History of Singapore

This book overviews Singapore's fascinating history from the precolonial era to the present, examining this wealthy island nation from economic, political, cultural, and social perspectives.Singapore is a dominant player in the global economy, serving both as an essential business hub for international finance and home to some of the world's most important ports. It is also one of the world's smallest and most resource-poor countries. This book offers an engaging examination of Singapore using a theme of globalization to explain how the country's worldwide interactions across centuries have resulted in an ethnically diverse society and allowed it to ascend to a position of being an economic powerhouse. Every significant historic event and era—from its status as a meeting point for traders in the 600s to its colonization by the British in 1819, and from Japanese occupation during World War II to the 2002 arrest of a group of Islamic terrorists—is covered.Documents the contributions of nearly two dozen pivotal figures that helped shape Singapore through brief biographical sketches of each individualProvides a chronology of major events and developments in Singapore's historyContains maps of Singapore and Southeast AsiaIncludes a bibliographic essay that suggests further reading on topics ranging from military history, World War II, an ethnic neighborhood study, and regional contextAn index assists readers in quickly referencing key persons, locations, events, and concepts

Jean E. Abshire is associate professor of political science and international studies and head of the Department of Political Science at Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN.