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1953 CE

This year falls in the Twentieth century (1901–2000). Two world wars, the Russian and Chinese revolutions, the Cold War and the end of most colonial empires fall in this century. It also brings mass air travel, nuclear weapons, antibiotics and computers.

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Dated to 1953 CE

Country · CambodiaCambodia1953–Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country, heir to the great Khmer Empire that built Angkor Wat. It won independence from France in 1953. The Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s killed about two million people; the country is now a constitutional monarchy.
Country · EgyptEgypt1953–Egypt is a North African country centered on the Nile, home to one of the oldest civilizations on earth. The modern republic was proclaimed in 1953 after the overthrow of the monarchy. It is a semi presidential republic and the largest Arab country.
Country · LaosLaos1953–Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, the most heavily bombed country in history per person. It won independence from France in 1953. Communists took power in 1975 and still rule as a single party state.

Within fifteen years

Country · LibyaLibya1951–Libya is a vast, mostly desert country in North Africa. It became independent in 1951 under King Idris. Muammar Gaddafi ruled from 1969 until his overthrow in 2011, and the country has been divided by civil war since.
Country · MoroccoMorocco1956–Morocco is a North African kingdom on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its dynasties ruled for a thousand years before French and Spanish protectorates. It regained independence in 1956 and is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Country · SudanSudan1956–Sudan is a large country in northeastern Africa on the Nile. It became independent from Britain and Egypt in 1956. Coups, civil wars, and the Darfur crisis have marked it; war broke out again in 2023.
Event · Twentieth century · GermanyThe Stasi1950–1990Ministry for State Security of East Germany, 1950–1990. Roughly 91,000 full-time staff and on the order of 170,000–190,000 unofficial informants by 1988–89.
Country · TunisiaTunisia1956–Tunisia is a North African country on the Mediterranean, home of ancient Carthage. It became independent from France in 1956. The 2011 revolution that toppled its dictator started the Arab Spring.
Country · BhutanBhutan1949–Bhutan is a small Himalayan kingdom between India and China. It was unified by the Shabdrung in the seventeenth century and kept its independence while its neighbors fell to empires. It is a constitutional monarchy famous for measuring Gross National Happiness.
Country · ChinaChina1949–China is the most populous country on earth and one of the oldest continuous civilizations. The People's Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949 after the communists won the civil war. It is ruled by the Chinese Communist Party as a single party state.
Country · GhanaGhana1957–Ghana is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea. It was the first Black African colony to win independence, in 1957, under Kwame Nkrumah. It is now a stable presidential republic.
Civilization · Twentieth century · ChinaPeople's Republic of China1949–The state proclaimed in Beijing on 1 October 1949 after the communist victory in the civil war. A container for that state, not a history of it.
Country · TaiwanTaiwan1949–Taiwan is an island off the coast of China, governed by the Republic of China. The Nationalist government retreated there in 1949 after losing the civil war. Its political status is disputed; Beijing claims it as a province.
Event · Twentieth century · ChinaGreat Leap Forward1958–1962The campaign launched in 1958 under Mao's authority: forced collectivization, backyard steel, and the famine of 1959–1961. Death tolls are estimates and do not agree.
Country · GuineaGuinea1958–Guinea is a West African country, the only French colony to vote no to de Gaulle's community in 1958. It became independent at once. It is a military led state after the 2021 coup.
Country · IsraelIsrael1948–Israel is a country in the Levant, founded in 1948 as a Jewish state. Its creation followed the Holocaust and a United Nations partition plan. It is a parliamentary republic; its conflict with the Palestinians remains unresolved.
Country · MyanmarMyanmar1948–Myanmar, also called Burma, is a Southeast Asian country between India and Thailand. It won independence from Britain in 1948. The military has ruled for most of the time since 1962, seizing power again in 2021.
Country · North KoreaNorth Korea1948–North Korea occupies the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. It was founded in 1948 as a communist state under Kim Il Sung. His family has ruled ever since in one of the most closed and repressive states on earth.
Country · South KoreaSouth Korea1948–South Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It was founded in 1948 as the Republic of Korea. From the ruins of war it grew into a wealthy democracy and a technological power.
Country · Sri LankaSri Lanka1948–Sri Lanka is an island country off the southern tip of India. Its Buddhist civilization is more than two thousand years old. It won independence from Britain in 1948 and endured a brutal civil war from 1983 to 2009.
Country · IndiaIndia1947–India is the world's largest democracy and its most populous country. It won independence from Britain in 1947 after a long nationalist struggle. It is a federal parliamentary republic of more than a billion people.
Country · New ZealandNew Zealand1947–New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific. The Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 brought British rule; full independence came in 1947. It is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Country · PakistanPakistan1947–Pakistan is a South Asian country created in 1947 as a homeland for the Muslims of British India. Partition from India cost about a million lives. It is a federal parliamentary republic with a powerful military and nuclear weapons.
Country · BeninBenin1960–Benin is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea. Its coast was once called the Slave Coast. It became independent from France in 1960 and is now a presidential republic.
Country · Burkina FasoBurkina Faso1960–Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It became independent from France in 1960 as Upper Volta and took its current name in 1984. It is a military led state after coups in 2022.
Country · CameroonCameroon1960–Cameroon is a Central African country on the Gulf of Guinea, often called Africa in miniature for its diversity. France and Britain divided it after the First World War; the French part became independent in 1960. It is a presidential republic.
Country · Central African RepublicCentral African Republic1960–The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in the heart of Africa. It became independent from France in 1960. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and has suffered repeated coups and civil wars.