Self-determination sharpened pressure for decolonization

Gandhi used the Allies' language of democracy and freedom to expose the contradiction of British rule in India and Africa. About 2.5 million troops from India volunteered for Allied service in Asia and North Africa, forming the world's largest volunteer force at the time. Roosevelt supported self-determination as a principle but would not force the issue in the middle of the war. Once the fighting ended, the charter gave independence movements a standard they could invoke against imperial rule.