.

   Independence and the First Obote Era

   Sources: Mengo Crisis (1966) (Wikipedia) · History of Uganda (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Asia

1. 🇧🇳BRN

   Brunei · Politics & Power

   Accession of Hassanal Bolkiah

   Omar Ali Saifuddien III abdicates in favour of his son Hassanal Bolkiah, who becomes the 29th sultan and would go on to be the world's longest-reigning living monarch.

   The 1962 Revolt, Independence, and the Modern Sultanate

   Sources: Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Brunei (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Brunei (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇯🇴JOR

   Jordan · War & Rupture · June 1967

   The Six-Day War and loss of the West Bank

   In the war with Israel, Jordan lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and a fresh wave of Palestinian refugees fled into the East Bank, deepening the kingdom's demographic transformation.

   Modern Jordan: Hussein, the Wars, Peace and Abdullah II

   Sources: Jordan: Transjordan, the Hashemite Kingdom, and the Palestine war (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa (Jordan) (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)

3. 🇴🇲OMN

   Oman · Economy & Trade

   Oil exports begin

   Oman began exporting oil in commercial quantities, the start of the revenue that would later finance the country's modern transformation.

   Decline, British Influence and Isolation

   Sources: Oman: Restoration of Omani rule (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Oman: The early period (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

4. 🇵🇸PSE

   Palestine · War & Rupture · 5-10 June 1967

   Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza

   In the Six-Day War Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, placing most Palestinians under a military occupation that endures.

   Occupation, Dispossession, and the Present

   Sources: Six-Day War (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Palestine - region, history (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

5. 🇾🇪YEM

   Yemen · Independence · 30 November 1967

   Independence of South Yemen

   After the British withdrawal, the People's Republic of Southern Yemen declared independence with Aden as its capital, later becoming the Marxist People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.

   The Two Yemens: Revolution and Independence

   Sources: A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Yemen (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian) · Yemen: History (ancient kingdoms, Islam, the imamate, unification and war) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

1. 🇦🇱ALB

   Albania · Religion

   Albania declared an atheist state

   The Hoxha regime launched a campaign against religion, closing mosques and churches and proclaiming Albania the world's first officially atheist state.

   The Second World War and Hoxha's Stalinist Albania

   Sources: Enver Hoxha (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Albania (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

1. 🇧🇸BHS

   Bahamas · Politics & Power · 10 January 1967

   Majority rule — the Quiet Revolution

   Lynden Pindling's PLP gained power after the 1967 election, making him the first Black premier and ending the long political dominance of the white "Bay Street" elite.

   Majority rule and independence

   Sources: Lynden Pindling — Biography & Facts (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Lynden Pindling (1930–2000) (BlackPast.org) · Background Note: The Bahamas (U.S. Department of State)

2. 🇵🇷PRI

   Puerto Rico · Politics & Power · 1967-1998

   Status plebiscites

   Non-binding votes in 1967, 1993, and 1998 ask Puerto Ricans to choose among commonwealth, statehood, and independence, producing no binding resolution.

   The Commonwealth and the Status Question

   Sources: Puerto Rico: The Debate over Political Status (Encyclopædia Britannica)

South America

1. 🇧🇴BOL

   Bolivia · War & Rupture · 1967 CE

   Death of Che Guevara

   The revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara is captured and killed by the Bolivian army while leading a failed guerrilla campaign in the southeast.

   The National Revolution and Military Rule

   Sources: Bolivia: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)

Oceania

1. 🇦🇺AUS

   Australia · Politics & Power · 27 May 1967

   The 1967 referendum

   Australians voted by nearly 91 per cent to let the Commonwealth make laws for Aboriginal people and to include them in the census, a landmark in the struggle for Aboriginal rights and recognition.

   The world wars, immigration, and the twentieth century

   Sources: 1967: Indigenous Affairs referendum (Museum of Australian Democracy) · Australia (country) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Africa

1. 🇬🇶GNQ

   Equatorial Guinea · Independence · 12 October 1968

   Independence from Spain

   After a 1968 constitutional referendum and September elections won by Francisco Macías Nguema, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea became independent from Spain on 12 October 1968, uniting Bioko, Río Muni and Annobón.

   Spanish Guinea and the road to independence

   Sources: History of Equatorial Guinea (Encyclopædia Britannica) · History of Equatorial Guinea (Wikipedia) · Spanish Guinea (Wikipedia) · Equatorial Guinea (New World Encyclopedia)

2. 🇬🇶GNQ

   Equatorial Guinea · Politics & Power · October 1968

   Macías Nguema becomes first president

   Francisco Macías Nguema, victor of the September 1968 elections, became Equatorial Guinea's first president at independence, soon concentrating power and beginning a slide into dictatorship.

   The terror of Macías Nguema

   Sources: History of Equatorial Guinea (Encyclopædia Britannica) · History of Equatorial Guinea (Wikipedia) · Francisco Macias Nguema (GlobalSecurity.org)

3. 🇸🇿SWZ

   Eswatini · Independence · 6 September 1968

   Independence of Swaziland

   Swaziland becomes an independent kingdom, free of British rule, with Sobhuza II as head of state under a Westminster-style constitution.

   British Territory and the Road to Independence

   Sources: Background Note: Swaziland (U.S. Department of State) · Sobhuza II (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Eswatini (Wikipedia)

4. 🇲🇱MLI

   Mali · Politics & Power · 19 November 1968

   Military coup ousts Modibo Keïta

   Lieutenant Moussa Traoré leads a coup against the socialist one-party government, beginning 23 years of his rule.

   French Soudan and Independence

   Sources: Moussa Traoré (Wikipedia) · Timeline: How Mali went from democracy beacon to instability (Al Jazeera)

5. 🇲🇺MUS

   Mauritius · Independence · 12 March 1968

   Independence from the United Kingdom

   Mauritius becomes an independent state within the Commonwealth, with Seewoosagur Ramgoolam as first prime minister.

   The Road to Independence

   Sources: Mauritius — Independence, Economy, Culture (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1900–1985) (BlackPast.org)

6. 🇳🇪NER

   Niger · Catastrophe · 1968–1974

   The Great Sahel drought

   A catastrophic drought devastated Niger's crops and herds; the famine of this period and the 1980s killed many and left hundreds of thousands dependent on food aid, deepening the crisis of the Diori regime.

   Independence, uranium and the long droughts

   Sources: Sahel Drought and Famine, 1968–1985 (Environment & Society Portal) · History of Niger (Wikipedia)

Asia

1. 🇮🇩IDN

   Indonesia · Politics & Power

   Suharto's New Order

   Suharto formally becomes president and rules for over three decades, delivering growth and stability through authoritarian control, military dominance and pervasive corruption.

   Sukarno, the New Order and Democratic Indonesia

   Sources: Indonesia (toward independence; Japanese occupation; after Suharto) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 (Wikipedia)

2. 🇦🇪ARE

   United Arab Emirates · Independence · January 1968

   Britain announces withdrawal from the Gulf

   The British government declared it would withdraw its forces and end its treaty role in the Gulf by the end of 1971, prompting the Trucial rulers to plan a federation.

   The Fall of Pearls, the Rise of Oil, and Federation

   Sources: History of the United Arab Emirates (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sheikh Rashid ibn Saeed Al Maktoum (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇻🇳VNM

   Vietnam · War & Rupture · 1968 CE

   Tet Offensive

   A coordinated communist surprise offensive across South Vietnam, though costly militarily, undermines American public support and shifts the war toward U.S. withdrawal.

   The Wars: Independence, Division, and Reunification

   Sources: Vietnam War (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

1. 🇨🇿CZE

   Czechia · War & Rupture · 20–21 Aug 1968

   Prague Spring crushed by Warsaw Pact

   Alexander Dubcek's reforms of 'socialism with a human face' were ended when roughly half a million Warsaw Pact troops, led by the Soviet Union, invaded Czechoslovakia in August 1968.

   Expulsion, Communism, the Velvet Revolution and the Modern Republic

   Sources: Prague Spring (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Warsaw Pact (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇭🇺HUN

   Hungary · Economy & Trade

   'Goulash communism' and the New Economic Mechanism

   János Kádár's reforms admitted limited market forces and private enterprise, giving Hungarians a relative prosperity and freedom unusual in the Soviet bloc.

   Communism, 1956 and the Return to Europe

   Sources: János Kádár (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

3. 🇸🇰SVK

   Slovakia · Politics & Power · 1968–1969

   Federalization of Czechoslovakia

   After the Prague Spring was crushed, the Constitutional Law of Federation of 28 October 1968 created, from 1 January 1969, a Slovak Socialist Republic within a federal Czechoslovakia, the Slovaks' first republic in name.

   Communism, the Velvet Revolution and the Velvet Divorce

   Sources: Czechoslovakia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

North America

1. 🇵🇦PAN

   Panama · Politics & Power

   Torrijos takes power

   A military coup brings General Omar Torrijos to power; his government makes recovery of the canal its central aim.

   Torrijos, the Treaties, and Noriega

   Sources: Omar Torrijos (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Panama: A Country Study (Library of Congress Country Studies)

South America

1. 🇧🇷BRA

   Brazil · Politics & Power · 13 Dec 1968

   Institutional Act Number Five

   AI-5 suspends habeas corpus and civil liberties, opening the regime's most repressive phase of censorship, torture, and disappearances.

   The Vargas Era and Military Dictatorship

   Sources: Brazil (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇵🇪PER

   Peru · Politics & Power · 1968-1975

   Velasco and the military reforms

   General Juan Velasco Alvarado leads a leftist military government that enacts sweeping agrarian reform and nationalisations before being eased from power.

   Reform, the Shining Path, and Modern Peru

   Sources: Peru: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Africa

1. 🇧🇼BWA

   Botswana · Economy & Trade

   Debswana partnership formed

   Botswana and De Beers form a 50-50 joint venture to mine diamonds, securing for the state a direct share of mineral wealth.

   Independence, Diamonds and Democracy

   Sources: Orapa diamond mine (Wikipedia) · Diamonds to development: Botswana's post-independence economic growth (The Boar)

2. 🇨🇬COG

   Congo · Politics & Power

   People's Republic of the Congo proclaimed

   Marien Ngouabi, who had seized power in 1968, proclaimed the People's Republic of the Congo in 1969 — Africa's first Marxist-Leninist state — with the Congolese Labour Party (PCT) as the sole legal party.

   Independence, Youlou, and the Marxist People's Republic

   Sources: Marien Ngouabi (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Republic of the Congo (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Republic of the Congo (1960–present) (University of Central Arkansas, DADM Project)

3. 🇱🇾LBY

   Libya · Politics & Power · 1 September 1969

   Gaddafi's coup overthrows the monarchy

   The Free Officers under Muammar Gaddafi depose King Idris in a near-bloodless coup and proclaim a republic, beginning 42 years of Gaddafi's rule.

   The Gaddafi Era, Uprising and Division

   Sources: 1969 Libyan revolution (Wikipedia) · Qaddafi leads coup in Libya, September 1, 1969 (HISTORY)

4. 🇲🇿MOZ

   Mozambique · War & Rupture · 3 February 1969

   Assassination of Eduardo Mondlane

   FRELIMO's founding president is killed by a parcel bomb in Dar es Salaam; after a leadership struggle, Samora Machel emerges at the head of the movement.

   FRELIMO, Liberation War and Independence

   Sources: Eduardo Mondlane (Wikipedia) · Samora Machel (Wikipedia)

5. 🇸🇴SOM

   Somalia · Politics & Power · 21 October 1969

   Siad Barre seizes power

   Following the assassination of President Shermarke, the army stages a coup and General Mohamed Siad Barre takes control, suspending the constitution and establishing a one-party socialist dictatorship.

   Independence, Union and the Siad Barre Era

   Sources: Mohamed Siad Barre (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · 1969 Somali coup d'état (Wikipedia)

6. SOL

   Somaliland · Politics & Power

   Siad Barre seizes power in Somalia

   A military coup brought Mohamed Siad Barre to power, ushering in an increasingly centralised and authoritarian regime under which northern Isaaq communities came to feel marginalised.

   Grievance, the SNM and the Killings of the Late 1980s

   Sources: Somaliland (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Isaaq genocide (Wikipedia)

7. 🇹🇬TGO

   Togo · Politics & Power

   Founding of the RPT one-party state

   Eyadéma created the Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais as Togo's sole legal party, the institutional core of his personal autocracy and cult of personality.

   The Eyadéma era and the Gnassingbé dynasty

   Sources: Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Wikipedia) · Togo (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Asia

1. 🇲🇾MYS

   Malaysia · Catastrophe · 13 May 1969

   The 13 May communal riots

   Racial rioting between Malays and Chinese in Kuala Lumpur follows a divisive general election, leaving many dead and leading to a suspension of parliament that transforms Malaysian politics.

   The Formation of Malaysia and Singapore's Separation

   Sources: Malaysia: Political transformation (occupation, federation, NEP) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Europe

1. 🇳🇴NOR

   Norway · Economy & Trade

   Oil discovered at Ekofisk

   Phillips Petroleum struck oil at the Ekofisk field in the North Sea, confirmed on Christmas Eve 1969; the discovery transformed Norway into a wealthy petroleum state with a vast sovereign wealth fund.

   Oil Wealth, the European Question and the Arctic Boundary

   Sources: The discovery which changed Norway – Ekofisk (Norwegian Petroleum Museum (industriminne))

North America

1. 🇭🇳HND

   Honduras · War & Rupture · 1969 CE

   War with El Salvador

   A brief border war with El Salvador, rooted in migration disputes, erupts amid a football tournament and hardens the military's role.

   Military Rule and the Cold-War Frontier

   Sources: Honduras: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

2. 🇺🇸USA

   United States · Culture & Ideas

   Apollo 11 Moon landing

   American astronauts became the first humans to walk on the Moon, a defining achievement of the Cold War space race.

   Superpower, civil rights, and the modern era

   Sources: Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation; U.S. History Collections (Library of Congress)