The Colonisation of ‘Malaysia’
AD 700–1200: Peninsula comes under the Indian empires of Srivijaya and Cola; Borneo comes under the kingdom of Po’ni.
13th-15th centuries: Islam spread to the Malay peninsula, largely through trade.
1619: Portuguese captured Malacca
Penang was annexed by the British and the Dutch colonies including Malacca were turned over to Britain in 1795 (for use in the Holland’s war against France). In 1810 Britain took control of Java and in 1819 established a base at Singapore. By 1824 the British had established control of over both India and much of Malaya.
What were the influences to Malaysia?
What did the British bring to Malaysia? What mistakes did they make? On reflection, was the British colonisation of the Malay peninsula positive or negative?
Possible Positive Legacies of British Imperialism
- Sarawak
- English language
- Place names
- Rule of law & government
- Commonwealth
- Increase in education
- Abolish the slave trade (Raffles in Singapore)
Possible Negative Legacies of British Imperialism
One of the issues when identifying the pros and cons of this issue is whether the problem was there before British imperialism. However, you can judge if the British maintained or even worsened it.
- Ethnic division
- Economic exploitation
- Loss of culture
- Imported goods such as alcohol and opium (although Chinese merchants had rice wine for centuries earlier)
‘Origins of Colonialism‘ by Tirthankar Roy
Seaborne trade lead to global empires because of the actions of merchants and environmental factors.
- The powerful English (later British) Royal Navy allowed merchants and entrepreneurs to reduce their protection costs.
- A common thesis is that the Mughal Empire fell towards the end of the 18th century. Roy disagrees.
British Colonialism: A Defence
Watch from the start to 11:00 minutes.
- How do you avoid bias?
- Why does the Left attack British history so much? Why are they not impartial?
- What did the British Empire give to its colonies? Think about legacy too.
Nigel Biggar: British Empire unfairly maligned
British Colonialism: An Attack
William Dalrymple