What Aspirations Did the

People have for Singapore

after 1945?

Inquiry Question
What the
people hoped
to achieve for
Singapore

Immigrants and those

who were born in
Singapore who played
important roles in
influencing Singapores
journey towards
independence.

What aspirations did the people

have for Singapore after 1945?
19451965

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter you will learn

about:
1. The political developments in Singapore after
1945
2. Steps taken by the different political parties to
gain support from the locals
3. Explain the different aspirations of the people of
Singapore from (i) 1945 to 1959
(ii) 1959 to 1963
(iii) 1963 to 1965

How was Singapore like

during the post-war period?

Constitutional Changes
from 1946 to 1949
The British introduced constitutional
changes to increase local
Yay! I am a
involvement in the government.
local in
Singapore and
I now have an
opportunity to
get involved!

Stop!!!
Stop!!!
Whats
constitutional?
Relates to the
constitution,
which is a set of
laws used to
govern a country.

The Right to Vote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udHK
sVVkOtQ
As a student, when have you ever voted?
In current Singapore, which occasion in
which do the people vote? How do the
parties gather support from the people?

British Response?
In 1948 limited
elections were
introduced for the first
time.
Eligible locals were
allowed to vote for their
representatives in the
Legislative Council (the
body that made the laws
for Singapore).

Elections held during

1948-1959
Page 61

What are
2 key
changes
made
over the
years?

Elections held during

1948-1959
Voting was made compulsory!
The number of eligible voters
increased!

Control Over
Government
More control over government was
given to the local people.
No. of local members in the government
increased.
No. of local ministers increased.
Areas of responsibility under local control
increased. For example, by 1959, aspects
such as education, health, and finance
were controlled by elected local ministers.


No of
elected
local
members
in the
governm
ent
No of
local
ministers
Areas of
responsi

1948

1955

1959

Why did the British

introduce the changes?

External Developments:
Countries breaking away
from colonial rule

Many countries were moving away

from colonial rule (decolonisation)
and moving towards independence.
Examples of countries gaining
independence:
India from the British
Indonesia from the Dutch
Vietnam from the French

Independence of India!

External Developments:
Rise of Communism
What is a communist country like?
Classless society
All property is owned by the community.
Goods produced would be allocated to
people based on their needs.
China became a communist country in
1949.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sej2FlPMZ3
I

External Developments
British was anti-communist and feared that its
colonies such as Malaya and Singapore would
turn communist in their struggle for
independence
The British were worried that the Chinese
immigrants would be influenced by
communist ideas from China.

Internal Development
Before the Japanese
Occupation

After the Japanese

Occupation

Politically ASLEEP: the people

did not question who ruled
over them or how the
government ruled over them

Politically AWAKENED: some

people began to think about
the future of Singapore and
how they can play a more
active role in Singapores
development.

Sources 1 & 2, page 56

What did Lee Kuan Yew and Soon Kim Seng
hope to achieve for Singapore?
Why do you think they felt this way?
Do you think other people shared the
same views about Singapores political
future?

 Some locals start to form groups to push the

British colonial government for political
changes.
The British colonial government recognised
this development, as well as the influence of
the external developments. They knew they
had to give more political control to the local
people and thus, made the constitutional
changes.

Singapores Political
Journey

3-2-1 Reflection Time!

Describe 3 things that you have learnt
about the political developments in
Singapore after 1945.
Describe 2 things that you want to know
more about regarding peoples aspirations
for Singapore.
List 1 question that you have or one thing
that you are unsure regarding what you
have learnt in this lesson.