The China History Podcast · Laszlo Montgomery

Ep. 354 | The History of Singapore (Part 6)

·47 min·1 clip

Unscientific screening in five centers: tens of thousands executed for speaking English or wearing glasses

He opens by placing this installment at the end of a long run through Singapore's history, from Temasek to the 1900s. The Japanese invasion is already in motion. Great Britain's Fortress Singapore does not hold. The retreat south becomes a steady account of lost ground through Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor. By the end of January, the British position has unraveled. Singapore then becomes a Japanese naval base. Mitsubishi takes over the Keppel shipyards. More than 2,000 Japanese vessels are repaired there during the occupation. Daily life on the island turns into a matter of caution and adjustment. Collaborators and spies are part of the landscape. Many people choose cooperation, open or hidden, because survival is the only practical aim. The Japanese propaganda effort is heavy and relentless. The island is supposed to bow, work, and keep quiet. The new currency circulates, but it steadily loses value. By the end of the war it is essentially worthless. The Japanese then turn to the Chinese communities of the occupied territories. They demand 50 million dollars in retaliation for resistance and support for China. The Overseas Chinese Association is forced into the role of organizer. The Kempeitai make sure nobody forgets the cost. Their terror leaves repercussions that still echo. The closing movement points beyond the occupation. Malaya is headed toward independence on August 31, 1957. British hopes of tying Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo, and Brunei into one larger arrangement are fading. Singapore is moving in its own direction. Lee Kuan Yew is introduced as the figure who will dominate the next stretch of the story.

As heard by us

Singapore's wartime collapse is presented as a steady move from Fortress Singapore to occupation.

Singapore's wartime collapse is laid out as a steady move from Fortress Singapore to occupation. The episode stays with the practical side of Japanese rule: the naval base, the shipyards, the propaganda push, the spies, the falling currency, and the pressure on Chinese…

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Why you'd press play

For the grind from Fortress Singapore to Japanese takeover, this keeps the map moving.

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