10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About World War 2

The Second World War is commonly regarded as a Eurocentric war, with considerable involvement by the United States and Japan. However, what gets lost in the shuffle is the involvement of African and Asian nations in the war, and its impact on their socio-political structures. It should be noted that the African and Asian soldiers were forcibly conscripted into the war due to their nations being under colonial rule at the time.

Despite fighting a war they did not fully understand nor support for oppressive rulers in foreign lands, African and Asian soldiers still experienced discrimination at the hands of European soldiers. Nevertheless, they fought bravely in notable wars such as the liberation of Ethiopia from Italian forces by Ugandan and Sudanese forces, battles against the French in Sicily and Lebanon by Israeli and Palestinians and battles in Burma and Indonesia that were fought by the local forces and West African soldiers as well.

The most notable impact of the war on African and Asian nations was its contribution to their fights for independence from colonial rulers. Soldiers returned home with a renewed vigour to reclaim their sovereignty and Western powers were unable to stop the rising tide of liberation movements across the two continents.