Paul H. Kratoska - South East Asia: Colonl Hist V2

DOI: 10.4324/9781003101673-1

DOI: 10.4324/9781003101673-2

The nineteenth century brought a new wave of colonial expansion to South East Asia, and by the early 1900s the greater part of the region was under some form of Western control. The reasons for this expansion, and the nature of the control exercised, varied considerably. British rule in Malaya grew out of a felt need to forestall the possibility that another power might threaten the trade passing through the Straits of Malacca by acquiring a colony in the Malay Peninsula. British Burma began to take shape as a result of measures taken to defend the eastern frontiers of India, and the process received added impetus from attempts to trade with Burma, and with China through Burma. The hope of gaining access to China through South East Asia also lay behind Frances entry into Vietnam, where the Mekong and Red Rivers appeared to offer prospects for trade with the interior. The Netherlands had maintained a presence in the Indonesian archipelago since the 1600s, but the Dutch now extended their control over a much wider area in order to secure this long-established sphere of influence from imperial adventures on the part of other European powers, and protect Dutch interests from the unrestrained exercise of power by local rulers. At the end of the century, the United States acquired the Philippines in the aftermath of the SpanishAmerican War, and kept the territory with few clear goals except to prevent it from falling into the hands of other empire-minded powers.

While trade and the protection of borders clearly played a significant role in colonial expansion, some historians have suggested additional explanations. One argument suggests that Western businessmen with a particular interest in colonial territories, or in selling supplies to the military, pushed governments into imperialist adventures. Another calls attention to the activities of men on the spot who went beyond the stated wishes of their home governments in acquiring territories or making treaty commitments. Examples of both certainly can be found in South East Asia. Private interests preceded their governments into a number of areas, notably the east coast of Sumatra and the Malay states. And Sir Andrew Clarke arguably exceeded his instructions when he intervened in the affairs of the Malay states, while the French advance in Laos was an almost single-handed effort on the part of Auguste Pavie.

Imperialist expansion involved substantial risks and uncertain outcomes. In itself, expansion was likely to require military action to achieve control and carry out pacification, and further armed force might be needed to suppress future rebellions or repel an outside attack. The strength of the armies at the disposal of colonial authorities was less than they wished others to believe, and military actions needed to be decisive because defeats were likely to embolden further resistance. Having suffered a setback in one of the British Empires least significant military conflicts, at a place near Melaka called Naning, British officials in Bengal sent overwhelming force into the area, noting that any sign of weakness might inspire additional challenges to British authority: Worthless as the object is, we cannot recede without loss of character, and are now bound to subjugate the rebel of Naning