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Imperialism in Malaya and East Indies (Forms of Imperialism (Colonisation…
Imperialism
in Malaya and East Indies
Policy or practice by which a country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world
Forms of Imperialism
Spheres of Influence
Protectorate
Colonisation
Country or a region governed internally be a foreign power
Direct Rule
ruled by the military or civil service from imperial power
Indirect Rule
rule through existing native rulers who cooperate
Impacts of Imperialism
Political
Changed Role of Local Ruling Elite
Before Colonisation
native rulers held absolute power over all matters
In Malaya, rulers either actively governed subjects or delegated authority to the local chiefs
After Colonisation
local rulers reduced to ceremonial head, only oversee local customs and religion
Europeans make all the decisions on country affairs
Centralised Modern Government
Before Colonisation
rulers' power depended on personal relationships
e.g. tribute system, mandalas structure
After Colonisation
new method of government more rational, impersonal, hierarchical, organised in nature
Europeans appointed governors to manage their colonies and military force to enforce their control
Political Stability
Before Colonisation
Malaya:
Larut wars in Perak over tin mining industry affected economy
Civil war in Pahang between 2 royal brothers fighting over their dad fathers' throne affected economy and caused political instability, which adversely affected the state's development
East Indies:
Padri war: civil war between religious and traditional factions, disagreeing over each others' customs
lasted 20 yrs, large scale armed conflict that caused mass casualties, and destabilised the region
After Colonisation
British Malaya:
British supported one rival in each war, and made them Sultans, ending conflict
economic and political stability in the states, peace
Dutch East Indies:
traditional faction invited the Dutch's military intervention and defeated other faction, paving the way for Dutch influence
Dutch set up administrative posts and sent advisors to rulers, ensuring permanent Dutch presence
Law and Order
Before Colonisation
unclear laws with little enforcement
flawed system of trial (e.g. suspect walks on burning coals, if feet are burnt, deemed guilty)
weapons commonly carried around
murder not punishable by death, commonly carried out over unpaid debts or for honour
After Colonisation
long period of peace
police force enforce laws
uniform system of law and justice
however
some laws favoured Europeans
many laws were in foreign language and at odds with local customs
obtaining justice was more complicated
Social
Racial and Social Tensions
Intensive Migrations
British Malaya -- Before Colonisation
small villages and population
Malay made vast majority despite the Chinese' long history in Malaya
British Malaya -- After Colonisation
Indian and Chinese migrants came to Malaya in large numbers because of lax British immigration policy which encouraged the migration of Indians and Chinese to work as labourers, coolies and rickshaw workers.
-By 1947, Chinese made up almost 40% of the entire population in Malaya which led to ethnic tensions. Malays felt like they were being alienated in their own land due to influx of foreigners
Social Stratification
British Malaya and Dutch East Indies -- After Colonisation
colonial attitude of viewing Western culture as ‘superior’ to traditional culture also led to racial and social tensions.
Europeans were mostly government officials and held jobs of high status. They had political privileges and were often wealthy.
1950s Maria Hertogh Riots
Maria renamed Nadra, raised as Muslim in Malaya
custody battle between biological and adoptive parents, British gave to biological (Dutch) parents after a second trial
British handling of the case inflamed Malay community
Dutch East Indies -- After Colonisation
Dutch regarded Chinese-Indonesians as separate and better than the indigenous natives but lesser than the Europeans
Dutch made sure to separate the Chinese and indigenous Indonesians by encouraging all of them to maintain their traditional dress and customs
separation led to distrust of Chinese by the indigenous Indonesians
Dutch belief in their racial superiority led to discrimination of the local population in many aspects of day-to-day life. For example. Europeans held the more senior positions and indigenous officials, who bore a wide variety of titles from region to region, reported to them
Dutch East Indies -- Before Colonisation
natives high on social ladder, particularly ruling class and nobles
despite long history with East Indies, Chinese were not part of social hierarchy, seen merely as traders and merchants
Economic Domination
Europeans were 0.5% of population, yet garnered 60% of taxable income
Chinese were 2% yet got 20%
Remaining 20% shared among the remaining 97% of the population, the indigenous Indonesians
In 1915, Chinese in Batavia owned about 75% of buildings and residences in the city
Chinese dominated most of the businesses
all these contributed to the social tensions
Improvements to Standards of Living
Quality of Life
British Malaya and Dutch East Indies -- Before Colonisation
Uneven Quality Of Life
ruling class owned land and seldom engaged in manual labour as they would have slaves to do those work for them
Most of the population lived in villages with basic amenities (e.g. well water, dirt track roads, simple religious schools)
No access to modern medicine. Illnesses were usually cured by traditional herbal medicine or mystical shamans (related to spirits)
main mode of transport was by river networks
After Colonisation
Clean water provided for drinking & cooking to prevent epidemics like cholera & typhoid from breaking out which could affect city.
Improved sanitation and waste removal system implemented to prevent disease outbreaks.
Development of infrastructure like roads, railways, bridges & electric trams allowed for ease of transportation within colonies
With increased income, the wealthier locals could also afford to own motor cars
Development of telegraph lines improved communications
novel: Max Havelaar: Or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company (1860) highlighted the suffering of the Javanese under the Dutch (Cultivation System)
led to increased pressure on Dutch gov to adress wrongdoings
Access to Education
Ethical Policy focused on improving lives of Dutch colonial subjects, especially in areas of education
allowed women to advocate for girls' education and development women's rights
led to development of local elites (oppurtunity to study in European schools)
success was limited due to shortage of funds
Economical
Disruption of Local Trade Networks
Before Colonisation
Malaya and East Indies were already engaging in bustling trade with other countries in the regions
After Colonisation
colonial trade focused on maximising the profits for the colonial masters
europeans sought to create monopolies by controlling trade in their own spheres of influence
led to disruption of the local trade networks as they focused on the export of cash crops and import of manufactured goods from Europeans
only the surplus of their crops were for domestic consumption
Large Scale Export Industries
Java, Dutch East Indies: Cultivation System
i really don't know how to put this in simpler terms haha
Large scale cultivation of cash crops allowed the Europeans the profits to pay for extensive railway network in the Netherlands
Standardised Monetary System
Before Colonisation
because of the extensive regional trade, currencies form across the region were allowed for use in Malaya and East Indies. Some new curencies were also minted to be used within their own empire
After Colonisation
Europeans banned other currencies from their colonies
Dutch East Indies used gulden, British Malaya used Straits Settlement dollar
Improved Communications
Before Colonisation
most transportation focused on coastal and river networks due to geography, established empires developed network of roads to connect a few important areas of their territory
After Colonisation
more railways and roads link states to another
facilitates trade, hence earns more profits
opened up new lands, growth of new villages and towns
Causes of Imperialism
Social Factors
Social Darwinism
Darwinism is a biological theory of evolution. "Survival of the Fittest" Darwin thought that only the strongest would survive, hence causing the next generation to get stronger
In the context of Imperialism, Europeans claimed that only the races most adaptable to the industrial revolution will survive. Hence, they used the reason of wanting to help other races to colonise them.
Afterwards, the Europeans admitted that this was just an excuse to colonise other countries
Economic Factors
Resources from colonised countries
Malaya and East Indies provided many natural resources for the Europeans to manufacture into finished goods during their Industrial Revolution
Colonies serve as strategic ports to facilitate trade (e.g. Singapore)
Colonies serve as new markets to sell their excess goods to
Political Factors
the number of colonies a country had was considered a measure of a country's strength and power
the more colonies a country had, the more prestige and honour
