Southeast Asia Fall Under Colonial Rule February 10, 2015

Review Why was Korea weaker in the 19th century than it had been earlier? Who was the Daewon’gun? What sort of religion was Donghak (Tonghak)? Why did Japan and China fight a war in 1894-95? What were they fighting for? What was the result of that war?

Imperialism stimulates nationalism Creation of a centralized administration staffed by bureaucrats (creating a modern state). establishment of modern educational institutions teaching modern subjects, including the history of nations. faster and more efficient means of transportation and communication, creating a national community Modern financial institutions, creating a national network. Promotion of a national language plantations pull peasants out of their villages

The Dutch and the Americans The Dutch slowly seize control of more and more of the “Netherlands East Indies” and place both the people and the land under their control (except for East Timor, which remained under Portuguese control). The Americans replace the Spanish as the imperial overlords of the Philippines--the US President says the US should “Christianize” the Filipinos.

the Philippines (pp. 112-117) The independence (nationalist) movement had its roots in a 19th century movement for equality for native-born clergy. Three priests executed in 1872 are considered the first martyrs for Filipino independence. So is Dr. Jose Rizal, executed in 1896. At first, Filipino meant a Spaniard born in the Philippines. Later it came to mean the local people as they developed national consciousness. However, the first nationalists (illustrados--enlightened ones) were often at least partially of Chinese or Spanish descent. Wide-spread rebellion against the Spanish in 1898 was the first large-scale modern nationalist uprising against foreign rule in Asian history. Even though they didn’t win independence until much later, that doesn’t mean they weren’t nationalistic!They also fought the US in 1898-1900 but lost, and then the US and a few illustrad0s agreed to work together under a promise of eventual independence.

Question to Discuss Why do you think the first nationalists in the Philippines were Catholic priests?

Indonesia (pp. 93-97) It took the Dutch until the early 20th century to bring all of what we now call Indonesia under their colonial rule, beginning with Java. In the process, they had to conquer independent countries such as the sultanate of Acheh and Hindu kingdoms in Bali. It is Dutch rule that created the the nation of Indonesia, just as Spanish rule created the nation of the Philippines. The Dutch divided the population into three categories: Dutch (including people of Eurasian heritage), “Foreign Orientals” (Chinese), and locals. Between 1830 and 1870, the Dutch forced Indonesians to grow cash crops (This is the so-called “Cultivation System.”) With steamships, more Muslims could travel to Mecca.

British colonies the kingdom of Burma falls under British control and is absorbed into British India. Singapore and Malaya also become part of the British empire. This led to a rise in the size of the Indian community in Burma, and a rise in the size of both the Indian and the Chinese community in Singapore and Malaya Britain tries to gain hegemony in Tibet but failed to pry it completely loose from the Manchu colonial grasp.

Burma (Myanmar) (pp. 108-10) There was a long history of kingdoms in what is now Myanmar, but it was under the British that the Burmese were placed together with tribal peoples under one government. (Until 1937, the British treated Burma as a province of India rather than as a separate colony) For the Burmese, just as with the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, Buddhism became a vehicle for asserting a distinctive national identity. The British refused to recognize that the king played both a political and a religious role. They withdrew official support for Buddhism, which angered many Burmese. Moreover, they promoted Christian schools.

Malaya (pp.97-102) Most of the people on the Malay peninsula today are the descendants of people who immigrated from Indonesia, China, or India starting in the late 19th century. There was no one country called Malaya before the British began constructing it. And Singapore was just a fishing village. In some cases, the British ruled through local sultans. The Malays began emphasizing their religion (Islam) and their purported local roots to distinguish themselves from the Chinese and the South Asians, and to claim that Malaysia is their country.

Question to Discuss Do you think the people in Indonesia and Malaya thought of themselves as “Indonesians” or “Malaysians” before the imposition of colonial rule by the the Dutch and the British, respectively?

The French in Southeast Asia The creation of Indo-China Vietnam is divided into three parts, with the southern part a French colony and the middle and north separate protectorates. Cambodia is seized and the Thais are forced to relinquish claims to it. The principalities of Laos also fall under French control and form a colony called Laos.

Indochina (pp. 102-107) The French moved into Vietnam to stop the persecution of Catholics there, and to “bring civilization” to the Vietnamese. They established five separate administrative regions under overall French colonial rule: Cochinchina (south), Annam (central), Tonkin (north), Cambodia, and Laos. They had to overcome Vietnamese Confucian and royalist resistance. However, they also found many local people, even from the old elite, willing to work with them (They kept local rulers sitting on their thrones in Annam, Cambodia,and Laos.)

Question for Discussion The Vietnamese had defeated the Chinese, and once even the Mongols, several times over the centuries. Why were they unable to keep the French from taking over their country?

Siam (pp. 110-112) The only Southeast Asian country to escape European colonial rule. To maintain its independence, it had to give up some of what it considered its traditional territory to the French and the British. A modernizing Siamese monarchy began creating a national Thai identity, under the slogan of “Nation, Religion, and King,” and promoted the nationwide use of the version of Thai spoken in central Thailand over regional dialects. The use of Buddhism to create a national identity has caused problems for the Malays, who are Muslims, in what is now southern Thailand.

Imperialism in Asia by 1900 Tibet was under Manchu rule Taiwan was under Japanese rule India, Ceylon, Burma, and Singapore/Malaya were under British rule The East Indies (Indonesia) was under Dutch rule Indochina was under French rule The Philippines was coming under American rule Siam remained independent, as did the Qing (though it had to allow foreign concessions) and Japan.

Escaping the reach of imperialism Siam (Thailand) remains free from colonial rule by playing the French and the British off against each other. Japan remains free of colonial rule by modernizing very quickly, and then building its own colonial empire. Qing China remained free of direct colonial rule because no one potential colonial ruler was able to push aside other potential colonial rulers. Instead, the Qing were forced to endure the presence of various imperial powers in foreign “spheres of influence.”