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O-Level Paper 1: Extension of European control in Southeast Asia

British Malaya, 1870s-1920s

What the syllabus expects

• How Britain extended its control in Malaya, beginning with its foothold before 1870
  Scope: The pre-1870 portion is not examined: British commercial interests in the region, the bearing of the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty on Britain's presence, and governance before 1870 (running the Straits Settlements, the part played by local elites, and the hands-off stance toward the Malay states)
• The change in British policy toward Malaya during the 1870s, examined through Perak
  Scope: What prompted intervention: a stronger drive for empire and spheres of influence, demand for raw materials and cash crops, and unrest from the Larut Wars and succession disputes; the key figures involved; and the direct result of intervention
• Political changes in Malaya following the 1874 intervention
  Scope: Tighter British grip on government and administration, bringing in the Residential System centred on Perak, and forming the Federated Malay States (1895) and Unfederated Malay States (1909)
• Economic changes after intervention
  Scope: Expansion of the rubber cash crop and tin mining, producing an economy oriented toward exports
• Social changes after intervention
  Scope: Rise of a plural society and new townships, and the appearance of a Western-educated elite
• Local reactions to the political, social and economic shifts brought by British rule
• Weigh the circumstances that drove Europe's expanding influence in Southeast Asia
  Scope: Shared learning outcome across the Extension of European Control theme (Malaya, Indonesia, Vietnam)
• Judge the parts played by individuals and groups in extending European influence
• Assess how European influence affected the region after 1870
• Key concepts: Intervention, Direct rule, Indirect rule, Exploitation, Extractive economy, Collaboration, Resistance

More O-Level History topics

Paper 1: Southeast Asia before 1870 (background context, not assessed) · Paper 1: How Europeans widened their grip · Paper 1: How Europeans widened their grip · Paper 1: The years following the First World War · Paper 1: Rise of Authoritarian Regimes · Paper 1: Rise of Authoritarian Regimes · all of O-Level History