SOAS Research Online

Abstract

British policy in the Malay Peninsula reflected two aspects of late nineteenth century imperialism. There was firstly, the extension of control over territories suited to economic development and in which Britain had strategic interests; and secondly, the welding of dependencies into larger units and the tightening of their bonds with Britain. Thus during the period 1880-1909, the Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Johore, Kelantan, Trengganu, Kedah and Perlis became British protectorates, and the states in the southern portion of the Peninsula extent Johore, were "federated" in 1896. This thesis is in part a study of these developments. It also shows that underlying Britain's Malayan policy were three principles of her policy in Asia: the safety of the sea route to the Far East, the security of India's frontiers and the promotion of trade. The extent to which Whitehall's concern to prevent any other Power from securing a foothold in the Malay States or the off-shore islands between Singapore and Tenasserim shaped policy, is a story which has not been told. Similarly, while it is well known that throughout the Victorian era India's interests dominated British foreign policy in south Asia and the adjacent territories, the way in which they conditioned Britain's attitude towards the Siamese Malay States is less known. The period was one of intense international rivalry for the trade and control of overseas territories. Hence another function of the following chapters is to describe how European competition in the Indo-Chinese Peninsula, and French, German, Russian and other interest in the Malay Peninsula as a possible field for their enterprise or a site for a naval station, influenced British policy.