Why was there so much decolonization after World War 2?

Answer 1

WW2 certainly accelerated the break up of the British Empire. (Even before 1939 it was overstretched: the enlargement after 1918 may have looked good on maps but it added to the defence burden). The break up of the Empire was quickest in the Indian sub-continent, in Burma, in what is now Sri Lanka - Britain was quite unable to cope with the violence in Palestine (and Israel). All these countries gained independence in 1947-49. In 1950 the future of Britain's African Empire was uncertain, but it soon crumbled. In all, it was a very rapid collapse. Moreover, it took a very long time for many Britons to grasp what had happened. Joncey

Answer 2

The Imperial nations could no longer afford to maintain their colonial nations so they freed them. Some had to free them because they had been promised freedom if they fought in WW2. Some had to fight for their independence, such as Israel, but they did get their independence.

The US highly frowned upon Imperialism since it was the cause of WW2. They requested the Imperialist nations to give up their colonies unless the colonies refused to be freed, such as the Falklands and other places who could not function without their imperial "master".

Nationalism was the going trend among the nations. They liked the democratic self-rule and economies. The Eastern Bloc of Europe took nearly fifty years to win back their freedom.