SEM 2 HISTORY BEFORE WAR 11, WHAT AFFECTED SINGAPORE (external events)

What is the two external events that affected Singapore before world war 2?

Industrial revolution and Suez Canal

What is the industrial revolution?

It happened between 1750 and 1830

A widespread replacement of manual labour with machinery'

Started with great Britain

What were the 3 ‘Jack of all trade”?

Assembly line, women joining the workforce and manufactured mass produce goods

What was the general impact of industrialisation

TSC:

T - Technological Advances

S - Socio-economic

C - Communication

The opening of the Suez Canal (benefits)

Improvements in communication

• Mails reach here faster

By the 1860s, Steamships carry mails from countries such as Britain had cut from 120 days to 50 days. (the timing it took to reach Singapore)

(in europe)

Goods were distributed faster and cheaper with the opening of the canal

Statistics of the canal

A huge man-made canal in Egypt

Links the Mediterranean sea to the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea

It is 163km long and 300m wide at its narrowest point

How did the opening of the Suez canal benefit Singapore?

SUEZ

S- More ships arrived in Singapore → New Harbour built

U - More ships used less time to come to Singapore

E -shipping Expenses reduced

Z - trade Zoomed

(explain the S in SUEZ)

S - improvements in port facilities

The old harbour became overcrowded and hence a New Harbour was built

It was then renamed as Keppel Harbour

(explain the U in SUEZ)

U - Less time needed to travel to Singapore

• Did not need to sail around the southern tip of Africa (ships from Europe)

• Ships could pass through the Mediterranean Sea, into the Suez Canal, and then into the Red Sea,

(explain the E in SUEZ)

E - Cost of Shipping reduced

• Less time spent travelling to Singapore

• Less distance needed to travel to Singapore.

Explain the z in SUEZ

Z — great increase in trade

• More Europeans came to the East to obtain beach iron, mill scale, steel skull and granulated pig iron.

• Singapore, with her port often visited by other Asian countries, naturally saw a increase in number of steamships

• 1880s - Singapore became the Port of Call for ports East (Asia) and West (Europe) of the globe.

Summary of the industrial revolution and Suez canal:

A great increase in port facilities

Improvements in communication

Improvements in trade

World War 1 is also known as?

The Great War “The War to end all Wars”

Where and why did World War I occur?

Mainly fought in Europe

Nations were jealous and suspicious of each other- joined hands as friends - resulted in two groups…

War broke up when the Archduke or Austria was murdered

What were the Allied Powers? (41 countries)

Russian Empire

France

British Empire

United States

Central Powers/Axis. What were they?

Austria-Hungary

German Empire

Ottoman Empire

Italy (switched sides later)

Bulgaria

How was Singapore affected when World War I broke out?

Rush for food

Trade affected

Indian Mutiny (in singapore)

Rush for food. Why?

Prices soared (artificially inflated)

• Fear that food supplies would run out, which fortunately did not happen…

• because the Government - ensured enough food, controlled imports and exports.

Trade affected. Why?

For a time, the presence of a German warship - the EMDEN - threatened shipping around the area, attacking British ships in the Indian Ocean.

Although it never really attacked the ships in Singapore’s harbour, it posed a threat until the Australian warship, the Sydney, destroyed it.

Indian Mutiny in Singapore. Why?

Indian sepoys are soldiers from India under the employment of the British army.

This group, who were Muslims, heard rumours that they would be sent to Europe to fight against the Turkish soldiers, also Muslims.

Unwilling to do so, they mutinied (rebelled), killing many Europeans.

In summary, world war I

Threat of war affecting Singapore’s trade (Emden)

Attack on the Europeans by the Sepoy (Sepoy Mutiny)

Rush for food (Control on imports and exports)

A recession, what is it? and what is a depression?

A slump, a time when the economy is doing poorly, many are jobless and children have no money to go to school

A severe slump, more people are jobless, more children cannot go to school, many people even have to starve

Where did the great depression occur?

In USA

The Wall Street crash of 1929 started on October 24 (“Black Thursday”) and continued until October 29 (“Black Tuesday”), when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange collapsed.

Effects of the great depression in British Colonial Singapore

1. Trade and Business

2. Unemployment and Hardship

1. Trade and Business (explain)

• Countries hit by the Great Depression included America and most of Europe

• They are the biggest buyers of Singapore’s exports - tin and rubber

• So they cut down on buying these products, and Singapore saw a downturn in business, jobs, and many became bankrupt

2. Unemployment and Hardship (explain)

People suffer, and it was difficult to find jobs.

Those who stayed in their jobs had their pay cut.

1/3 of the population was unemployment in 1931

How did the Government respond to the great depression in British Colonial Singapore?

Immigration was restricted

Arrangements were made for unemployed Chinese and Indians (especially the unskilled) to go back to their homeland

But there was a relaxation of women/children immigration from China and India

So, why do we restrict and relax the immigration into Singapore?

Reduce the possibility of the unemployed resorting to crime

Women/Children joining husbands stabilised the family.

In summary, the great depression

Business and Trade decreased

Unemployment and hardship

arrangements for the unemployed to be Sent back to their homelands

Trimmed (restricted) the number of immigrants allowed into Singapore

BUST