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After world War 1
World War 1 ended with Germany signing the Treaty of Versailles. By the terms of this treaty, Germany had to pay a large sum of money to the Allies for the damage it had caused in the war. Some territories that beonged to Germany were also taken away from her. The Germans were allowed to keep a very small army and navy. Therefore Germany became a weaker and poorer country. The Germans were very angry as they felt humiliated. Their national pride was also hurt. -
Raffles Landing
Raffles came to Singapore because he thought it would be a good area to set up a new British trading post. He found many good products, advantages, and he also found one of the safest harbors in the area. -
Raffles Setting up a Brittish Trading Settlement
On the 29th January 1819 , Raffles together with Farquhar, landed on the isalnd and met with the Temenggon. After exchanging freindly greetings, Raffles explained to the Temenggong that the Brittish wanted to start a Brittish trading settlement there. The Temenggong let Raffles sign a treaty so that he could set up his trading settlement. -
Why Singapore Was Chosen
Raffles beleived that Singpore was an ideal place for the brittish to start a brittish trading settlement. He was impressed with what he saw. It was safe, he found a safe harbour, and thought Singapore would soon rise and could break the Dutch Monopoly of Trade. -
The Signing of the 1819 Treaty
On the 6 of February in 1819 it was a clear day. A small crowd gathered at Padang to witness an important event. After every one was seated in the sent, Raffles publicly recognized Tengku Hussein as the Sultan of Johor. Then Raffles, Tengku Hussein, and the Temengong signed a treaty allowing the British to set up a trading settlement in the southern parts of Singapore. -
Combining The Straits Settlements in 1826
The chinese coolies and Indian labourers helped in building the settlement. Some of them were employed to clear the jungle areas to make land available for the plantations for the growth of the town. They worked long hours under the hot sun and received very low payment. -
Hong Kong Cede to the British
Between 1839 to 1860 China had 2 wars with the British Singapore let China pass through there ports. European traders were selling manufactured goods. Singapore thought that European traders were just going to go past these ports and trade; but they didn’t. -
Developments in Asia NOT DONE
Besides benefiting from events that were happening in the West, Singapore also gained from developments which were taking place in Asia. One development the was opening China. Between 1839 and 1860, China fought two wars against Britain. As a result of the first war from 1839 and 1842, Hong Kong Ceded to the British and five ports of China were opened up for trade -
Robberies and Riots
The police could not control these riots. There were not that many police. They also didn’t get paid a lot. The police also faced the Chinese secret societies. The secret societies fought with the gangs, riots and other criminals. -
Opening of the TTS Hospital
Singapore was a successful trading center. Large numbers of immigrants came, hoping to make their fortune here. The majority of immigrants were poor and destitute. Malnutrition was common and it was estimated that about 100 immigrants died each year from starvation
The British Government set up a pauper’s hospital in the 1820s but it closed in the 1830s because of insufficient funds. The government then suggested that the better-off members of each community take care of their own poor. Subsequ -
Opening of Kepel Harbor
Sir Stamford Raffles Found a Harbor in the Middle of Nowhere. In 1848 Captain Henry Keppel discovered a deep sheltered place. So then Captain Henry Keppel named the Harbor Keppel Harbor. -
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution Changed Singapore because of all the machines. Every one was going to work instead of staying home. An example is the spinning jetty. It wove clothes instead of the old fashioned way by hand. -
Opening of Suez Canal
The Opening of the Suez Canal helped Singapore become a very good trading country. To get to the other side of Africa, ships had to go under the Cape of Good Hope, which is located under Africa. Then they had to go all the way up to get to their destination. Then a man named Ferdinand de Lesseps discovered it. Now people from other countries could get to Singapore Easily thanks to the Suez Canal. -
The Dutch Monopoly of Trade
In the early part of the 19th century, Dutch controlled most of Achipelago trade. They were able to control trade because they occupied many areain the Archipelago including Melaka and Java. As the Dutch did not want any other European power to share in the Archipleago trade, they did not allow the Brittish or other European ships to trade at any of the Dutch controlled trading ports. -
Coming Of The Immagrants / Where They Settled
In the early 19th century, many of the immagrants settled near the Singapore river. The settlement soon grew into a busy town with thousands of settlers.Malays settled at Kampong Glam. Indians settled at Chulia Kampong. Europeans settled at European Town. And the Chinese went to China town. -
Why the Immagrants Came to Singapore-Push & Pull Factors
After the coming of the Brtish, Singapore was like a magnet that attracted immagrants from many countries.
Pull: The immagrants came in large numbers because the British allowed them to come and go as they pleased. There was no war, it was peacful and that is one that atracted the immagrants. As a settlement that was newly set up by the brittish, there were all kinds of work to be found.
Push: Poverty and shortage of food. Natural disasters. -
World War 1
World 1 broke out in Europe in 1914. This external event affected Singapore. Even though the war was fought mainly by
the Europeans nations in the West. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, British had become one of the strongest powers by the beginning of the 20th century. It had the largest empire and its traders could be found in many parts of the world. Other countries in Europe wanted to be as powerful or even more powerful and richer than Britain. -
World War 1-Effects on Singapore
Even though the war took place in the West it still affected Singapore's trade. The two sides were the Central Powers and the Allies. A German warship was outside Singapore allowing no one in and no one out until it was destroyed by and Australian Warship and then trade returned to normal. -
The Great Depresion
Another external event that had a tremendous effect on Singapore was the Great Depresion. The Depresion started in the United States of America but spread to Europe and the rest of the world. It was a period of bad buisiness conditions. Many factories, shops, and banks had to close down. Millions of people lost thir jobs and sffered great hardship. -
World War 2 & War in Europe
In 1938, Hitler began his conquest. Germany had Italy as its supporter and partner, and they became known as the Axis Powers. Britain, France, and other countries that fought against the Axis Powers were called the Allies. Hitler occupied Austria and then went on to invade Czecholovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France. Soon, Britain was left alone to fight the Germans. The When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Britain and the Soviet Union became The Allies. -
Attack on Pearl Harbour
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the USA. -
The Battle For Malaya
Although the Japanese dropped the first bombs on Singapore on 8 December 1941, the Japanes did not capture it until 15 February 1942. They had to capture Malaya first before reaching Singapore. The Battle for Malya was fought in the air, at sea, and on land. The Allied forces were led by the British and consisted of British, Australian, and Indian troops. -
The Syonan Years
Following the British surrender, Singapore came under Japanese rule that lasted for about three and a half years. This was known as the Japanese Occupation. -
The Japanese Occupation Of Singapore
Following the British surrender, Singapore came under Japanese rule that lasted for about three and a half years. This was known as the Japanese Occupation. Singapore was given a new name, Syonan-To. Syonan-To means light of the South. However this light did not shine brightly on the people in Singapore. Instead the Japanese Occupation brought great hardship to the people who lived in constant fear of the Jpanese. -
The Syonan Years
This was the time when the Japanese took Prisoners of War. They made them work very hard and it was not an easy time for the British and Singaporeans. Sometimes the Prisoners would hurt themselves badly with something like a hammer so they could take the day off in the hospital. -
The fall of Singapore
The fall of Singapore to the Japanese Army on February 15th 1942 is considered one of the greatest defeats in the history of the British Army and probably Britain’s worst defeat in World War Two. The fall of Singapore in 1942 clearly illustrated the way Japan was to fight in the Far East there was a combination of speed and savagery that only ended with the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945. -
Contributions of the Immagrants
The early immagrants contributed to the growth of Singapore in many ways. Some helped to build the settlement. Others promoted trade. There were also those who helped to run the country by working in government deopartments and others who served the community by helpng to improve the lives of people.