Colonial systems often armed selected groups and made their position depend on the ruling power, reducing the need for large forces sent from abroad. The same policy left military and police organizations stronger than civil services or representative movements. A rapid withdrawal could then create a vacuum that armed institutions were prepared to fill. Some takeovers began with promises to restore order, while others came from a direct pursuit of power. Responsibility lies with the colonial system that created the imbalance to preserve its own control.
Notable Point · 1:41:15-1:44:23
Colonial security institutions and the danger of a power vacuum
Colonial governments often built strong police and military institutions while leaving representative bodies too weak to resist them after a rapid withdrawal.