The Bandung Conference, 1955

In April 1955 delegates from 29 Asian and African countries met in Bandung, Indonesia, in the first large conference of newly independent and soon-to-be independent states. Hosted by President Sukarno, it included Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Zhou Enlai of China and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt. The conference condemned 'colonialism in all of its manifestations', called for economic and cultural cooperation, and adopted ten principles including respect for sovereignty and non-interference.

Participants disagreed sharply over whether Soviet control of Eastern Europe counted as colonialism, showing that the Cold War divided even this group. Bandung mattered less for concrete agreements than for its symbolism: it announced that formerly colonized peoples would act on the world stage on their own terms. It also inspired the later Non-Aligned Movement and the idea of a 'Third World' distinct from both blocs.