A Land of Their Own: 6 Colonies That Gained Independence Following World War II

Syria

Syria is a unique situation, in that it should have been an independent nation prior to WWII. In 1936 the Syrians and the French negotiated a treaty of independence. Hashim al-Atassi was elected as the first president of the modern republic of Syria. Strangely enough, Syria never gained their independence in 1936 because the French Legislature refused to ratify it. For years, they held off on ratifying the treaty and in 1940 when France fell, the treaty had still not been ratified.

A Land of Their Own: 6 Colonies That Gained Independence Following World War II — Men of the Syrian Camel Cavalry in 1940. Time

Syria was then under the control of Vichy France until July 1941, when they were then occupied by the British and the Free French forces as part of the Syria-Lebanon campaign. After the expulsion of Vichy France, the Syrians declared their independence. Syria was not recognized as an independent republic until 1944, due to pressure from Syrian nationalists and the British.

With independence finally granted, Syria went back under the control of the republican government that had been formed in 1936. The British were supportive of the Syrian government and therefore supported the evacuation of French troops from Syria.

Evacuation Day is the national day that commemorates Syrian independence and it is celebrated on April 17. It comes on the anniversary of the very last French soldier leaving Syria on April 17, 1946, which officially ended French rule.

Burma/Myanmar

In 1937 Burma became a separately administered colony of Great Britain. Ba Maw became the very first Prime Minister and Premier of Burma. He was a big supporter of Burmese self-rule and he was very much against the involvement of Great Britain in World War II, in part because it forced Burma to be a part of the war as well.

His outspoken behavior led to his resignation from the Legislative Assembly and he was arrested for sedition. In 1940 Aung San formed the Burma Independence Army in Japan, taking the first step toward the Burmese being free of British rule. However, it also doomed Burma as the state became a major battleground during the war. In 1942, just a few months after they entered the war, the Japanese advanced on Burma and the British administration fell.

In August 1942, the Japanese established the Burmese Executive Administration under the control of Ba Maw. Both the British and the Americans attempted to fight in Burma to try and regain control from the Japanese. It was in late 1944 that the Allies finally launched a number of offenses that would end the Japanese control of Burma in July 1945.

During the war, Burmese soldiers fought on both sides, but many switched to Allied side by 1945. The country was laid to waste by the battles and the Japanese lost 150,000 soldiers in Burma. The Burmese lost anywhere from 170,000 to 250,000 civilians under Japanese occupation.

It was after World War II that Aung San negotiated the Panglong Agreement with ethnic leaders that unified Burma as the independent state of Myanmar. However, in 1947 Aung San and several members of the transitional government were assassinated. It was on January 4, 1948, that Burma became the independent republic known as the Union of Burma, and unlike other former British colonies, they did not become members of the British Commonwealth.