Q1: What factors led to the independence of former European colonies in Southeast

Asia after the Second World War?

Introduction
The ideology of independence was adopted by several countries in the South-East
Asia Region during the post-World War. The ideas of gaining back the sovereignty of
its own countries without the ruling of any big power. The idea of gaining
independence from the colonized state mean of being decolonized from the eye of the
European colonise. Historian of the European empire had often tended to assume we
all know what decolonized mean, and how does it work out1. However, the challenges
of getting decolonized was not as easy as signing an agreement with the colonized
country. It often voices down to the loses of benefits from the European empire and
the ability of the states gaining back indecencies to build up their homeland after the
World War. Base on history, there were multiple decolonization, taking place at a
different time and it further proved that not all the process to gain independence was
that simple after all.
In 1950, the Dutch had agreed to hand over the state of Indonesia to the government,
Cambodia itself freed from the French in the 1953. The state of Malaya was
decolonized during the 1957 and subsequent Singapore freed itself in 1959. In a
unique case, Korea emerge as two independent countries in the 1948 when attempt
was made to unify the two countries in the early days.
On the other hand, Vietnam had gone through a hard-fought war to gain separation
from the ruling of the Dutch after WWII. Vietnam was led by the leadership of Ho Chi
Minh in the 1945, having to fight against the colonized of the French. The defeat of the
French had spark the interest from the United State to prevent the spread of
communist in the countries and the domino effect down to the South-east Asia.
Thereafter Vietnam had fight the American for another two centuries.
Factors led to British to Decolonize.
Before we consider what led to the independence in the south-east Asia region, we
are to understand what led to the agreement from the European empires to break
away from the colonise.
In the early twenties century, we have seen a break out of World War I and World War
II which strongly affect the global economy. It can be argue that the financial strain of
fight on the Second World War had further worsen the economy of the British and as
a result, the ability to main as a dominance European empire had cause the adoption
for decolonisation. Before the outbreak of war, The British Empire had been benefitting
economically from their colonies in term of the low tariff on trade between countries.
However, the first world war took place in the European countries with a lot of fighting

1
Shepard, 2002. Decolonizing Situations: The Rise, Fall and Rise of Colonial Studies, 19512001, French
Politics, Culture and Society 20, no. 2 (2002): 4776; Cooper, Possibility and Constraint: African Independence
in Historical Perspective, Journal of African History 49, no. 2 (2008): 167196
and bombing raids in the region. Resources in the Europe was heavily expended to
support the long-lasting wars with the German military. Its had cause a devastating
disaster in both losses of life and economy in the Europe. Subsequently the stage of
World War II took place in the Asia region which are mainly belong to the colonized
countries from the western. The need for resources to fight against the Japanese
occupation have further stretch the European empire. With the facts of the Europe
countries are still in the nurture phase of rebuilding of their own infrastructure and
economy. It can be argued that the Europe does not have the ability to afford to fulfil
all the requirement of resources to the fight in Second War World. This was in contrast
of the ideology of the colonizing the countries in the South-east Asia.2 The ideology of
colonizing is to exploit the existing resources from the colonized country and shipped
it back to their host countries for economy purposes. Countries like Malaysia had a
vast amount of Tin and oil palm in the country and throughout the ruling of the British
empire, the resources had been a key factor for the trade with other countries.
However, to colonize countries, the host countries had to fund in mass amount of
money to build up the ports and military bases for the defence of the invasion from
other colonized countries
The shift in the Great Power had also contribute to the act of decolonization from the
European Empire. The weaken on europe empire had allow the US to overtake them
as the Great Power. Post- World War had led the British empire to be in great debt
and are greatly economically dependence on its ally United State. The reason for US
not being driven by the ideology of colonized is to prevent from provoking their rivarly
like the Soviet Union or China from colonizing new territory. Since the influence from
the US after the post war, the Great Britian had follow this ideology.
Another key factor that lead to the fall of the colonial would be the negative influence
from the ruling of the westerner. The negative effect led to the arousing from the
colonial country determined to overthrow colonial rule. The following example provide
evidence in support to the negative influence of the western colonial. The westerner
is known to have exploited the natural resources from the locals. They are having
internally fights against the native in the colony. The rise of nationalism had threatened
the European empire to consider handling back the state to their countries. It will be
further discussed in the subsequent point from the view of the colonies.
Factor led to Nationalism
In the early twenties, the ideology of break free from the colonized countries can be
seen through the state in Asian Countries. The factors which lead to the fall of the
colonized countries could be stated back to the time of WWI where Hitlers Nazi trying
to conquer Europe. However, some historic researcher argued that the fall of colonized
countries started when the Japanese invade Asia and occupied all the small nation in
the South-east Asia region. The decolonized began after the defeat of the Japan by

2
Bennett, G. (1968). Decolonization - Colonial Development and Good Government. A Study of the Ideas Expressed by the
British Official Classes in Planning Decolonization, 19391964. By Lee J. M.. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967. Pp. vii 311,
diagrams. 45s. The Journal of African History, 9(2),
the allied forces in August 1945. Through the research the process of the
decolonization lasted over a decade after the japan occupation.
The rise of Nationalism occurred during the time from 1940s through the 1960s
whereby communism dominate the study of policies in South East Asia. a (Emerson,
Mills and Thompson 1942; Trager 1959; Brimmell 1959; Emerson 1960). The
struggles to gain independence took place in Burma, Indo China, specifically
Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaya/Malaysia in the south-east Asia Region.
After the Second World War, the South-East Asia less Thailand was all under colonial
rule. Throughout these period, Nationalist movement had started to rise against the
colonized empire and had been brewing among the new native elites in the colonies.
The rise of the movement in the South-east Asia region are strongly affected by the
capitalist development and education system brought by the European.3The emerging
natives elites is greatly influence by the western ideology of liberty, socialism and
democracy. However, the frustration on the European being racism, capitalising on
exploitation and oppression contributed to the main factors for the rise of nationalism.
Furthermore, the development from Japan, China, Korea had influence over the native
elites thinking during the integration into global network centred in European. Evidence
had show that nationalism was born in South East Asia as elites required new national
identities and demand separation from the ruling of colonial parties. Even though the
new identities mean there are many process and obstacles to get through it, the
natives elites could still motivate the colonized people during and after the second
World War in their struggles for national independence.
However, Philippines does not gain independence from the separation from their ruling
colonial instead through a peaceful agreement with the United State. In Philippines,
the revolution of 1989 was seen to be the first Nationalism movement against the ruling
of the Spain and subsequently with the US. The ideology behind the movement from
the Philippines was due to the enlightenment believe in freedom, individuality and
citizenship brought back to Philippine from the European. However, it was argue that
the Revolution 1989 was merely a pre-national-resistance and was being thrown back
by the Spanish and US. It was then until the year of 1946 after the second World War,
with the enlightenment by the US commitment to construct an open world economy
while promoting state-mediated national development as part of its wider effort to
contain the USSR and its allies,4 Philippines was grant independent.
Unlike Philippines, Indonesia was not granted immediate independence after the
second World War. Before that, there was already a widespread of independence
movement in the Dutch East indies. Leaders, such as Sutan Sjahrir, Mohammad Hatta
and Sukarno, played a big role in advocating Indonesia's independence.5 After the

3
Craig Calhoun, (1993). Nationalism and Ethnicity, Anmd Review of,SocioZogy, Volume 19 (1993), 211-239.
4
G.F.Kennan Review of Current Trends, U.S. Foreign Policy PPS/23 (Top Secret) in Department of State,
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, Washington, 58 THE MODERNIZATION PROJECT DC: Government
Printing Office, 1976, pp. 50929. Cited in W.I.Robinson, Promoting Polyarchy: Globalization, US Intervention
and Hegemony, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, p. 1
5
Roff, W. R., (1967), The Origins of Malay Nationalism. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Java Sea Battle, the Japanese won the war, and many Dutch men were taken into
forced labour. The Dutch government attempted to restore its administration after the
battle but it failed. The main factor led to Indonesian to Nationalism is the Indonesians
seek for unity in their country to fight the colonizers (Dutch) that are getting their natural
products to improve their own economy. Indonesians didnt like the Dutch to have a
better economy than they do. The Indonesians also thought that there might be a
possibility that the Dutch will conquer their lands so they formed groups that are
against them. the Dutch penetrated the Javanese society more deeply and they
expanded their control to other regions. The Dutch annexed large areas of central
Java and enforced the Culture System on the Indonesians which was very unfair to
the peasants 6
In Vietnam, the rise of Nationalism came by the influence under leadership of Ho chi
Min with the founding of the Vietnams Communist Party. Throughout the colonisation
period, a desire for nationalism simmered under the surface. Seething nationalist
aspiration often erupted into open defiance of the French. This range from the
publishing of patriotic periodicals to a dramatic attempt to poison the French garrison
in Hanoi. The reason behind these movement voice down to the hardship from the
Vietnamese suffered under the ruling of the French. Evidence had shown that the
inequalities of wealth created through their administration and taxation system. The
French had also disrupted the traditional economy and often forcing the native into
inhuman condition on rubber and another plantation. They have also introduced
Opium which affect most of the people in Vietnam during the colonize period over the
country.
In contrast, the independence of Malaya was not through the influence of nationalism.
Malaya was granted after several negotiations were among Malaysians led by Tengku
Abdul Rahman and the British. In that day, Tunku Abdul Rahman proudly declared the
independence of Malaya (now Malaysia) by shouting out "merdeka" seven times at
the merdeka stadium. A peaceful independence achieved by holding talks with the
British. No other country has ever done that before Malaysia. Additionally, the
Malaysian independence was realised by three people with different culture and
religion7
Conclusion
In conclusion, the factors which led to the independence in South East Asia are partly
cause by the two World War which strained on the economy on the colonial empire
and the rise in the nationalism in the region. The shift of the Great Power to US after
the World War had also affect the European country to let go of their colonised Even
though the British, French, Dutch and America had tried to recolonize the countries in
South-east Asia Region. It was arguing that the rise of the ideology of Nationalism in
the colonized countries lead to the agreement of decolonization. Inequalities treatment

6
Benedict R. O'G. Anderson. (1999). Indonesian Nationalism Today and in the
Future. Indonesia, (67), 1-11. doi:10.2307/3351374
7
Essays, UK. (November 2013). Road Of The Independent Malaysia History Essay. Retrieved from
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/road-of-the-independent-malaysia-history-essay.php?cref=1
from the colonial had urges the native elites to adopt the ideology of nationalism in the
country in order to gain back their sovereignty and national identities.