SSA2211 Lecture 6 End of Empire

8/3/2019 SSA2211 Lecture 6 End of Empire

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Lecture 06

End of Empire

Turning Point or Continuity?


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Introduction

Turning point of Singapores history:

- National awakening

- Decolonisation and independence

- Singapore as a modern Nation-State Speed bump in a continuous 700 year story:

- Empire declined, Singapore grew

- Aspiring Nation-State and Global City grewsimultaneously

Evolution of a Global City-State


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Scope

Declining Empire:- Increasingly strategic Singapore- Gathering ingredients for a Malayan nation

Examining WW2 and its effects:- Dramatic and disruptive for UK and Malay World- Dramatic but not disruptive for Singapore, an

accidental creation of 1965 that continued a700-year old story

Exceptional Singapore: Major global trends notas decisive as counter-trends, regional politicsand local factors


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Slow Decline of British Empire

Military:

- From 2-power standard to alliances

- From superpower to dependent power

Bulk of empire lost

Economic:

- Rise of USA

- Rise of Germany

- Cost of two world wars


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Military

Empire kept acquiring colonies even after WW2- Administrative and political costs of empire- Military resources spread too thin

2-power naval standard since early 1800s- Russian threat contained by Anglo-JapaneseAlliance (1902)

- Rise of USA and Japan: Britanniano longerruled the waves

- Germany: Exposed overstretched empire- Cold War: UK junior partner to USA vs USSR


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Rise of Russia:

Eastern

Mediterranean

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Central Asia:The Great Game

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=333041
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=333041http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=333041http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=333041http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=333041http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=333041http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=333041


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East Asia

Hong Kong


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19th Century Anglo-Russian Rivalry

Russia replaces France as main British rival in the world

- Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia, East Asia

British Empire defence strategy: Concentrate ships todestroy enemys main fleet. In the meantime, colonies

might come under attack- Russian Far East fleet can hit-and-run

Local and imperial defence: Convergent interests,divergent priorities

Russian threat ended by Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)- From 2-power standard to Anglo-Japanese Alliance

(1902)


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Fort Canning:Internal Security

Too far inlandto defend harbour

Fort built afterIndian Mutiny of1857

European refuge- Chinese SecretSociety riots

Artillery aimedat Chinatown!


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Forts and Coastal Artillery:first Serious Local Defence


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Rise of USA & Japan

Monroe Doctrine: US to stop Europeans fromacquiring any new colonies in North & SouthAmerica

US expansion across the Pacific- Acquired Philippines in 1898-99

Rise of Japan as a British ally contained Russia,antagonized USA:

- US brokered Russo-Japanese peace, favouringRussia

- War Plan Orange-Red


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Effects on Singapore

British (esp. Australia and NZ) fear Japanopportunistic

- US Great White Fleet (1907-08) sail

across Pacific.- Japan planned to fight US or Russia, notBritish. US planned defensive PacificOcean strategy.

- Both helped Britain defeat Germany(WWI)British power waning, Singapores

security increased


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Rise of Imperial Germany

3 Lightning victorious wars in 7 years (1863-70):Prussia beat Denmark, Austria and France

United Germany (1871) strongest and mostdynamic power on European Continent

Bismarcks Emperors League and TripleAlliance. Britain had no firm major Western ally

Kaiser Wilhelm II and Weltpolitik: Fleet tochallenge Royal Navy (RN)

German colonialism look menacing. NewGuinea & Pacific islands, Shantung (China), SWand SE Africa


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World War One

Britain withdrew all major forces to Europe- German commerce raiding: The Emdenattacked

Penang but bypassed Singapore- The Indian Mutiny (Singapore 1915): Only regular army

unit in Singapore rampaged through town killing policeand white men. Europeans evacuated to ships- British authorities helpless! S.O.S. all allied ships and

armed Japanese community. Johor Sultan sent help Europe: France, Japan, Russia, China and US

supported Britain. Germany and allies defeated. Britainand allies acquired many German colonies Europe devastated, Britain exhausted, Singapore

prospered tremendously from war supply roles


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Economic

Rise of USA:- Monroe Doctrine- Overtook British Economy @1900

- Industrial Fordism Rise of Germany:- Second Industrial Revolution- Overtook Britain as top European industrial

economy (1880s) British Empire: Visible to Invisible economyIndustrial stagnation and decay


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Singapores Pre-WW2Economic Growth

Singapore growing despite British decline:- US motorcar industry and rubber boom: Servicing world,

not just empire demands- War supplies for WW1

- Coaling station/depot, communications, financial, retail,opium and beer production, educational hub- Later military, air travel and recreational (e.g. 3 Worlds

and Haw Par Villa), oil storage hub Infrastructure: Rail, roads, power plants, Causeway, New

Harbour (Keppel Harbour), hotels, SIT flats, ChineseProtectorate (police) brought Secret Societies undercontrol

Singapore more developed, safer and richer than ever!


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Between the Wars

1921 Washington Naval Conference: US force Britishand Japanese to limit navies

- US Navy equal with RN. 5:5:3 ratio- British worst off: Anglo-Japanese Alliance terminated.

One-Ocean Navy with Two-Ocean responsibilities Sembawang Naval Base (1923-), Gibraltar of the East- RN in Sembawang, RAF in Changi, Tengah and Seletar,

Army around Pasir Panjang- Military spending = 20-25% of Singapores GDP

The Great Depression and rise of Fascism in Italy,Germany and Japan

British, French and Dutch increasingly under pressure.USA isolationist, USSRs position unclear


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POINTERMalayan Campaign Monograph


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Pacific War Dec 1941

German success in Mediterranean: Australianforces and RN trapped in Europe and Africa

US sanctions against Japan:- Leave China or else- June 1941: Japan decides on war US Fleet devastated at Pearl Harbour Singapore: Japans priority target in SE Asia

Britain sends scraps. Malaya and Singapore fallsin 70 days! Singapores fate sealed by global trends. Local

weakness direct result of global trends


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Lessons of WW2

3 years hell on earth for Singapore

Traditional story: Rise of nationalconsciousness- We must defend ourselves!

Suspicious minds- Singapore won the war!

- Not local effort but overwhelming force on ourside. Allies far stronger than Axis

- Only a few elite developed nationalconsciousness: Malayan, not Singaporeannationalism


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Dramatic,Not Disruptive

Continued growth of a strategic place into aregional and global hub. WW2= speed bump

Limited contribution to nationhood:

- Pre-war Malayan culture: Language, food,clothing, popular culture

- Permanent settlers

- Legislative Councils- Post-war educated elite and rise of Malayan

nationalism


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Post-war Global Trends

Colonial empires dissolving:

- Strategic hubs exceptions: Gibraltar, Falklands,HK, Singapore

Rise of nationalism: Singaporean Nationalismonly after 1965

Rise of communism:

- Malaya: Failed but accelerated independence- Singapore: Delayed independence. British

reluctant to hand over power


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Britains Grand Design

The Malaysia Plan: Britains exit strategy- Leave friends in charge- Pro-British parties in Singapore unpopular. Communist-

inspired leftists would not allow UK to keep military base

- Support for Merger: Overcome UK reluctance to leave Revival of Malay political power in Malaya (1957).

Singapores 1 million Chinese a threat UK convinced Malaya- Leftist in Singapore might capture power. Become a

Cuba on Malayas doorstep- Borneo territories sweeten deal Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963


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Old Pattern in Reverse?

Independent Temasek

Under Melaka and Johor Sultanates

British Colony Rejoin resurgent Malay World

Independent Singapore


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Shed Vulnerability of aStrategic Place?

Singapore feared loss of strategicness as

British withdraw

Plan: Rejoin Malay World and become

Malaysias New York- A staple port with an exclusive hinterland

- Import-substitution and a common market

- Protected by Malaysian resilience and status* An upgraded version of Johor Sultanate model?


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Separation 9 Aug 1965

Regional politics and local policies dominated:

- Incompatibility of two ruling parties/leaders

- Political domination vs economic domination

Racial riots Global power could not prevail:

Singapore, the accidental nation-state is born!

- The last thing anybody wanted

- An independent strategic place trapped betweentwo hostile neighbours: Temasek II?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41ND3U_9HgQ&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41ND3U_9HgQ&feature=related


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Staring Disaster in the Face

Malaysia and Indonesia (Konfrontasi)hostile

- Economic competition expected to replace

compatibility- Long-term security problems

Early British Military Withdrawal

Announced in 1968- Infant SAF

Terminal decline: Palembang, Melaka?


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The Classic Singapore Story

You know the outcome, we made it!

Rapid industrialization: From Third Worldto First

A formidable Singapore Armed Forces(SAF)

From strategic place to home: Nation-building

End of Empire necessary but not sufficient
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyuXN8ZVQ-Uhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyuXN8ZVQ-U


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The Singapore Story inthe Longue Duree

- Not enough resources or market-size tosurvive. Dependent on middleman rolescreated by KBEs/WBEs

- Too small to prevail against unfavourablebalance of power. Diplomacy

Needs to be cosmopolitan Global City to

survive

End of Empire merely a speed bump


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Issues

Is the End of Empire and the emergenceof present-day Singapore another episodein a long 700-year story?

Is it a new one independent of it?

Which version for transmitting lessons?

Which version for building identity?


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Looking Ahead

Uses of History:

- Lessons from the past

- Building a shared identity Exceptions to the rule:

- Counter-trends: Only aspiring global-city

that is also an aspiring nation-state- Need to find a way to accommodate both
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbLaFBDnxrc&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbLaFBDnxrc&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbLaFBDnxrc&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbLaFBDnxrc&feature=related


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Conclusion

Decline and end of Empire did not lead todecline or end of Singapores role as a regionalhub and potential as a Global City

- Counter-trend within trend

It allowed for but did not create Singapore, theaspiring Nation-State

- Malayan vs Singaporean identity

- Post-1965 developments A dramatic but not disruptive episode in either

storyline


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Documents

SSA2211 Lecture 6 End of Empire