Would you trust any human, academic or otherwise, to answer that honestly? Not me so this is AI based on my thesis and post-checking: To a substantial extent. Former British colonies achieved independence primarily because of historical events that weakened the Empire and reshaped the international order, with colonial nationalism and direct efforts acting as important accelerators, localizers, and shapers of outcomes rather than the sole or dominant drivers of the rapid collapse. The British Empire reached its peak territorial extent after World War I but unravelled with remarkable speed after 1945—most major dependencies independent by the mid-1960s (India/Pakistan 1947, … Continue reading To what extent have former colonies of the British Empire achieved independence less because of their own direct efforts and more because of historical events that have happened to both the Empire and to them?