Access to knowledge and technology became a key resource during the Cold War and the process of decolonization. In this context, there were two major developments. First, privileged access to and the transfer of technology and knowledge exerted substantial influence on newly forming states. Second, the independence of former colonies was accompanied by the promise of being able to develop their own societies with the aid of technical and scientific expertise from Europe and North America. This field of research examines the transformation of colonial asymmetries and mechanisms that shaped the globally unequal distribution of knowledge and technology in the second half of the twentieth century. Starting from German and European history, we explore the epistemic and practical hierarchies in the production of knowledge and technical innovations, the legal regulation of access to knowledge and technology, as well as the impact of these inequalities on the societies of the Global South.