ABSTRACT
Decolonisation was a European phenomenon encompassing the empires of France, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain and, if extend the analysis to the very recent past, even that of the Soviet Union or Russia. The British experience of decolonisation shared many of the characteristics with the end of other empires, but it also differed markedly in a number of ways. The Brazzaville Conference of 1944 illustrated that 'a more considered position was to be given the colonial people's in the imperial system'. After 1946, Holland's 'new imperialism' in Southeast Asia, envisaged the creation of a federal state under the Dutch crown. Morocco, Tunisia and Indochina the 'Associated States' would achieve internal autonomy. Control of foreign policy, defence and many economic matters would, however, remain the preserve of Paris. A comparison between the end of British and Russian imperialism is also instructive. The Russians, like the British before them, attempted to maintain influence in their former dependencies despite formal, 'flag' independence.
