Figure 6.1 The independent countries of the world. In the twentieth century, the map was in rapid flux, with a proliferation of new countries. This process began after World War I with the breakup of such empires as those of Austria-Hungary and Turkey, then intensified after World War II when the overseas empires of the British, French, Italians, Dutch, Americans, and Belgians collapsed. More recently, the Russian-Soviet Empire disintegrated.