The Impact of Imperialism in Malaysia
Introduction
Conclusion
- Malaysia was once a colonized land and was known as Malaya.
- One of the Commonwealth countries.
- Malaysia was under British powers for approximately 446 years (from 1511 until 1957)
1. Portuguese: 1511-1641
2. Dutch: 1641-1824
3. British: 1824-1942, 1945-1957
4. Siamese: 1821-1909
5. Japanese: 1942-1945
- British came to Malaya for many different reasons.
Impact of British Imperialism on Malaya’s Society
- British brought in workers from China and India to work for them.
- In 1870, rubber trees were introduced to Malaya to be planted and exported later on. British brought in workers from India to work in the rubber estates.
- Chinese workers, they mostly worked in mines mining tin.
- Malays were mostly involved in small-scale agriculture, personal and government service, fishing and handicrafts.
- Four types of schools when Malaya was still under British colonization.
- Positive impact of British Imperialism on Malayan economy was:
1. the infrastructures such as roads, railways and harbour were developed more efficiently and cheaply as a result of the Federated Malay States (Smaller states combined into larger administrative units and ruled under a single person).
2. The Johore-Singapore Causeway which connects Malaya and Singapore was completed in 1922.
3. New cities were built due to mining such as Kuala Lumpur, Ampang, Taiping and Ipoh.
4. In addition, British also develop mining, plantation and trading industry.
1. A horrible depletion of natural resources in Malaya because the British took the resources and exported them out and left not much for the locals anymore.
- Despite the negative effects had brought bad impact to the country, it was also one of the things that have strengthened the country. It had provided an acceleration of development for the country.
- The impact of British imperialism can still be felt today from the use of English as the language of commerce to its on and off use as the language of instruction in schools.
- Like Britain, Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy.
- Both Malaysia and Britain have three branches of government.
- The laws that govern Malaysia are based on the British common law system and several Acts in the Malaysian constitution they are based on similar Acts in the British legal system.
- In order to develop trade within Malaysia, the British developed infrastructure like roads and railways that helped facilitated the trade of tin and rubber.
- They also developed the agriculture industry and turned what was once subsistence farming into commercial farming.
- Lastly, Malaysia owes its ethnic diversity to the British.
Impact of British Imperialism on Malaya’s Politics
- Malayans retained their equal citizenship.
- Freedom and basic human rights were not encouraged in Malaya.
- The dominance of communal parties such as UMNO established under British sponsorship in 1949, and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) created in 1946.
- Malay and Chinese leaders accepted, a multi-racial basis for Malaysia's independence.
- The rise of communism, and an authoritarian regime to combat communist subversion and influence, ethnic urbanization and polarization.
Impact of British Imperialism on Malaya’s Economy
- Malaya has been known as Suvarnabhumi.
- Before the British came, the crops grown in Malaya were only for self-sustenance.
- After the British came, they had introduced new plants.
- The British had introduced more new plantations.
- The end of the 19th century, the price of coffee decrease in order to rubber becomes another option to revive the economy and at that time the demand of rubber increases.
- Before British intervention, tin mining activities undertaken by the Malays by their methods.
- After that, the Chinese had introduced more methods.
- At the end, Malaya became the largest tin producer and the British had brought in many Chinese and Indian to Malaya to expand the sector tin mining and rubber plantations at that time.
- With the help of H.N. Ridley, a propagandist, he had perfected the 'Herring Bone' tapping method and the rubber plantations had grown to a bigger scale and more sustainable
- During the 1930's the Malaya's rubber plantation had supplied 90% of the rubbers throughout the world at that time.
- The disturbance in the Malay states was taken advantage by British.
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