• What was the Bandung Conference of 1955, and in what political context did it happen?
The Bandung Conference of 1955 was a meeting of Asian and African nations held in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. The conference was organized by Indonesia, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, and Pakistan, with the aim of promoting economic cooperation and cultural exchange among newly independent nations in Asia and Africa.
The Bandung Conference took place in the midst of the Cold War, a period of intense geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Many of the participating nations were newly independent from colonial rule and were seeking to assert their independence and sovereignty on the global stage. The conference provided a platform for these nations to discuss common concerns, such as decolonization, economic development, and non-alignment in the Cold War.
The Bandung Conference is considered a milestone in the history of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of nations that sought to maintain their independence from the influence of the superpower blocs led by the United States and the Soviet Union. The conference also highlighted the importance of solidarity and cooperation among nations in the Global South in the face of colonialism, imperialism, and neocolonialism.