Tension Between Religious Fundamentalism and Secular Nationalism That the Forces Were Fighting for Independence

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Tension between religious fundamentalism and secular nationalism that the forces were fighting for independence

        After ending of the World War, the colonies and neo-colonies were in a fragile state. They were weak, and their primary focus was to rebuild themselves from the experiences they had undergone through. The competition for influence by the East and West blocs left the colonies to mature and become empowered. It gave them an upper hand in being able to negotiate for favors to suit them. Eastern Europe lost to the Soviet Union, and military control was imposed to compel it so as to enhance achievement of their loyalty in return for favors. Other nations lost their territory as a result of the occupation by foreigners leading to the development of new countries and regions (Moaddel & Karabenick, 2013).

Liberal movements began springing up in the affected countries that were in support of religious fundamentalism on one side and the other they were for secular nationalism. The two factions were each fighting for independence in their way. Their differences were based on the use of religion as a tool by foreigners to continue manipulation of masses in the disguise of unity and establishment of nationality. Secular nationalism established itself in many colonies trying to shade their colonial rule and was in the process of recreating themselves. It created national pride and was used as a factor for rallying people. However, in Eastern Europe where it had created so much destruction people were for squashing of the ideology from individuals with such attitudes.

Religious fundamentalism which anchored their beliefs on people or authority of a sacred religious text didn't play such a major role. The ideology led to the splitting of some nations and creation of new ones with different perspectives regarding the beliefs. In some areas, it results in the strengthening of some religious practices and cementing them there actively. The situation has led to continued differences among the nations based on the ideologies and their point of view. Various aspects resulted from the situation which created a fertile ground for the rise of extremist groups trying to establish an identity. Besides that, the alienation between the liberated mass and liberating elite has culminated to the return of religion used as a tool for suppression in the disguise of establishing an identity.

How did end of World War II and rise and fall of Cold War affect various aspects of the newly independent nations?

After the end of World War II and the cold war, different countries had achieved independence from their rulers. In some areas, the process was peaceful while in others it was through a revolution. The new nations began forming stable governments. The two periods significantly altered the pattern of international relations and was all about superpower competition. The locations of some of the nations were strategic and endowed with vast natural resources which the colonial masters took advantage of brutally. The colonial masters also established settlements in the colonies to maximize on the exploitation (Betts, 2015).