The end of World War II marked the beginning of the end for the British and French empires. Due to its weakened positions and the emergence of two new “anti-colonial” superpowers, Britain eventually lost its colonies in Africa, India and its influence in the Middle East. France also lost its colonies in West and North Africa, as well as in Indochina. This period marked "the end not only of formal colonial rule, but of the era of European rule and of the very idea of ​​empire." The Second World War had left both countries in a very weak and vulnerable position, with Britain physically exhausted and France weakened both psychologically and physically after the humiliation of defeat and occupation by Nazi Germany, and the its global position seriously weakened. With this they faced the challenge of maintaining authority over colonial peoples who were increasingly opposed to the domination of European powers. Having fought alongside them to liberate countries under the control of the Axis powers, the colonial peoples now wanted their own freedom. Although occurring in a similar time period and in similar regions, the two countries approached decolonization very differently, with the French decolonization occurring much later and much less peaceful than the British. The decolonization of the two empires was not a reality in the immediate post-war period. the war. Although the war was a catalyst for decolonisation, both Britain and France initially hoped that they could once again re-establish their empires following the end of the war. Britain hoped to maintain its status as a global world power in the face of the emergence of two new superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, both with anti-colonial agendas. Despite being part of the... center of the card... the United States and the USSR, they were decolonized for their own sake. For Britain, the Suez Crisis led to the empire becoming a burden on the pound, and to avoid bankruptcy, Britain accelerated the process of decolonization, realizing that nuclear war was the true spectacle of greatness. As for France, although the FLN played an important role, the French crisis on the issue of decolonization made it impossible for France to cling to Algeria. Even De Gaulle declared that decolonization was in France's interests, an admission of impossibility without further expense and bloodshed. France exhausted itself rather than converted. As both countries had different reasons for decolonising, it was ultimately both countries' views of colonialism that decided what decolonization experience they would have, with the French experiences being much bloodier than the British ones..