Contemporary
Egyptian Revolution of 1952: The Free Officers Overthrow Farouk
The monarchy fell, Egypt became a republic in June 1953 and Gamal Abdel Nasser emerged as its leader by 1954.
Region
Africa
Contemporary
Algerian War of Independence 1954-1962: France Loses Algeria
The Évian Accords ended the war; Algeria became independent on 5 July 1962 and most European settlers left.
Contemporary
Moroccan Independence 1956: The End of the French Protectorate
France and then Spain recognised Morocco's independence, Tangier was reintegrated, and Mohammed V ruled as king of a sovereign state.
Contemporary
Battle of Algiers 1957: Urban War in the Algerian Revolution
French paratroopers dismantled the FLN network in Algiers, but the systematic use of torture damaged France politically at home and abroad.
Contemporary
Ghana Independence 1957: Kwame Nkrumah and Africa's First Step
The Gold Coast became the independent state of Ghana within the Commonwealth, with Kwame Nkrumah as prime minister.
Contemporary
Anti-Apartheid Movement (1959-1994): Britain's Boycott Campaign
The movement helped isolate apartheid South Africa through boycotts and sanctions campaigns and dissolved after South Africa's first democratic election in 1994.
Contemporary
Sharpeville Massacre 1960: Police Fire on Pass Law Protesters
Police killed 69 protesters and wounded around 180; the government declared a state of emergency and banned the ANC and PAC.
Contemporary
Congo Crisis 1960-1965: Independence, Secession and Lumumba
The Katanga secession was ended by UN forces in 1963, but the crisis left the country divided and ended with Mobutu seizing power in November 1965.
Contemporary
Year of Africa 1960: Seventeen Nations Win Their Independence
Seventeen African countries became independent in a single year, transforming the map of the continent and the membership of the United Nations.
Contemporary
Evian Accords 1962: The Agreement That Ended the Algerian War
France and the FLN agreed a ceasefire and a path to Algerian independence, approved by referendums and achieved on 3–5 July 1962.
Contemporary
Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence 1965 Explained
Rhodesia's unrecognised white-minority state survived 14 years of sanctions and war before the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement led to Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.
Contemporary
Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970: The Biafra Secession and Famine
Biafra surrendered on 15 January 1970 and was reintegrated into Nigeria, after a war in which an estimated 500,000 to 2 million civilians died, mostly from famine.