4.1.4

Decolonisation in Asia

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Decolonisation in Asia

World War Two became the death knell for the British Empire, welcoming a period of rapid and often rushed decolonisation.

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Burma (now Myanmar)

  • Aung San’s Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League fought against the British in World War Two, but then switched sides before the end of the war.
  • Aung San campaigned for independence from British influence.
  • In July 1947, Aung San was assassinated by soldiers hired by the former Prime Minister of Burma, U Saw. A British Army Captain, David Vivian was then imprisoned for selling weapons to U Saw.
  • Burma was granted independence in 1948. The country fell into civil war, which has continued ever since.
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The Malay peninsula

  • Britain tried to create a ‘Malayan Union’, but the area was very divided ethnically and was divided into 11 provinces.
  • The Malay people opposed the establishment of the Malayan Union. The new union took powers from the Sultan and the United Malays National Organisation was founded. The UMNO was a new political organisation created purely to protest against the Malayan Union, which was created with little local population consultation.
  • Their campaign of civil disobedience made the British reconsider. After consulting different ethnic and racial groups in Malaya the British created the Federation of Malaya in February 1948.
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Malaysia

  • In June 1948, the Malaya Emergency saw a guerrilla war take place between Malayan Communists, the Malayan National Liberation Army, and forces from Malaya, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • In 1951, Henry Gurney (the British High Commissioner in Malaya) was assassinated by the Malayan Communist Party.
  • In 1957, Malaya was granted independence under Prime Minister Tunku Rahman.
  • In 1960, after a 12-year state of emergency and 6,710 MRLA fatalities, the state of emergency and guerrilla war ended.
  • In 1963, the country was renamed Malaysia.
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Singapore

  • Singapore is an island south of Malaysia that is 50km wide.
  • In 1945, the British recaptured Singapore from the Japanese.
  • In 1947, a Legislative Council with members elected by the Singaporean people was created.
  • Lim Yew Hock's strong opposition to communist insurgents in Singapore helped him earn full self-government in 1958.
  • In 1963, as part of the creation of Malaysia, Singapore joined Malaya.
  • Ethnic tensions between the Chinese and Malayan population of Singapore led to Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia in 1965.
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The rise of Singapore

  • In 1965, Singapore was a new country, 50km wide and 27km tall, with no freshwater supplies and a diverse ethnic population.
  • Lee Kuan Yew was the Singaporean Prime Minister from 1959 and 1990. Lee is often cited as one of the only examples in history of a 'benevolent dictator'. His rule was authoritarian, mandating people to move from farms into apartments in cities, and enforcing policies very strictly. Lee tried to stamp out corruption in Singapore.
  • In 2020, Singapore's GDP per capita was $65,000 relative to $11,000 in Malaysia.

Jump to other topics

1High Water Mark of the British Empire, 1857-1914

2Imperial Consolidation & Liberal Rule, 1890-1914

3Imperialism Challenged, 1914-1967

4The Wind of Change, 1947-1967

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