Burma, Malaya, Singapore and Sri Lanka

Question 1

Aung San was admitted to the ruling Executive Council in Burma

Answer 1

September 1946 (breakdown of law and order preceded this)

Question 2

Aung San became the leader of the AFPFL

Answer 2

January 1946

Question 3

Attlee admitted that the British would no longer impose imperialism in Burma

Answer 3

December 1946

Question 4

Talks between Aung San and British government decided on CA elections

Answer 4

Talks in January 1947

Decided the elections would take place in April 1947

Question 5

Aung San was assassinated

Answer 5

July 1947

Question 6

Aung San was succeeded by…

Answer 6

Thakin Nu

Question 7

Burma became independent

Answer 7

January 1948

Question 8

Did Burma join the Commonwealth?

Answer 8

No :(

Question 9

Arthur Creech Jones on the importance of Malaya

Answer 9

‘By far the most important source of dollars in the Colonial Empire’ (Colonial Secretary 1948)

Question 10

Three different political parties in Malaya

Answer 10

1. United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)
2. Malay Chinese Association (MCA)
3. Malayan Communist Party (MCP)

Question 11

Series of strikes led by Chinese in Malaya

Answer 11

1945-48

Question 12

Federation of Malaya implemented

Answer 12

January 1948

Question 13

New system of government under the Federation of Malaya

Answer 13

Executive Council - headed by a British commissioner

Legislative Council - 62 members represented different Malay states

Question 14

British declared a state of emergency in Malaya

Answer 14

June 1948 - Chinese rebel attacks on rubber plantations (angry about federation)

Question 15

Who was the British leader helping native Malay forces defeat the Chinese guerrillas?

Answer 15

Field Marshal Templer

Question 16

British High Commissioner assassinated

Answer 16

October 1951

Sir Henry Gurney

Question 17

Order was restored in Malaya by…

Answer 17

1952

Question 18

Malays and Chinese united against the British

Answer 18

1952-54

Question 19

Chinese and Malays won X % of the vote in federal elections

Answer 19

81% in 1955

Question 20

Reid Commission

Answer 20

1955 in Malaya

Drew up a new constitution for independence

Question 21

Independence for Malaya

Answer 21

31 August 1957

PM Abdul Rahman

Question 22

Malaya joined with Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak to form Malaysia

Answer 22

1963

Question 23

Singapore given its own government and administration (separate to the Malayan Peninsular)

Answer 23

1947-48
6 of 25 seats on Legislative Council were elected
Only British subjects could vote (23,000 people)

Question 24

Expansion of the Singaporean government in response to growing communist insurgency

Answer 24

1953 - Enlarged the Legislative Council to 32 members with 25 elected
Electorate expanded to 300,000

Question 25

Left-wing parties emerged in Singapore

Answer 25

1955 
Labour Front (led by Lim Yew Hock) was most popular

Question 26

Lim Yew Hock took strong actions against communists

Answer 26

1956 - made British like/trust him

Question 27

British gave Singapore self-government

Answer 27

1957

Question 28

State of Singapore Constitution

Answer 28

1958 (laid out basic government structure for a self-governing Singapore)

Question 29

Reaction to joining Malaysia in Singapore

Answer 29

Race riots between Malays and Chinese

Public order collapsed

Question 30

Singapore was expelled from Malaysia

Answer 30

August 1965 - became independent in its own right

Question 31

Ceylon had a wide franchise with an elected majority since…

Answer 31

1923

Question 32

Ceylon became independent as Sri Lanka

Answer 32

4 February 1948

Very smooth process which received little international attention