Student Question

How did leaders' class, religious and ethnic loyalties, and Marxist ideas shape the anti-colonial nationalist movements?

Quick answer:

Leaders' class, religious and ethnic loyalties, and Marxist ideas significantly influenced anti-colonial nationalist movements, though impacts varied widely. Marxism had a profound effect on some movements, as seen in Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh, but was less influential in others, like India's independence movement. Countries that avoided Marxism, such as Taiwan and South Korea, often experienced faster growth and democratization compared to those that embraced it, like North Korea and Mainland China.

Expert Answers

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I would argue that Marxist ideas had a baneful influence on many nationalist movements, particularly in Africa but also in South America and in Southeast Asia.  Countries such as Taiwan and South Korea, which adopted non-Marxist paths, achieved much more rapid growth and democratization than those such as Mainland China and North Korea.  The latter country, of course, is still mired in Marxism and may presently be the worst place on the planet in which to live.

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This is such a broad question given that there have been so many anti-colonial nationalist movements with different specifics.  Not all of the nationalist movements were shaped by Marxism.  For example, India's movement was not significantly influenced by Marxism.  By contrast, Vietnam's movement was strongly influenced by the success of the Bolshevik Revolution and the Marxist ideas of people like Ho Chi Minh.

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