British Intervention Policy 1874

British intervention in the Malay Peninsula

Change of Policy of Non-intervention = Intervention Policy

Why? There are five reasons:

1. Need to protect the British trade route to the east

   • Opening of Suez Canal in 1869, the trade between the West and the East increased.

   • This was because the new route is cheaper, faster and safer for European ships to reach the East.

   • The Straits of Malacca became increasingly important as ships used the Straits en route to China.

2. Demandfor tin

   • The Industrial Revolution in England in the 18th Century resulted in an increasing need for abundant and continuous supply raw materials for its factories.

   • One of the raw materials needed by Britain was TIN which was plentiful in the Malay States of Perak, Selangor and Sungai Ujong (in Negri Sembilan).

   • The demand for TIN grew because of the development of the tin-canning industries in the United States.

• Britain had been supplying tin from its mines in Wales but by the 1860s they were exhausted and new sources had to be sought.

• The Straits Settlements merchants began to invest in tin-mining and the tin trade in the Malay States and they were very lucrative.

3. Anarchy in the Malay States

• There were constant succession disputes and civil wars making the local government weak and unstable.

• Piracy was also rampant particularly along the Straits of Malacca and around Singapore waters.

• The disturbances in the Malay States had caused the Straits Merchants to appeal to the British government to intervene so that lives and properly could be protected.

4. Fear of Foreign Intervention

• By the middle of the nineteenth century, the European countries and America had begun to industrialise.

• These countries also wanted overseas colonies which would provide materials for their manufactured goods.

• By the end of 1850s, the French were spreading their control in Indo-China. The Dutch were expanding rapidly in the East Indies (Indonesia) and the Spanish were already established in the Philippines.

• Russia and Germany were also looking for colonies.

• The British government now feared that if they wanted to keep a monopoly of the tin produced in the Malay States and to keep the other European powers out, they had to extend their control over the Malay States.

5. Change in British Policy of Non-intervention

   • The new government of England in 1873 was under the control of the Conservative Party.

   • In 1873, the Conservative Party under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli took over the government from the Liberal Party.

   • The new government favoured imperialism to boost Britain's prestige. Disraeli called for a "Forward Policy" which encouraged the enlargement of the British empire by extending British control over more overseas colonies.

Multiple Choice

When did they discovered the opening of Suez Canal?

• 1865

• 1869

• 1868

• 1864

Multiple Choice

Why was Straits of Malacca became increasingly important for British?

• A popular trading base

• Dutch wanted to colonise it

• rich of coal commodity

• Because of its strategic location to China

Multiple Choice

Which of the commodities that British interested to invest in Perak?

• Tin

• Rubber

• Coal

• Oil

Multiple Choice

Which of the following caused the British to intervene in Malay States internal affairs?

• Succession Dispute

• Massacre of noble family

• Fighting to take over territories

• Riots occur in some states