In the decades following the ending of the Second World War, some countries fell under Soviet control while others achieved independence from their formal colonial status only to fall under the control of totalitarian regimes. Whatever the reason, the ending of the war did not automatically lead to the restoration of Rotary Clubs. 

In January 1949, the Board of RI considered the position in Czechoslovakia where the 34 clubs had failed to make the required reports relating to membership. Furthermore, as far as the Board could determine, they had "failed to give evidence that they are duly functioning as Rotary clubs." (Board minutes, January 1949). Accordingly the board terminated the membership of these clubs, effective as from January 24, 1949. This also meant the ending of District 66 as a separate entity. 

Two years later, in 1951, the Board made a similar decision regarding clubs in China, although three clubs, Nanking, Shanghai West and Tientsin remained on the books of RI for a further 12 months, when their charters were cancelled. In 1960 it was the turn of Tunis. The Tunisian Government had imposed special statutes on the Rotary club, which led to the Governor of District 173 recommending the termination of the club's membership in RI. The termination was accepted by the Board at the January 1960 meeting. Thirteen Indonesian club charters were similarly withdrawn in April 1961, and later the charter of the Hollandia Kotabaru Club in West Irian was declared void in 1964. This came about because of the transfer of the political administration from the Netherlands to the United Nations in 1956, and from the UN to Indonesia in 1963. Mail sent by RI to the officers of the club was being returned marked "gone to Netherlands." 

As a result, during the year 1964-1965, the Board considered changing the rules regarding termination and eventually decided that 30 days notice of any such action should replace the earlier 90 days period. 

Once more a government decision led to the ending of Rotary membership in another country. This time, it was the Syrian government, which in 1965 prohibited Rotary and freemasonry as international organizations from functioning in Syria. The District Governor, in 1966, had recommended patience before taking any action, but in November 1968, his successor thought that enough time had elapsed.

Thus, in January 1969 the Board agreed and membership of the four clubs in Syria was terminated immediately. The Tripoli club in Libya, which had only been admitted to RI in August 1968, experienced similar problems in 1969 and in October 1970, their charter was declared null and void. Mozambique was next in 1976 when the Beira and Lourenco Marques clubs were terminated.

Political unrest and military campaigns in South East Asia led to recommendations in November 1976 from the District Governor 330 that Rotary clubs in Laos, Khmer Republic (Cambodia) and Vietnam be terminated. The Board agreed to the termination of the membership of Phnom Penh Club in the Khmer Republic, but deferred for six months a decision on Laos and Vietnam. In late 1978, the Board reconsidered these two countries and looked at some others, declaring null and void the charters of clubs in Afghanistan (1), Burma (3), Cuba (55), Laos (1), Vietnam (7) dating from January 1979. 

Earlier, in 1976, the Board had considered the situation in Angola but their decision then had been deferred when they heard that the club in Benguela was still meeting despite reports that it had closed. As with the Asian countries, the deferred decision to be effected in January 1979 terminated membership of clubs in Ethiopia (3) and Angola (5), while the position of clubs in Cyprus, Jordan and Greece was to be evaluated for a later decision. With regard to Greece, the Board asked the President of Rotary to establish a committee or an individual to meet the Greek Orthodox Church leaders to discuss the purpose, programs and objects of Rotary. A year later Algerian clubs (6) were removed from the list and a further two years later in 1982 Iran (14) followed suit. 

Over the succeeding years, some of these countries returned to the Rotary fold. In the 2002-2003 International Directory a non-districted club was chartered, and is functioning in Angola.

Algeria, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mozambique and Tunisia are among those countries in which Rotary reappeared. Whether this was due to changes in political attitudes or to a realization that Rotary is a force for good in the world, is a matter of opinion. 

Basil Lewis Rotary Global History Fellowship 16 March 2003