Reaction to colonial rule began
in the early 20th century. In 1915, Indian sepoys rebelled and came close to
taking control of Singapore. In 1931, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) was
established. It had links with developing communism in China and drew most of
its support from the Chinese community. By 1937–38, anti-colonial nationalism
began among the Malay community, with the formation of the Union of Young
Malays.
The Japanese occupied the country
from 1941–45. Resistance, mainly from the Chinese, was led by MCP guerrillas.
British rule was reintroduced after the war, but met active resistance from the
MCP. Malay nationalists also campaigned for independence. The United Malays’
National Organisation (UMNO, the principal Malay party) was formed in 1946.
The Federation of Malaya,
comprising 11 peninsular states, was established in 1948. A communist-led
insurrection in that year was suppressed by the UK (although guerrilla warfare
continued in the north of the peninsula and Borneo and the last insurgents only
surrendered in 1989).
A delayed general election took
place in 1955. This was won by the Alliance Party, formed out of UMNO, the
Malayan Chinese Association and the Malayan Indian Congress.
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