Pure History Unit 1.1

Unit 1.1: British Colonisation of Malaya TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS Year Events 1824 ● Anglo-Dutch Treaty ​ was signed. Led to the ​ creation of Dutch and British spheres of influence in SEA 1826 ● British ​ Straits Settlements ​ was formed: ​ Melaka ​ , ​ Penang ​ and Singapore 1861 ● First Larut War ​ . Resulted due to arguments over control of watercourse to mines ​ between the ​ Ghee Hins ​ and the ​ Hai Sans ​ . 1865 ● June: ​ Second Larut Wa ​ r 1867 ● April: The ​ Straits Settlement became a Crown Colony 1871 ● Second Anglo-Dutch Treaty signed ● Third Larut War ​ . Resulted between the ​ Ghee Hins ​ and ​ Hai Sans ​ regarding the ​ succession disputes for the Sultan of Perak between ​ Raja Abdullah ​ and Raja Ismail 1874 ● Pangkor Treaty ​ signed ○ First British Resident ​ , James Birch ​ , appointed in Malaya (Perak) ○ Residential System introduced 1875 ● First British Resident ​ Birch ​ killed ● Perak War ​ begins ● British Resident appointed in Selangor 1877 ● Hugh Low ​ appointed as the

fourth Resident in Perak ● State Council ​ formed 1885 ● Johor ​ and ​ Britain ​ signed a treaty of equality and alliance 1888 ● February: British subject murdered in ​ Pekan ​ near sultan’s palace. British intervene. ● British Resident appointed in Pahang 1889 ● British Resident appointed in Negeri Sembilan 1896 ● The ​ Federated Malay States (FMS) ​ formed under the federal government ● Frank Swettenham ​ becomes the ​ First Resident General ● FMS becomes ​ world’s largest tin producer ​ ​ by 1898 1904 ● British Resident appointed in Johor 1909 ● Bangkok Treaty ​ signed [also known as the ​ Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 ​ ] ○ All of ​ Siam ​ ’s ​ ​ rights in Perlis ​ , ​ Kelantan ​ and Terengganu ​ transferred to the British ● Unfederated Malay States (UFMS) ​ formed 1910 ● Kelantan ​ accepted a British advisor 1919 ● Terengganu ​ accepted a British Advisor 1923 ● Kedah ​ accepted a British Advisor 1930 ● Perlis ​ accepted a British Advisor ● British ​ colonisation ​ of Malaya completed ​ .

Reasons for British Intervention in Malaya Political Factors Point Example(s) Reason To ​ expand ​ the British Empire ● A federated ​ Germany ​ was created after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 ​ . ● France ​ particularly suffered significant losses and ​ sought to regain its prestige through imperialism. ● Germany ​ was also determined to colonise any uncolonised areas ​ as part of the race for colonies. ● Anglo-Dutch rivalry intensified ​ in the region as the ​ Dutch ​ had long established a foothold in Indonesia ​ and ​ grew fiercer in the race for colonies ​ . ● Germany ​ became a powerful state that changed the ​ ​ balance of power ​ in Europe. ● The ​ French ​ and the Dutch ​ ’s ​ imperialistic ambitions ​ further threatened the ​ power and standing ​ of Britain ​ . ● Thus, in response to these changes, the British wanted to maintain their edge over the other European powers ​ by [ATQ: expanding their overseas kingdom] Economic Factors Point Example(s) Reason Need For ​ Raw Materials ● Malaya had ​ rich deposits of tin and fertile land ​ that facilitated the ​ cultivation of rubber ​ . ● Tin was in high demand as the ​ canning industry was becoming very profitable in Europe. ○ However, ​ British tin was becoming too costly to produce ​ . ● Tin deposits were ​ discovered in ​ Perak ​ , ​ Negeri Sembilan ​ , Pahang ​ and ​ Selangor ● Technological advancements during the Industrial Revolution ​ fuelled the creation of ​ new industries and the production of more goods ​ , which led to a demand for ​ more raw materials ​ . ● The discovery of rich tin deposits in Malaya provided the British with ​ opportunities for

● Rubber was ​ introduced into the ​ Malay Peninsula ​ in ​ 1877 and the ​ first rubber plantations were established in Malaya in ​ 1896 ​ . ● Worldwide demand for rubber rose ​ when the ​ automobile industry began to grow ​ . ● Malaya became a ​ major global rubber producer ​ . greater profits. ● Furthermore, with the rising demand for rubber ​ , Malaya’s rubber industry ​ grew rapidly ​ . ● Hence, the British decided to extend control over Malaya to ensure a ​ steady supply of tin ​ and to ​ manage the growing rubber industry ​ for their economic advantage ​ . Need For ​ New Markets ● Since British factories could mass-produce goods ​ then, they needed ​ new markets to sell the goods ​ manufactured. ● It was also ​ rumoured in ​ 1873 that ​ Germany was negotiating for bases in Pulau Langkawi and Northern Malaya ​ to serve as ​ trading ports. ● The British ​ had to intervene in the rest of the Malay states ​ to ensure that they had access to the markets before the other Europeans obtained a foothold there. Need For ​ New Bases ● The ​ opening of the Suez Canal in ​ 1869 ​ ​ increased the volume of trade in Southeast Asia as sailing from Britain to Malay now ​ took only 6 weeks instead of the initial 4 months ​ . ● The ​ Straits of Melaka became the ​ shortest route to travel from Europe to Asia ​ . ● This ​ increased the plying of pirates in the Straits ​ . ● The British needed to establish new bases to serve as outposts for British ships ​ which patrolled the waterways to combat piracy ​ , as the ​ existing bases in the Straits Settlement were no longer adequate to fend off these pirates ​ . Need For Social Stability for Economic Development and the ​ Desire of merchants, businessmen and local officials for British ● Large numbers of ​ Chinese immigrants were recruited to work in the tin mines discovered in ​ Perak ​ and Selangor ​ . ● There were ​ no proper land surveys to demarcate the various tin mines ​ , which resulted in ​ conflicts between the Chinese miners ​ over control of tin mines and ● The Larut Wars and succession disputes in Perak ​ hastened the intervention of the British ​ as the ​ Straits officials and the Chinese and British merchants petitioned the British government for intervention ​ out of concern for their

intervention watercourses, particularly between the ​ Ghee Hins and the Hai Sans ​ in the ​ Larut District of North Perak ​ . ● 3 wars occurred, known as the ​ Larut Wars ​ . ● In ​ 1865 ​ , ​ 1000 Ghee Hins from Larut ​ fled to Penang after an attack by the Hai Sans. ● Succession disputes ​ also led to frequent conflicts that disrupted trade. ● The sons of rival wives of the deceased sultan ​ competed for the right to the throne ​ . ● In ​ Perak ​ , when ​ Sultan Ali dies ​ in ​ 1871 ​ , three claimants, Raja Abdullah, Raja Ismail and Raja Yusuf ​ , fought to take the vacant throne, which intensified the disorder that already existed due to the wars between the secret societies in Perak ​ and drove the state into chaos. investments in tin. ● They ​ wanted the Brtish to impose law and order ​ in the Malay states ​ so that business could be carried out in a stable and safe environment. The Response of The Locals to British Colonial Rule Group of People Their Response Malay Chiefs ● From FMS: chose to cooperate with the British as the British Residents after Birch dissimulated preserving the sultans’ power and tactfully formulated and implemented policies. ○ The sultans’ power was greatly reduced but their positions became more secur