Mapping the PastMAP 31.5 Decolonization in Africa, 1947 to the Present Most African territories achieved statehood by the mid-1960s, as European empires passed away, unlamented.ANALYZING THE MAP How many African states achieved independence after 1945? How many experienced some sort of postcolonial conflict?CONNECTIONS How did the imperialist legacy serve to complicate the transition to stable, independent nations in Africa and Latin America?