Was Singapores Decolonization Process Different From Its Neighbours In Southeast Asia?
According to Duara, “From a historian’s perspective, decolonization was one of the most important developments of the twentieth century because it turned the world into the stage of history. ” Therefore, it is of no surprise that much historical research has been devoted to this phenomenon; and the various nuances among the decolonization processes undergone by the various Southeast Asian countries have been of interest. For the purpose of this essay, I shall define decolonization’ as “the process whereby colonial powers transferred institutional and legal control over their territories and dependencies to indigenously based, formally sovereign, nation-states “. Singapore’s neighbours’ in Southeast Asia are namely: Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand (which shall be excluded for comparison since it was not colonized by any European power territorially), Myanmar (formerly Burma), Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, East Timor, and the Philippines. Upon close examination of the question,…… Jo
