History Of Singapore Ancient Times Founding Of Modern Singapore

During the 14th century, Singapore was known as Temasek, a port and fortified city of some importance. It was part of the Sri Vijaya Empire, based in Sumatra, which was then undergoing a protracted period of decline. While the written historical records of the Malays (the "Sejarah Melayu", or Malay Annals) tend to exaggerate claims of the city's greatness, recent archaeological evidence does point to an urban settlement and trading centre of some importance.

Following the decline of Sri Vijayan power, Temasek was claimed by rival emerging regional powers such as the Majapahit Empire in Java and the Ayuthia Kingdom in Siam. The city's fortifications allowed it to withstand at least one attempted Siamese invasion. Around this time, at start of the 15th century, Temasek was renamed "Singapura", which means "Lion City" in Sanskrit.

2 Founding of modern Singapore

The modern city of Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles as a British trading settlement. At the time, the British were engaged in a fierce trade competition with the Dutch EmpireThis article is about the Dutch United Provinces. There was also a nation called the United Provinces of Central America. The United Provinces Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden/Provincien Republic of the Seven United Netherlands/Provinces — 1581 1, who controlled many ports in the Malay archipelagoThe Malay archipelago refers to the Malay sphere of influence, covering not just the archipelago of modern-day Indonesia, but also the Malay Peninsula, all of Borneo (incl. Brunei), the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and East Timor as well. The area was fo and had a monopoly over the Spice IslandsThe term Spice Islands is most commonly used to refer to the Maluku Islands (formerly the Moluccas , which lie on the equator, between the Celebes and the New Guinea islands (see: map of southeast Asia), though it has also been used in reference to other. The Dutch prohibited the British from trading in their ports, with the exception of BataviaBatavia is a Latin name used for the Netherlands, derived from the Batavii tribe. See also Batavian Republic. Batavia is also the Latin name of the German city Passau. Batavia was the name of the settlement by the Dutch East India Company at Java island., where unfavourable prices were set at the expense of the British. Apart from the spice trade, the British were in need of a base in the Malay archipelago to support the profitable opiumOpium is a narcotic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum . To harvest opium, the skin of the ripening pods is scored by a sharp blade. The slashes exude a white, milky latex, trade between ChinaThis article is on the geographic and cultural entity. For other meanings, see China (disambiguation). China ( Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , Hanyu Pinyin: Zhongguo, Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo) is a country in continental East Asia with some oute and British IndiaCompany Rule, 1757-1857 Expansion and territory It was not until the middle of the 19th century that almost all of the territory that now constitutes Bangladesh, India and Pakistan came under the rule of the British East India Company. The patterns of ter. Their existing ports were insufficient - PenangPeninsular Malaysia Penang (in Malay Pulau Pinang is an island of 113 sq. miles (293 sq. on the north-west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is also the name of one of the states of Malaysia (state capital: George Town), which consists of the island and a, for example, was too far away from the Straits of Malacca, the vital ship passageway for the India-China trade, while Bencoolen faced the Sunda Straits, a much less important route. Many other sites were either Dutch-controlled or had other problems. By contrast, Singapore lay at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, near the Straits of Malacca. It possessed a deep harbour, and held fresh water supplies and wood for repairing ships. Even today, Singapore's various advantages make it one of the busiest ports in the world.

The main obstacle to claiming Singapore as a British port was that it was under the control of the Sultan of Johore, who was backed by the Dutch and would not cede the island to the British. However, it came to the attention of Raffles through the Temenggong (governor) of Singapore that the current Sultan, Tengku Abdul Rahman , was Sultan only because his older brother, Tengku Hussein , had been away getting married in Penang when their father died. Raffles offered to recognise Hussein as the rightful Sultan and to provide him with a yearly payment, in return for the right to establish a trading post on Singapore. This was ratified with a formal treaty signed on 6 February, 1819. A subsequent convention, signed on 7 June 1823, extended British possession to the entire island, save for the residences of the Sultan and Temenggong. The latter ceded their rights to collection of port taxes and numerous other functions on the island, in return for a lifetime monthly payment of 1500 dollars and 800 dollars to the Sultan and the Temenggong respectively. The island thus came under British law, with the proviso that it would take into account Malay customs, traditions and religion, "where they shall not be contrary to reason, justice or humanity." In 1824, the authorities of the British East India Company in Calcutta recognised Singapore as a permanent and sovereign possession, administered as part of the Straits Settlements.

3 Early growth

The new colony was an overnight success, doubling in size almost every year. It quickly became a center not merely for the India-China trade, but also the long-established entrepot trade of Southeast Asia. This was due in large part to Raffles' decision, made from the outset, that Singapore would be a free port, a status that it retains to the present day. Malays, Bugis, Chinese, Indians and Arabs flocked to the island from all over the region, many ending up as permanent settlers. By 1823, Singapore had surpassed Penang as a trade center.

As commerce skyrocketed, so did crime. Secret societies and narcotics such as opium became widespread, especially with the influx of coolies. Historians generally blame these problems on British insensitivity and the treatment of immigrants as second-class. Attempts were made to suppress the secret societies by banning them, improving the police force, and appointing people to the police force who were sensitive to the culture of the members of such secret societies. These had partial success in reducing crime. Housing, health and living standard problems continued right up to the post war era.

As the port became busier, a need was felt to establish Singapore as a Crown Colony, receiving orders directly from the Colonial Office, rather than a part of the governing structure under the British East India Company. This was due in large part to the immense bureaucracy and red tape under the East India Company, which made it difficult to pass new laws. Singapore was established as a Crown Colony in 1867.

4 The Battle of Singapore

Main article: Battle of Singapore

During World War II, Japan declared war against the Allies on December 7, 1941. The Japanese launched a three-pronged attack, one of which was Southeast Asia, whose natural resources could be used to support the war in China.

At the time, Singapore was considered the "impregnable fortress" of Southeast Asia. It was heavily defended to the south by naval artillery at Fort Siloso , Fort Canning and Labrador, while the dense Malayan jungle provided a natural barrier to the north. British complacency appears to have led to a great underestimation of the Japanese forces, and their defences were rather uncoordinated.

On 8 December, 1941, Japanese forces landed at Kota Bahru in northern Malaya. Two "unsinkable" warships sent to the defence of Singapore, the Prince of Wales and the Repulse, were sunk just two days after the start of the invasion, because British air support did not arrive on time to protect them from attacking Japanese planes. The British had no tanks, which were considered useless in the jungle, and their infantry proved powerless against the light tanks used by the Japanese as they advanced southward. By January 31, 1942, a mere 55 days after the start of the invasion, the Japanese had conquered the whole of peninsular Malaya, and were poised to attack Singapore.

The causeway linking Johore and Singapore was blown up in an effort to stop the Japanese. However, the Japanese crossed the Strait of Johor in inflatable boats days after, before proceeding to finish the coup de grace and take control of Singapore. Several heroic fights by volunteers of Singapore's population against the Japanese took place during this period, such as the Battle of Pasir Panjang. It is a common misconception that Singapore's naval guns could not fire upon the Japanese because they could only face south. This was not true; the guns could turn to the north, and they did in fact fire upon the advancing Japanese columns. However, the naval guns were designed to pierce hull armour, not take out infantry, and thus proved ineffective. Shortage of supplies led to a surrender on 15 February 1942. (Singapore now commemorates 15 February as Total Defence Day .)

The Japanese occupation is generally regarded as the darkest period of Singaporean history. Even though the Japanese had declared that they were liberating Southeast Asia from colonialism, they were far harsher rulers than the British had ever been. Numerous war atrocities were committed by Japanese troops, including rapes and massacres. The Sook Ching Massacre of ethnic Chinese, including civilians who had donated to charities to aid the war effort in China, claimed between 25,000 and 50,000 lives.

5 Post-war Era

After Japan surrendered to the Allies in August 1945, there was a state of anomie in Singapore as the British had not arrived to take control, while the Japanese occupiers had a considerably weakened hold over the populace. Incidents of looting and revenge-killing were widespread. Singapore was finally returned to British administration in September 1945, with great fanfare and celebration. However, the failure of the British to defend Singapore had weakened their credibility among the local populace, and anti-colonialist sentiments were further inflamed by large-scale unemployment and housing problems.

Self-government was introduced gradually in 1948, 1955 and finally 1959 as Britain was ready to give up its colonies. Leftist and Marxist movements were widespread during this period, and British government, fearing a communist takeover, declared a State of Emergency in Malaya from 1948 to 1960. It was this fear that discouraged Britain from giving Singapore full independence.

In 1963, London agrees to hand over Singapore Sabah and Sarawak to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It was thought to be the solution to resolve unemployment, a stagnating economy and the security threats posed by revolutionary elements in the period by forming a new nation where no trade taxes would be imposed between them, thus a market would open up, solving economic and unemployment woes. However, differences in policy, such as the relationship between the states and the federal government, bumiputra policy (special rights given to the Malays) and the racial tension and racial riots led to expulsion and independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965.

6 Post-independence

The dismal state of the country led to the infamous world conclusion that "Singapore would never make it". On the contrary, economic reform and implementation of industrial infrastructure, especially in Jurong, led to an economic stimulation which saved Singapore from economic doom. In order to resolve racial tension, a policy to create national identity through education in schools and flag raising and lowering ceremonies was implemented. Further economic success continued through the 1980's onwards.

Singapore has thus become one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe. During the early years, it was led by prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, whose policies were responsible for Singapore's prosperity and development. In 1990, Lee Kuan Yew passed the reins to successor Goh Chok Tong, who saw the country through some of its most serious postwar crises, including the 1997 Asian economic crisis and SARS in 2003. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister of Singapore.

7 External link

http://www.sg/explore/history.htm

Singapore

<Hide>

Home > History of Singapore

1 Ancient times