transition imperial domination national independence characterized history states Third World 1950s 1960s. To extent change political status transform economic status places? If, ? If, ? The decolonization process has been one of the most important phenomena of the 20th century. This is largely due to the impact this process had on the reshaping of the political spectrum at the international level as well as the changes that took place as a result of the process in terms of economics.

The process can be defined as being the "undoing of a colonial relationship. The decolonization process operates at four levels. First, an independent government with full power within the boundaries of the colony is created. The colonial power will no longer control the political structure of the colony. A new elite takes over. Second, the provision of public goods and government services is decided and managed by the new government. The colonial power will no longer bear the cost of running the colony. Third, new social and economic institutions are eventually created, aiming at the establishment of political rights and...

Fourth, there may be a process of incorporating culturally distinct groups in the community, including non-native settlers and different native population groups" (Garoupa and Gata, 2000). The economic aspect played however a crucial role in the reshaping of internal and external relations of former colonies and their colonist powers.
The most important effect of the decolonization process for the former colonies is their reduced economic growth after gaining independence (Sylwester, 2005). This assertion is largely given by the fact that the decolonization process, as stated above, affects all the levels of the society. In this sense, the political life in the former colony changes as there are new emerging elites that try to undergo a reformation process. This was obvious in most African countries. One example in this sense may be Rwanda which, after gaining independence from the Belgians in the 1960s was confronted with a new political elite that did not have the necessary means and knowledge to run the country. Secondly,…