Singapore was founded in the 14th century by a Prince who saw a lion...supposedly. But if you have been reading my blog than you already know that. A number of kingdoms and peoples ruled the islands until Sir Thomas Raffles entered the picture. This Brit was a statesman, and a wise one, looking for a trade port in which to have a presence and exercise control of the Malay Straights. In 1819 he came upon Singapore, and the rest is history. Though trade was at first free to all nations, a treaty was eventually signed giving the British exclusive rights in 1826. The very law-abiding nation we know today, however, was apparently nothing of the sort back then. Until 1867 Singapore was ruled out of India and until finally the crown in England agreed to it as a colony. The period was marked by lawlessness and violence. Singapore by this time had already become a key piece in the region for trade, but with the creation of the Suez canal in 1869 and the steamboat soon thereafter, business and trade received a giant boost in terms of proximity to Europe and the ability to run year round including monsoon season.
Many problems however continued to exist. Opium use, sponsored by the Brits nonetheless, hampered migrant workers, as did prostitution, alcohol and gambling. Secret societies became commonplace in this time period, not only for protection, but also for a sense of belonging.
By the 20th century Singapore had grown. Banks, finance, business, and trade had yielded a need for more educated Asians. Government supported schools arose whereas before missionaries and philanthropists were the common education sponsors. Soon many Chinese and others were becoming educated and forming gentlemen's clubs, reading rooms and receiving international newspapers. Still, racism played a role in society - no matter how much advancement people made, you were still either European/white, or you weren't. This was felt in the 1915 when and Indian-soldier mutiny occurred in the British army on the island.
In 1942, the Japanese attacked and occupied Japan. The humiliated British were out, POWs were sent off to camps, as were many of the islands Chinese men 18-50. The Chinese cleansing (cleansing also included communists, sympathisers and others) in total saw an estimated 50,000 killed. The war ended and the British reattained Singapore, the given the racial strife in the past amongst other things, their rule would not go on much longer. In 1959 Singapore elected its first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who with his PAP would reshape a nation, taking it from 3rd world to 1st (perhaps even the 1st country in the world!). The 1960s began with building, building flats and industrializing in particular at Jurong Industrial Estate. Led by the Finance Minister the country prospered and began its transforming...and today the country still grows and prospers.
A new exhibit on the past 50 years of industrialisation and modernization of Singapore will be in the museum on June 15. I cannot wait!
Singapore fun fact day 6 - this entire blog is a fun fact.
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