What does comparison of Malaysia and Algeria's independence show?

Correct answer: Decolonization can have both peaceful constitutional and violent armed paths

Direct answer: Option A is correct. Comparing Malaysia and Algeria shows that decolonization did not follow one universal path. Malaysia achieved independence from British rule through a largely constitutional and negotiated process, although its wider political history included conflict and emergency conditions. Algeria’s independence from France followed a long and extremely violent armed struggle led by the National Liberation Front, ending in 1962. The comparison therefore shows that peaceful constitutional negotiation and violent armed resistance are both possible patterns, depending on colonial policy, settler presence, political organisation and the situation of the independence movement. Option B is wrong because the two struggles were not identical. Option C is wrong because Malaysia was not a French colony. Option D is wrong because Algeria was a French colony and its independence was not a peaceful British transfer. The careful lesson is comparison, not oversimplification. Memory cue: Malaysia—mainly negotiated British decolonization; Algeria—violent anti-French war.