1948

1948 was a leap year in the Gregorian calendar that witnessed significant political change, decolonization, and the early shaping of the postwar world order. It marked the continued assertion of national self‑determination and the emergence of new international institutions and norms that would influence the Cold War era.

Key political events included Burma’s independence from the United Kingdom on January 4 and Sri Lanka’s February 4 independence as well. On January 30, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi, a moment that had a profound impact on India and the wider world. On May 14, the State of Israel declared independence, prompting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War as neighboring states intervened. In February, Czechoslovakia’s Communist Party took full control in a coup, intensifying East–West tensions. On June 24, the Soviet Union began the blockade of West Berlin, which led to the Berlin Airlift by the Western Allies, supplying the city through 1949.

In international governance, the World Health Organization was established on April 7, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, laying groundwork for postwar human rights norms. The 1948 London Summer Olympics, held from July 29 to August 14, marked the resumption of the Games after World War II. Together, these events reflected a world reorganizing after conflict, navigating decolonization, new statehood, and the burgeoning Cold War landscape.