This document summarizes major global events from 1914 to the present related to the end of European colonial empires and the rise of independence movements and new states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It discusses the collapse of European empires after World War I and WWII, the independence of countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and nations in Africa in the post-war period, and the variety of political systems and paths of development that emerged, including democracy, authoritarianism, and communism. It also analyzes independence movements, challenges to colonial rule, and different regional experiences in gaining freedom across the global South.