Soviet opposition to colonialism put pressure on the colonial powers to relinquish their territorial holdings. In the drafting of the UN Charter, the Soviet government argued for language on self-determination. In discussions leading to the establishment of a UN system of trusteeship that would replace the League of Nations mandates, the Soviet government stressed the need to move the trust territories to full independence. The Soviet delegate, responding to proposals for solutions that fell short of independence, said that “he did not agree that self-government alone would be an adequate objective, but emphasized the importance of independence.” The UN Charter, as finalized, reflected these positions. Without expressly calling colonialism unlawful, the Charter proclaimed self-determination of peoples as a principle of the organization.

Wars of National Liberation

In 1960, the United Nations, for the first time, did characterize colonialism as illegitimate, making clear that self-determination and colonialism were incompatible. In a resolution titled “Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,” the UN General Assembly called for “immediate steps” in all territories “which have not yet attained independence, to transfer all powers to the peoples of those territories, without any conditions or reservations, in accordance with their freely expressed will and desires, without any distinction as to race, creed or color, in order to enable them to enjoy complete independence and freedom.”

Soviet delegates at the United Nations had repeatedly called on the colonial powers to free their colonies.