Publication Date:
1974-03-01
Description:
British rule in the Malay peninsula and the island at its southern tip—Singapore—took a new form after the defeat of the Japanese in 1945. Previously Singapore had been only part of the Straits Settlements which also included Penang and Malacca. In 1946 Britain chose to run Singapore separately as a Crown Colony and grouped the mainland Malay states and British settlements into what was first a Malayan Union and later, from 1948, the Federation of Malaya. In so doing, the seeds were laid for what was to be the independent nation of Malaya in 1957. At that time the White Paper explained:A stage has now been reached when the system of government should be simplified and reformed. International relations as well as security and other interests of the British Commonwealth require that Malaya should be able to exercise an influence as a united and enlightened country appropriate to her economic and strategic importance.
Print ISSN:
0022-4634
Electronic ISSN:
1474-0680
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Political Science
