8.1 Colonialism in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar PDF

Colonialism and Imperialism in Southeast Asia Western Imperialism in Mainland Southeast Asia Notes no. 8.1 – Colonialism in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar ❖ Methods and Colonial Policies of the French in Cambodia The French Indochina was established on October 17, 1887, after the successful Fren...

Colonialism and Imperialism in Southeast Asia Western Imperialism in Mainland Southeast Asia Notes no. 8.1 – Colonialism in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar ❖ Methods and Colonial Policies of the French in Cambodia The French Indochina was established on October 17, 1887, after the successful French attacks to its trading ports and capital cities of the region. Just like the British people, the French justified their invasion as “civilizing mission.” o It was a European mission to colonize and civilize people from Asia and Africa. o It aimed to spread and introduce modern political ideologies, social reforms, industrial system, and modern technology. o In reality, the French colonialism in Vietnam was focused on production, earning profits, and abusive exploitation of natural resources and Vietnamese labor force. Representative colonial government was implemented by the French in Vietnam. o Paris was able to send twenty governors including several groups of officials in Indochina from 1900 until 1945. o It led to rampant corruption, bribery, and violence against the native people. o The emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was controlled like a puppet by the French officials. The French also applied the divide and rule policy to lessen the opposition among the people. o The French created deceitful stories that created hatred among the native groups of Vietnam. ❖ Response of the Vietnamese to French Colonialism The local native officials resisted the French colonialism right after the establishment of its colonial government. o Guerilla warfare began to attack the French campsites in different parts of Vietnam. o Larger battles happened in Annam with the leadership of Phan Dinh Pung in 1885. - This rebellion concluded on the day of his death in 1895. o The Nguyen Dynasty fought against the French during the Cochinchina Campaign in 1860’s and 1870’s. ❖ Methods and Colonial Policies of the French in Cambodia The French persuaded King Norodom Sihanouk to sign the Treaty of Protection in 1863. o France gained the rights to control the foreign policies of the country which made effectively Cambodia as its protectorate. o It aimed to prevent the Siamese and British expansion in Indochina region. o This treaty made Cambodia as part of French Indochina officially. o King Norodom Sihanouk took advantage of the French military forces to prevent any local rebellions against the kingdom for fifteen years. o The kingdom was also saved from division through British or Siamese invasion. o France took control of the government when King Norodom Sihanouk became politically weak. Sisowath, the brother of King Norodom Sihanouk, became the king and made alliance with the French. o Thousands of hectares of rubber plantation were facilitated by the French. A resident superior was sent by the colonial administration of France in Cambodia to implement the representative colonial government. o A resident superior was recognized as the most powerful authority that implemented the rules and the laws of the country. A dual system of government was established by the French in Cambodia.  o The government was divided into two zones; the royal zone was the symbolical authority of the king; and the colonial zone was the overall direct government of the French in the country. Despite the establishment of the dual system of government, the French centralized the government with the influence of bureaucratic model. o The French appointed few Cambodians as ministers and department heads, but mostly French officials. ❖ Response of the Cambodians to French Colonialism Son Ngoc Thanh, a nationalistic Cambodian, led the first revolutionary movement against the French. Initially, Cambodian elites, including Buddhist clergymen chose the side of the French. They gradually fought against the French due to their exploitation of natural resources and forced assimilation of culture. Several farmers fought in a rebellion as the French claimed ancestral lands from the native people of Cambodia. These revolts failed due to disunity and lacking of centralized Cambodian government. ❖ Methods and Colonial Policies of the British in Myanmar Burma became an official colony of Great Britain on January 1, 1886, after the bloody Anglo-Burmese War. The demise of the monarchy and the sangha (monkhood), the twin pillars of the society of Myanmar, was perhaps the most devastating aspect of the colonial period. o Thibaw, the last Burmese king, was sent into an exile. o The government was detached from religious affairs thus depriving the sangha of its traditional status. The British adopted a “strategic hamlet” plan to fight guerillas. o Whereby villages were burned and families who had supplied villages with their leaders were uprooted from their homes and sent away to Lower Burma. o Strangers loyal to the colonial government were appointed as leaders for the new villages established by the British. o The guerrillas resorted to desperate measures against the new village officials. o By 1890, however, with more than 30,000 British and Indian troops engaged in the campaign, the military part of the struggle was over. The colonial government of India founded secular schools teaching in both English and Burmese. o Encouraged foreign Christian missions to found schools by offering them financial assistance. o Many mission schools were founded; parents were compelled to send their children to these schools, as there were no realistic alternatives. o The teachers were missionaries, and the lessons they gave were marked by repeated criticism of Buddhism and its culture. o In the government schools the first teachers, British and Indian, were mere civil servants, unable and unwilling to continue the older traditions. ❖ Response of the Burmese to British Colonialism Burmese peasants, under the leadership of Saya San, rose in rebellion 1930-1931. o Armed only with swords and sticks, they resisted British and Indian troops for almost two years. o Saya proclaimed that he would be the king who will unify the Burmese people. o He organized his followers to become rebel troops. o When his troops were defeated in a battle, he was captured and sentenced to death. Prepared by: Mr. James Imman Ilao