CH. 18 Section 2

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CH. 18 Section 2

• Southeast Asian Nations Gain Independence

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Main Idea

• The European colonies in Southeast Asia became
  independent countries in the postwar period.

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Why It Matters Now

• The power and influence of the Pacific Rim
  nations are likely to expand during the next
  century.

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Setting the Stage

• At the end of WWII colonized people all over the
  world wanted independence.
• As it had in India, Britain gave up control of
  its Southeast Asian colonies.
• It gave up Burma quickly and Malaysia after some
  delay.
• The Dutch were reluctant to give up their
  Southeast Asian possessions
• The US gave up its Asian colony in the
  Philippines soon after WWII.

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The United States and the Philippines

• The Philippines became the first of the worlds
  colonies to achieve independence following WWII.
• The US granted the Philippines its independence
  July 4, 1946.

6
The Philippines Achieves Independence

• The Filipinos first goals were to rebuild the
  economy and restore the capital of Manila,
  damaged during WWII.
• The US promised 600 million in war damages, but
  the US insisted the Filipinos approved the Bell
  Act.
• This act would allow free trade between the US
  and the Philippines for eight years, then
  gradually increasing tariffs.

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The Philippines Achieves Independence

• Filipinos were worried the US would exploit the
  resources and environment.
• But approved the Bell Act and received their
  money.
• The US wanted to maintain its military presence
  in the Philippines.
• They wanted to protect their interests in Asia.
• Both China and the USSR were opponents of the US
  at this time.

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The Philippines Achieves Independence

• Both were Pacific powers with bases close to
  allies of the US and close to raw materials and
  resources vital to US interests.
• So the US demanded a 99 year lease on military
  and navel bases in the Philippines.
• These bases proved critical during the Korean and
  Vietnam wars.
• These bases also became the single greatest
  source of conflict between the two countries.

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The Philippines Achieves Independence

• Later agreements shorten the length of the lease
  and in 1991 the US gave up the bases.
• After WWII the Philippines government was still
  dependent on the US.
• The Philippines government looked for ways to
  lessen this dependency.
• It looked to Japan for investments.
• It also broadened it contacts with Southeast
  Asian neighbors and with nonaligned nations.

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The Marcos Regime and Corazon Aquino

• Ferdinand Marcos was elected president of the
  Philippines in 1965.
• He ruled from 1966 to 1986 and the country
  suffered during this time.
• He imposed an authoritarian regime and stole
  millions from the public treasury.
• Although their constitution limited Marcos rule
  to only eight years, he got around this by
  declaring martial law from 1972 to 1981.
• His chief opponent was Benigno Aquino.

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The Marcos Regime and Corazon Aquino

• He was shot when he returned to the Philippines
  from the US , lured by the promise of coming
  elections.
• In the elections of 1986 Marcos ran against
  Aquinos widow, Corazon Aquino and lost, but he
  would not acknowledge her victory.
• He declared himself the winner.
• There was a huge public outcry and he was forced
  into exile in Hawaii where he later died
• 1995 the Philippines recovered their money.

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The Marcos Regime and Corazon Aquino

• During Aquinos Presidency, the Philippine
  government ratified a new Constitution.
• In 1992 Fidel V Ramos succeeded Aquino as
  President.
• Ramos is restricted by the constitution to a
  single six year term.
• Its design to prevent the abuse of power that
  occurred during Marcoss 20 year rule.

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British Colonies Gain Independence

• Britains timetable for giving its colonies
  independence depended on local circumstances.
• Burma had been pressing for independence from
  Britain for decades.
• It became a sovereign republic in 1948 and choose
  not to join the British Commonwealth.
• In 1989, Burma was officially named Myanmar, its
  name in the Burmese Language.

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Burma Experiences Turmoil

• In the postwar years Burma suffered one political
  upheaval after another.
• Its people struggles between repressive Military
  governments and pro-democracy forces.
• During WWII when Japan took over Burma, they
  declared it a sovereign state.
• When in fact the Japanese were in control.
• The Japanese demanded forced labor from the
  Burmese and it was unpopular.

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Burma Experiences Turmoil

• The Burmese nationalists army led by Aung San at
  first cooperated with the Japanese in order to
  drive out the British.
• Then the army teamed up with the British to
  defeat the Japanese.
• They succeeded in driving out the Japanese and
  were about to become independent, when Aung San
  and most of his cabinet were gunned down on
  orders of the Burmese political rivals.

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Burma Experiences Turmoil

• Conflicts among Communist and ethnic minorities
  disrupted the nation.
• In 1962, General Ne Win set up a repressive
  military government, with the goal of making
  Burma a socialist state.
• Although Ne Win stepped down in 1988, the
  government continue to rule repressively.
• The Daughter of Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi became
  active in National League for Democracy.

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Burma Experiences Turmoil

• For her pro-democracy activities she was places
  under house arrest for six years by the
  government.
• In the 1990 election the Nation League for
  Democracy won 80 of the seats.
• The Military Government refused to recognized the
  election and kept Aung San Suu Kyi under house
  arrest.
• She was finally released in 1995, but was kept
  under surveillance.

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Malaysia and Singapore

• During WWII the Japanese conquered the Malay
  Peninsula, formerly ruled by the British.
• The British returned after the Japanese defeat in
  1945.
• The British tried to unsuccessfully, to organize
  Malaysia into one state.
• They also struggled to put down a communist
  uprising.

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Malaysia and Singapore

• Ethnic groups resisted British efforts to united
  their colonies on the peninsula and in the
  Northern part of the Island of Borneo.
• Malays were a slight majority on the peninsula,
  while the Chinese were the largest group in
  Singapore.
• In 1957, the Federation of Malaya was created
  from Singapore, Malaya, Sarawak, and Sabah.

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Malaysia and Singapore

• The two regions on the Malay peninsula and on
  northern Borneo were separated by 400 miles of
  ocean.
• In 1965, Singapore separated from the federation
  and became an independent city state.
• The Federation of Malaysia consisting of Malaya,
  Sarawak, and Sabah was created.
• A coalition of many ethnic groups maintained
  steady economic progress in Malaysia.

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Malaysia and Singapore