Southeast Asia
Europeans first came to Southeast Asia in the sixteenth century, lured by trading opportunities and abundant natural resources, while missionaries also tagged along the ships hoping to spread Christianity into foreign region.
Portugal was the first European power to take a grasp at the lucrative Southeast Asia trade route with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511. Soon, the Netherlands and Spain followed andsuperseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region, who lost Malacca to the Dutch in 1641. From 1560s, Spain began to colonize the Philippines, which got its name from Phillip II of Spain. Acting through the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch established the city of Batavia as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory, eventually building the Dutch East Indies.
Imperialism in Southeast Asia was also spurred by European nationalism--European leaders believed that controlling colonies would gain them more respect from other leaders. Southeast Asia became a battlefield between strong European rivals
At first, there was great tension between Britain and Dutch. Britain, in the form of the British East India Company, came relatively late onto the scene. Starting with Penang, the British began to expand their Southeast Asian empire. In 1819, Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a key trading post for Britain in their rivalry with the Dutch. However, their rivalry cooled in 1824 when an Anglo-Dutch treaty demarcated their respective interests in Southeast Asia. Since the 1850s, the pace of colonization shifted to a significantly higher gear.
This phenomenon, which was later called New Imperialism, saw the conquest of nearly all Southeast Asian territories by the colonial powers. The Dutch East India Company and British East India Company were dissolved by their respective governments, who took over the direct administration of the colonies. Only Siam, present day Thailand, was spared the experience of foreign rule. However, Thailand itself was also greatly affected by the power politics of the Western powers.
By 1913, the British occupied Burma, Malaya and the Borneo territories, the French controlled Indochina, the Dutch ruled the Netherlands East Indies while Portugal managed to hold on to Portuguese Timor. In the Philippines, Filipino revolutionaries declared independence from Spain in 1898 but was handed over to the United States despite protests as a result of the Spanish-American War.
Having a profound effect on Southeast Asia, colonial rule not only benefited the colonial powers from the local vast resources and large market, but also developed the region to a varying extent. The new economy based on commercial agriculture, mining and an export developed rapidly, and increased labor demand resulted in mass immigration, especially from British India and China, with consequent massive demographic change. More elements of modern society--state bureaucracy, courts of law, print media, and modern education--were introduced to the colonial areas, which spurred the fledgling nationalist movements.
Portugal was the first European power to take a grasp at the lucrative Southeast Asia trade route with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511. Soon, the Netherlands and Spain followed andsuperseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region, who lost Malacca to the Dutch in 1641. From 1560s, Spain began to colonize the Philippines, which got its name from Phillip II of Spain. Acting through the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch established the city of Batavia as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory, eventually building the Dutch East Indies.
Imperialism in Southeast Asia was also spurred by European nationalism--European leaders believed that controlling colonies would gain them more respect from other leaders. Southeast Asia became a battlefield between strong European rivals
At first, there was great tension between Britain and Dutch. Britain, in the form of the British East India Company, came relatively late onto the scene. Starting with Penang, the British began to expand their Southeast Asian empire. In 1819, Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a key trading post for Britain in their rivalry with the Dutch. However, their rivalry cooled in 1824 when an Anglo-Dutch treaty demarcated their respective interests in Southeast Asia. Since the 1850s, the pace of colonization shifted to a significantly higher gear.
This phenomenon, which was later called New Imperialism, saw the conquest of nearly all Southeast Asian territories by the colonial powers. The Dutch East India Company and British East India Company were dissolved by their respective governments, who took over the direct administration of the colonies. Only Siam, present day Thailand, was spared the experience of foreign rule. However, Thailand itself was also greatly affected by the power politics of the Western powers.
By 1913, the British occupied Burma, Malaya and the Borneo territories, the French controlled Indochina, the Dutch ruled the Netherlands East Indies while Portugal managed to hold on to Portuguese Timor. In the Philippines, Filipino revolutionaries declared independence from Spain in 1898 but was handed over to the United States despite protests as a result of the Spanish-American War.
Having a profound effect on Southeast Asia, colonial rule not only benefited the colonial powers from the local vast resources and large market, but also developed the region to a varying extent. The new economy based on commercial agriculture, mining and an export developed rapidly, and increased labor demand resulted in mass immigration, especially from British India and China, with consequent massive demographic change. More elements of modern society--state bureaucracy, courts of law, print media, and modern education--were introduced to the colonial areas, which spurred the fledgling nationalist movements.
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