Burma, Malaya, Singapore and Sri Lanka Flashcards
Aung San was admitted to the ruling Executive Council in Burma
September 1946 (breakdown of law and order preceded this)
Aung San became the leader of the AFPFL
January 1946
Attlee admitted that the British would no longer impose imperialism in Burma
December 1946
Talks between Aung San and British government decided on CA elections
Talks in January 1947
Decided the elections would take place in April 1947
Aung San was assassinated
July 1947
Aung San was succeeded by…
Thakin Nu
Burma became independent
January 1948
Did Burma join the Commonwealth?
No :(
Arthur Creech Jones on the importance of Malaya
‘By far the most important source of dollars in the Colonial Empire’ (Colonial Secretary 1948)
Three different political parties in Malaya
- United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)
- Malay Chinese Association (MCA)
- Malayan Communist Party (MCP)
Series of strikes led by Chinese in Malaya
1945-48
Federation of Malaya implemented
January 1948
New system of government under the Federation of Malaya
Executive Council - headed by a British commissioner
Legislative Council - 62 members represented different Malay states
British declared a state of emergency in Malaya
June 1948 - Chinese rebel attacks on rubber plantations (angry about federation)
Who was the British leader helping native Malay forces defeat the Chinese guerrillas?
Field Marshal Templer
British High Commissioner assassinated
October 1951
Sir Henry Gurney
Order was restored in Malaya by…
1952
Malays and Chinese united against the British
1952-54
Chinese and Malays won X % of the vote in federal elections
81% in 1955
Reid Commission
1955 in Malaya
Drew up a new constitution for independence
Independence for Malaya
31 August 1957
PM Abdul Rahman
Malaya joined with Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak to form Malaysia
1963
Singapore given its own government and administration (separate to the Malayan Peninsular)
1947-48
6 of 25 seats on Legislative Council were elected
Only British subjects could vote (23,000 people)
Expansion of the Singaporean government in response to growing communist insurgency
1953 - Enlarged the Legislative Council to 32 members with 25 elected
Electorate expanded to 300,000
Left-wing parties emerged in Singapore
1955 Labour Front (led by Lim Yew Hock) was most popular
Lim Yew Hock took strong actions against communists
1956 - made British like/trust him
British gave Singapore self-government
1957
State of Singapore Constitution
1958 (laid out basic government structure for a self-governing Singapore)
Reaction to joining Malaysia in Singapore
Race riots between Malays and Chinese
Public order collapsed
Singapore was expelled from Malaysia
August 1965 - became independent in its own right
Ceylon had a wide franchise with an elected majority since…
1923
Ceylon became independent as Sri Lanka
4 February 1948
Very smooth process which received little international attention
