p Africa’s role in world economy and politics increased considerably during the Second World War. Although the scale of fighting in Africa was smaller than in Europe or Asia, African peoples played a significant role in the war. More than one million Africans were conscripted into the armed forces, and from 1,200,000 to 1,800,CCO (in different years) took part in building military bases and airfields and strategic roads for the belligerent aimies. Africa acquired special importance as a key source of raw materials and food for the western flank of the anti-Hi Her coalition (USA, Britain and other countries).

p The fascist bloc failed to win over the population of the African countries to its side. Together with all freedom-loving people, the progressive forces in Africa actively fought against fascism. It is a noteworthy fact that after France’s capitulation nazi Germany failed to subjugate its African colonies. Some of them even became strongholds of the "Free France" movement. In the course of the 1942-43 campaign in North Africa the local population effectively assisted the troops of the anti-Hitler coalition. The Ethiopian people liberated in 1941 as a result of the combined operations of the allied troops and local patriots, delivered a powerful blow at the occupying forces of fascist Italy.

p Africans fought against the fascists not only in Africa but also in Europe and Southeast Asia. There was a particularly large number of them in the French Army. Right up to the summer of 1944 Africans comprised more Ihan 50 per cent of the "Free France" fighters.  [47•57  African peoples made their own contribution, in blood and sweat, to the victory over nazism.

p The anti-fascist character of the war stimulated the political activity of the African peoples and heightened their national self-awareness. Africa’s progressive forces linked the struggle against fascism with the struggle for national rights and interests, and believed that the wargenerated liberation wave would enable them to get rid of colonial oppression. The participation in the war of a great socialist, state which fought under the banner of national self-determination of peoples and resolutely opposed colonialism tremendously boosted the national liberation aspirations of the peoples.

p Throughout the war the Soviet Union demonstrated its fidelity to the ideas of social and national liberation. In a declaration on 24 September 1941 announcing the USSR’s accession to the Atlantic Charter, the Soviet Government specially emphasised its adherence to the principle of selfdetermination of nations. "Proceeding from this principle,” the declaration stated, "the Soviet Union upholds the right of each nation to state independence and territorial inviolability of its country, the right to set up a social system and choose the form of government which it considers expedient and necessary for the economic and cultural burgeoning of the whole country.”  [47•58 

p The Soviet Union was not merely a participant in the anti-fascist coalition—it played a decisive role in the victory over nazi Germany. It bore the brunt of the blows of the fascist military machine and in bitter battles inflicted a shattering defeat on Hitler’s hordes. This titanic struggle which has no parallel in history and which demanded incredible sacrifices and heroism on the part of the Soviet peoples, rid mankind of the fascist plague and opened new horizons before all peoples.

p The sympathies of the freedom-loving peoples of the world for the Soviet Union increased during the war. Its great military feat enormously enhanced its prestige on all continents, including Africa. Therefore, il was only natural that shortly after the rout of the nazi invaders at Stalingrad the governments of Ethiopia and Egypt expressed their wish to establish diplomatic relations with the USSR. Agreements to this^ effectjwere signed in April (with Ethiopia) and in August (with Egypt) 1943. In tne course of SovietEgyptian negotiations the Soviet Government conlirmed that it had relinquished alJ extraterritorial rights and privileges in Egypt. In a letter/ oi_t 26^ July 1943 to Egyptian Foreign Minister Mustafa al-Hahhas Pasha Soviet Ambassador in^Britain Ivan^Maisky underscored that the USSR, from the moment of its₄establishment and of its own accord and in keeping with the principle of equality of all nations, had forever nullified all unequal treaties and relinquished capitulation and other special privileges of the tsarist government. Obviously, this applied to Egypt as well.

p It was clear to the peoples of Africa that the expulsion of fascist invaders from African countries and the creation of conditions for a fresh upsurge of the national liberation movement were directly connected with the successes of the Soviet armed forces, and that the destiny_tof humanity for decades to come was being decided in the East of Europe.

p The Soviet Union fought for a better lot for the whole of humanity, including the peoples of the colonies and dependencies, not only on the battlefield. In its diplomatic activity connected with the discussion of the post-war set-up of the world, the Soviet Union insisted that all oppressed countries and peoples should have the right to national self-determination and independence.

p The main debates on colonial problems took place at the San Francisco Conference, which opened on 25 April 1945 shortly before the end of the war in Europe and ended after Hitler Germany’s capitulation. In the course of a debate on the draft UN Charter the Soviet delegation demanded that this document should stipulate the right of nations to self-determination and national equality, and repudiate racial discrimination. Accordingly, it tabled amendments to the definition of UN aims and principles which was adopted at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944. Among other things, these amendments stipulated that international 49 relations should be based on respect for the principle of equality and self-determination of peoples, that international cooperation should promote respect for human rights, particularly the right to work and education, and also ensure basic freedoms for all without discrimination on the grounds of race, language, religion or sex. The resolute stand of the Soviet delegation helped to incorporate these principles in the UN Charter and thus received recognition in international law.

p The organisation of the trusteeship system evoked heated debates in San Francisco. In their drafts of this system the biggest colonial countries in effect wanted to transform it into a variety of colonialism. The Soviet Union presented its own proposals which envisaged that one of the basic objectives of the United Nations should be to prepare the trust territories not only for self-rule but also for selfdetermination and thus hasten their achievement of full state independence. The Soviet draft also envisaged that the preparations for self-rule and self-determination should be conducted with the active participation of the population of the trust territories.

p Expounding the meaning of its amendments to the Chapter "Purposes and Principles" of the UN Charter and its stand towards the trusteeship question, the Soviet delegation made the point that the Soviet Union always attached primary significance to the principles of equality and self-determination of nations. The Soviet Government believed that the proclamation of these UN principles would attract the special attention of the colonial peoples and accelerate their implementation. As regards the question of trusteeship, the Soviet delegation noted that it was the duty of the United Nations to be concerned in- the first place with helping the dependent countries take the road of national independence as quickly as possible.  [49•59 

p The Soviet delegation’s irreconcilable attitude towards colonialism and the support for this stand by some noncolonial states compelled the imperialist powers to give in on the question of the objectives of the trusteeship system. The final version of article 76 para b of the UN Charter reads as follows: "The basic objectives of the 50 trusteeship system, in accordance with the purposes of the United Nations laid down in Article 1 of the present Charter, shall be: ... to promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of the trust territories, and their progressive development towards selfgovernment or independence as may be appropriate to the particular circumstances of each territory and its peoples and the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned, and as may be provided by the terms of each trusteeship agreement.”  [50•60 

p Thus, on the initiative of the Soviet Union, the UN Charter secures the right of nations to self-determination and proclaims not only self-government but also independence as the ultimate objective of the trusteeship system. These provisions were important for all colonial peoples because they stimulated the national liberation movement and facilitated the anti-colonial struggle of the world progressive forces led by the Soviet Union.J

p Even the bourgeois press conceded that while the USA and other imperialist states defended the last-century slogans by refusing to grant the colonies the right to selfdetermination, the Soviet Union’s stand had turned this right into a symbol of struggle for the oppressed nations.

p After the Second World War the balance of forces between capitalism and socialism sharply tilted in favour of socialism. The war and its aftereffects resulted in a new stage of the general crisis of capitalism. The rout of the shock detachments of world imperialist reaction—Hitler Germany, fascist Italy and militarist Japan—was a heavy blow to the system of imperialism in general. Such leading imperialist powers as Britain and France were greatly weakened in the war.

p At the same time socialism strengthened and developed as a system. The capitalist chain lost some more of its links in Europe and Asia. A great community of socialist states came into being. The development of the world working-class and communist movement scored fresh successes. This historical situation paved the way for an 51 upsurge of the national liberation movement. Anti-imperialist revolutions flared up in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The colonial system began to disintegrate.

p As they intensified the struggle for independence, the peoples of African and other colonial countries struck powerful blows at imperialism, thus contributing to the success of the whole world revolutionary process. In their turn the socialist countries and the revolutionary working class in capitalist countries increased their support for the national liberation movements. And the colonial system, no matter how hard imperialism tried to preserve it, could not withstand the onslaught of this united front of the three main revolutionary streams.

The irreversible process of the collapse of the colonial system and the formation, on its ruins, of young sovereign states, first in Asia and then in Africa, set in.