TRADE AND
COLONIZATION
BY 1827 CHINESE HAD BECOME THE MOST
NUMEROUS OF SINGAPORE'S VARIOUS ETHNIC
GROUPS. MIGRANTS CAME FROM MALACCA,
PENANG, RIAU AND OTHER PARTS OF THE
MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. IN 1824 THE DUTCH
FORMALLY RECOGNIZED BRITISH CONTROL OF
SINGAPORE, AND LONDON ACQUIRED FULL
SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE ISLAND. FROM 1826
TO 1867 SINGAPORE WAS ONE OF SEVERAL
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS RULED BY THE BRITISH
EAST INDIA COMPANY. SINGAPORE WAS
LARGELY UNAFFECTED BY WORLD WAR I (1914–
18), BUT EXPERIENCED THE SAME POSTWAR
BOOM AND DEPRESSION AS THE REST OF THE
WORLD.
IN THE 1930S THERE WAS INCREASED
INTEREST IN DEVELOPMENTS IN CHINA, AND
MANY SUPPORTED EITHER THE CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY OR THE CHINESE
NATIONALIST PARTY. IN 1946 SINGAPORE
BECAME A SEPARATE CROWN COLONY WITH A
CIVIL ADMINISTRATION. THE MCP LAUNCHED
AN INSURRECTION IN MALAYA AND
SINGAPORE, AND THE BRITISH DECLARED A
STATE OF EMERGENCY UNTIL 1960. SINGAPORE
WAS GRANTED INTERNAL SELF-GOVERNMENT
IN 1950. IN 1954, THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT
ELEVATED SINGAPORE FROM COLONY TO
STATE.
IN 1959, THE PEOPLE'S ACTION PARTY
(PAP) SWEPT ELECTIONS HELD IN MAY
1959. THE PAP'S STRONGEST
OPPONENTS WERE COMMUNISTS
OPERATING IN BOTH LEGAL AND
ILLEGAL ORGANIZATIONS.
BETWEEN 1963 AND 1965, SINGAPORE
WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE
FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA. UNION
WITH MALAYA HAD ALWAYS BEEN A
GOAL OF LEE KUAN YEW AND THE
MODERATE WING OF THE PAP. AS A
STATE, SINGAPORE DID NOT ACHIEVE
THE ECONOMIC PROGRESS IT HAD
HOPED FOR. SINGAPORE SEPARATED
FROM MALAYSIA ON AUGUST 9, 1965.
TRADE WITH JAPAN AND THE UNITED
STATES INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.
IN 1967 SINGAPORE JOINED THE
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN
NATIONS. BY THE 1970S, SINGAPORE
HAD ACHIEVED STATUS AS A WORLD
LEADER IN SHIPPING, AIR TRANSPORT,
OIL REFINING. SINGAPORE WAS
CALLED ONE OF THE "FOUR TIGERS"
OF ASIAN ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.
LABOR-INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES WERE
RELOCATED TO OTHER ASEAN
NATIONS AND REPLACED BY HIGH-
TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES. THE PAP
DEVELOPED A STABLE AND
CORRUPTION-FREE GOVERNMENT,
MARKED BY STRONG CENTRAL
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.