Although the history of Singapore is a short one compared to many of her neighbouring countries, it is one that is rich of twists, turns and conquests before she became a rich and productive nation today.
EARLY HISTORY OF SINGAPORE:
Singapore was once called “Sea Town” or “Temasek”. It was also described as “Pu-luo chung” or commonly known as the “small island at the end of a peninsula”.
It was only in the mid 14th century that the small island earned its grand name. According to legend, the Prince of Palembang, Sang Nila Utama, was out for a hunting trip when he spotted the Island of Temasek and a creature he had never seen before but was told that it was a lion. The prince took this sighting as a good sign and decided to rename the island “The Lion City” or its famous term as “Singapura” from the Sanskrit word “simha”, which stands for lion and “pura” or city.
FOUNDING OF MODERN SINGAPORE
In the mid 19th century, there was a large focus in the region by the British colony to create a merchant fleet and Singapore was then known to be an ideal on-going and out-going trading post from the Straits of Malacca.
On January 29, 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles,the lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen landed in Singapore and recognized her surrounding potential. He then negotiated with local rulers to create a trading station in Singapore. Within a short period, the city grew as she attracted many immigrants from different countries such as India, China and the rest of the Malay Archipelago.
In the year 1822, the “Jackson Plan” was implemented to address the growing issue of disorderliness in the city. A structure was created to encompass and segregate the four major ethnicities into four residential areas namely European Town, Chinese Kampong, Chulai Kampong and Kampong Glam.
The European Town housed residents who were mainly European traders, Eurasians and rich Asians. The Chinese Kampong was home to the ethnic Chinese and is located in present-day Chinatown. The Chulai Kampong was reserved for the ethnic Indians, which was located north of the Chinese Kampong. And Kampong Glam was where the Muslims, ethnic Malays and Arab immigrants resides.
ENGULFING WAR AND PEACE
Singapore continued its growth as a trading port under British colonial rule until 1941. On December 8, 1941, Singapore was attacked by the Japanese during World War II. Due to the superior strategy of the Japanese, the British colony eventually surrendered on February 15, 1942 and the period that followed since then till 1945 was termed as “The Japanese Occupation“. Singapore was renamed to Syonan-to which could be interpreted as “Light of the South” by the Japanese.
The occupation then saw many significant post-war events happening not only in Singapore but in the region. It was a period where people lived in constant fear and restricted movements. It was only until 6 and 9 August 1945 when the United States dropped the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively that the Japanese surrendered. Following the formal signing of the surrender instrument at the Municipal Building, Singapore finally returned to British colonial rule on 12 September 1945.
INDEPENDENCE BROUGHT US HERE
Although peace was restored under the British, the Japanese Occupation made many enthusiasts realise that they could never depend on a foreign power to defend the nation and its interests. One such person was Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, who fought for the self governance of Singapore. It was in the year 1959 when the country held her first general election of which Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s political party, The People’s Action Party (or PAP) won the majority of the government seats. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was then appointed as the first prime minister of Singapore.
Soon after, Mr Lee Kuan Yew worked towards the Merger of Singapore with its closest neighbour – Malaysia, in the hope that the merger would best serve the interests of Singapore since the Lion City was an island of limited resources. In 1963, this target was met when Singapore became a part of the Federation of Malaysia together with the merger of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak.
However, despite Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s long standing belief in the merger, it proved that the political differences between the Singaporean and Malaysian leaders together with economic contrasts of the two countries, were too much to handle. On 9 August 1965, Mr Lee Kuan Yew announced Singapore’s separation from Malaysia after less than two years of merger and became known as an independent nation called the Republic of Singapore.
MODERN DAY SINGAPORE
Modern Singapore
Since its independence, the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew led his team of political leaders to work and overcome many limitations of Singapore. With a lot of hard work and perseverance, Singapore has defined itself today to be one of the most successful nations in the world.
Singapore’s colonial, multicultural and wartime history have made what Singapore is today. To find out even more about the history of Singapore, you can visit the many museums, memorials, monuments and some of the famous heritage trails that are readily available in Singapore.
ABOUT AUTHOR
Team Woopa
"We are a group of young individuals who is always looking to provide you with the best quality guide to make your trip exciting and enjoyable. "
HISTORY OF SINGAPORE
Although the history of Singapore is a short one compared to many of her neighbouring countries, it is one that is rich of twists, turns and conquests before she became a rich and productive nation today.
EARLY HISTORY OF SINGAPORE:
Singapore was once called “Sea Town” or “Temasek”. It was also described as “Pu-luo chung” or commonly known as the “small island at the end of a peninsula”.
It was only in the mid 14th century that the small island earned its grand name. According to legend, the Prince of Palembang, Sang Nila Utama, was out for a hunting trip when he spotted the Island of Temasek and a creature he had never seen before but was told that it was a lion. The prince took this sighting as a good sign and decided to rename the island “The Lion City” or its famous term as “Singapura” from the Sanskrit word “simha”, which stands for lion and “pura” or city.
FOUNDING OF MODERN SINGAPORE
In the mid 19th century, there was a large focus in the region by the British colony to create a merchant fleet and Singapore was then known to be an ideal on-going and out-going trading post from the Straits of Malacca.
On January 29, 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen landed in Singapore and recognized her surrounding potential. He then negotiated with local rulers to create a trading station in Singapore. Within a short period, the city grew as she attracted many immigrants from different countries such as India, China and the rest of the Malay Archipelago.
In the year 1822, the “Jackson Plan” was implemented to address the growing issue of disorderliness in the city. A structure was created to encompass and segregate the four major ethnicities into four residential areas namely European Town, Chinese Kampong, Chulai Kampong and Kampong Glam.
The European Town housed residents who were mainly European traders, Eurasians and rich Asians. The Chinese Kampong was home to the ethnic Chinese and is located in present-day Chinatown. The Chulai Kampong was reserved for the ethnic Indians, which was located north of the Chinese Kampong. And Kampong Glam was where the Muslims, ethnic Malays and Arab immigrants resides.
ENGULFING WAR AND PEACE
Singapore continued its growth as a trading port under British colonial rule until 1941. On December 8, 1941, Singapore was attacked by the Japanese during World War II. Due to the superior strategy of the Japanese, the British colony eventually surrendered on February 15, 1942 and the period that followed since then till 1945 was termed as “The Japanese Occupation“. Singapore was renamed to Syonan-to which could be interpreted as “Light of the South” by the Japanese.
The occupation then saw many significant post-war events happening not only in Singapore but in the region. It was a period where people lived in constant fear and restricted movements. It was only until 6 and 9 August 1945 when the United States dropped the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively that the Japanese surrendered. Following the formal signing of the surrender instrument at the Municipal Building, Singapore finally returned to British colonial rule on 12 September 1945.
INDEPENDENCE BROUGHT US HERE
Although peace was restored under the British, the Japanese Occupation made many enthusiasts realise that they could never depend on a foreign power to defend the nation and its interests. One such person was Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, who fought for the self governance of Singapore. It was in the year 1959 when the country held her first general election of which Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s political party, The People’s Action Party (or PAP) won the majority of the government seats. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was then appointed as the first prime minister of Singapore.
Soon after, Mr Lee Kuan Yew worked towards the Merger of Singapore with its closest neighbour – Malaysia, in the hope that the merger would best serve the interests of Singapore since the Lion City was an island of limited resources. In 1963, this target was met when Singapore became a part of the Federation of Malaysia together with the merger of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak.
However, despite Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s long standing belief in the merger, it proved that the political differences between the Singaporean and Malaysian leaders together with economic contrasts of the two countries, were too much to handle. On 9 August 1965, Mr Lee Kuan Yew announced Singapore’s separation from Malaysia after less than two years of merger and became known as an independent nation called the Republic of Singapore.
MODERN DAY SINGAPORE
Since its independence, the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew led his team of political leaders to work and overcome many limitations of Singapore. With a lot of hard work and perseverance, Singapore has defined itself today to be one of the most successful nations in the world.
Singapore’s colonial, multicultural and wartime history have made what Singapore is today. To find out even more about the history of Singapore, you can visit the many museums, memorials, monuments and some of the famous heritage trails that are readily available in Singapore.
ABOUT AUTHOR
Team Woopa
"We are a group of young individuals who is always looking to provide you with the best quality guide to make your trip exciting and enjoyable. "