War of independence

A war of independence, also called a war of national liberation or war of liberation, is a conflict fought by a nation to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with a war against foreign powers (or at least one perceived as foreign) to establish a separate sovereign state for the rebelling nationality. From a different point of view, such a war is called an insurgency or a rebellion. Guerrilla warfare and terrorism is often utilized by groups labeled as national liberation movements, often with support from other states. The term "war of national liberation" is most commonly used for those fought during the decolonization movement. Since these were primarily in the third world, against Western powers and their economic influence, and a major aspect of the Cold War, the phrase has often been applied selectively to criticize the foreign power involved.

Some of these wars were either vocally or materially supported by the Soviet Union, which claimed to be an anti-imperialist power, supporting the replacement of Western-backed governments with local Communist or other non pro-Western parties. In January 1961 Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev pledged support for "wars of national liberation" throughout the world. On the other hand, the Soviet involvement was often viewed as a way to increase the size and influence of the Soviet Bloc, and thus a form of imperialism itself. The People's Republic of China criticized the Soviet Union as being social imperialist.