Postcolonialism emerged as a result of over 4,000 years of European colonization of Africa and Asia. In the 19th century, Britain became the dominant imperial power and justified its brutal treatment of colonies. Decolonization began in the early 20th century as Britain started losing economic and social control. The 1950s marked the beginning of postcolonialism with India gaining independence from Britain, followed by Pakistan. Postcolonial theorists such as Fanon, Said, and Spivak examined the cultural, social, and psychological impacts of colonialism and addressed issues like identity, otherness, and hybridity that arose from the colonial experience.