The Japanese Occupation lasted from 1942 to 1945. During these years, the British were unable to divert their forces to help Singapore and Singaporeans became united as they stood together to defend their country. Firstly, a Singapore nation is one where the people are united and share a common past. Some may argue that the Japanese Occupation did not aid in the making of the Singapore nation as it intensified ethnic diversity. However, they fail to realise that the Japanese occupation has led to people sharing a common past experience and gaining a sense of pride from it. Therefore, the Japanese occupation years were of significant relevance to the making of the Singapore nation as it has not only resulted in a change in mindset of the citizens …show more content…
This is in contrast to the making of a Singapore nation whereby people of different ethnicity strive to live together harmoniously. During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese were harsh towards the Chinese but less so towards the Malays and Indians. This was due to the Chinese supporting China, their homeland, against Japan. Sometimes, the Japanese even used the Malays against the Chinese. The Chinese were tortured or killed while most Malays were remained untouched. The Japanese did this to maintain order and to prevent people from different races coming together to fight against them. This has led to distrust among the different races in Singapore. This can be seen by “the communal riots of the 1960s that involved clashes between Malays and Chinese that occurred in Singapore when it was part of the Federation of Malaysia.” Hence, the Japanese Occupation not only increased racial tensions, it also increased the difficulties present in the making of a Singapore identity and …show more content…
Before the Japanese occupation, Singapore was under the British colonial rule and had the perception that the British were superior and powerful. It was only after the Japanese occupation was the myth of western invincibility destroyed and people in Asia started to realise that anti-colonisation could happen. Moreover, during the Japanese occupation, the British were not able to send their troops to protect Singapore due to a concurrent war going on in Europe. Singapore was left to defend for herself without the help of the British. Thus, Singapore also learnt the valuable lesson of not depending on others for its own survival. This can be seen by Singapore building up their defences and starting up national service immediately after gaining independence. Therefore, the Japanese occupation led Singaporeans to believe that it is possible for them to develop a new nation, one that does not involve colonial
While the attack on Pearl Harbor was a devastating time in United States history and the attack being conducted by the Japanese government, it didn’t not justify Japanese Americans being put into internment camps. The fear of a Japanese attack on mainland United States soil prompted the United States government to create these internment camps. Such fear lead to innocent Japanese Americans to live in a way that could be considered inhuman. Of the hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans in the internment camps half of them were children. The conditions of the camps where no way of life and Japanese Americans were forced to live in an undignified life that
Singapore was also a gateway to other countries in South-East Asia such as New Guinea, Indonesia, Dutch-East Indies (Indonesia) and Philippines as seen in Figure 1. After this, it was the first time in Australia’s history is was the first time they were under threat from any country “Yellow
Consistent with Japanese propaganda the nationalist leaders held belief that Japan was “the leader, protector and light of Asia”. However, this perception of liberation from colonial rule was a façade as the civilians of occupied nations experienced harsher treatment under the Japanese than they did under the colonial authorities.
Singapore is located at the centre of a crucial sea route in the far east. The sea route is controlled by the Japanese and attempting to prevent from the British claiming the control of the route.
The Fifteen-Year War was a time of great turmoil and uncertainty in Japan. Various facets of the country were tested and driven to their limits. During the occupation, race and gender began to evolve in ways that had not exactly be seen before. War had a tremendous impact on every part of the life of a Japanese citizen. Both men and women began to fill roles that were completely novel to them. Race became a part of the definition of who people were. As the war progressed and American troops landed on Japanese soil for occupation, more drastic changes occurred. Economic hardship and rations befell the people of the Land of the Rising Sun. Prostitution began to rear its ugly head and rape transpired. Through memory, research, and vivid
While the initial sparks of Singaporean nationalism may have stemmed from being under the British colonial rule or arose due to the brutality that the people were put through during the Japanese Occupation between 1942 to 1945, it is difficult to ascertain exactly when the start of Singapore’s nation building efforts began. Characterized by the process where a large body of people associated with a territory commits to its own government, I would define the start of Singapore’s nation building process from the time its people started to strive for their independence. In this essay, I would argue about how the Japanese Occupation was indeed, a significant turning point that led to cultivation of Singapore as a nation.
Throughout history of not only the United States but also the world, racism has played a huge role in the treatment of other humans. A dark mark in United States history, the Japanese Relocation during WWII is a prime example of this racism coming into play. Whether or not this event was necessary or even justified, however, is a constant question for historians even nowadays. The Japanese relocation of the 1920’s unnecessary and unjustified because it’s main causes: selfish economic plots by farmers, unrealistic military measures, and blatant racism.
On February 19th 1942, Roosevelt signed the executive order 9066. Under the terms of the order, people of Japanese descent were placed in internment camps. The United States’ justification for this abominable action was that the Japanese American’s may spy for their Homeland. Over 62% of the Japanese that were held in these camps were American Citizens. The United States’ internment of the Japanese was a poor and cowardly method of ‘keeping the peace.’ The United States was not justified in stowing away Japanese Americans into almost concentration camps. This act goes against the basic Bill Of Rights granted to all American citizens, the Fifth Amendment's command that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Many Americans were afraid of another attack, so the state representatives pressured President Roosevelt to do something about the Japanese who were living in the United States at the time. President Roosevelt authorized the internment with Executive Order 9066 which allowed local military commanders to designate military areas as exclusion zones, from which any or all persons may be excluded. Twelve days later, this was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the entire Pacific coast. This included all of California and most of Oregon and Washington.
The decision to imprison Japanese Americans was a popular one in 1942. It was supported not only by the government, but it was also called for by the press and the people. In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, Japan was the enemy. Many Americans believed that people of Japanese Ancestry were potential spies and saboteurs, intent on helping their mother country to win World War II. “The Japanese race is an enemy race,” General John DeWitt, head of the Western Defense Command wrote in February 1942. “And while many second and third generation Japanese born in the United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become ‘Americanized,’ the racial strains are
Humanity has seen great horrors throughout the course of history, one them being the Holocaust during World War II. As we look down upon the Germans of that time, the U.S. had their very own holocaust. President Roosevelt issued the Executive Order #9066 on February 19, 1942, which allowed the relocation of tens and thousands of Japanese Americans to internment camps, stripping them of their rights; the reason being that these U.S. citizens were of Japanese descent. There are other possible reasons Japanese were sent to these camps, such as being secure after the attack on Pearl Harbor; however, social and racial attitudes was most significant because Japan attacked, and there was a war going on, so what chances are there that more Japanese won’t follow, whereas the other two were formed from that discrimination and racism.
Japanese starved, brutalised, and even used POWs for medical experiments including live vivisections and assessments of biological weapons. There were many situations where the ethics and purpose of the Japanese’s actions were put into question. The Rape of Nanking can be argued as a pure act of racism and believed that the Chinese were inferior compared to themselves. They treated them as less than humans. The fall of Singapore (Australian-British POWs at the Burma-railway) describes furthermore the racism the Japanese showed towards other races. The Japanese treated women no better, comfort women were used as ‘things’ instead
Singapore and Malaysia were both similarly colonized by the British. However, their development after independence differed in many ways. In this paper, I will examine, with help from resources provided in the course and minimal research, how their colonial experiences affected their political and social development after independence. After which, investigating the depth of influence their colonizers had, and why, differing racial ideologies had the greatest impact on their development.
My research will be based on Political, Economic, and Social Organization of Singapore—an industrialist city-state. Even though Singapore 's history dates from the 11th century, the island was little known to the West until the 19th century. Singapore is one of the World 's largest ports, because the city of Singapore has become a major port, with trade exceeding that of Malaya 's, Malacca and Penang combined. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of steamships launched an era of prosperity for Singapore as transit trade expanded throughout Southeast Asia (Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2010). Singapore is a very
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