Teachers’ Reference
Enquiry question
Why was Singapore able to make an economic miracle by the end of the 20 th century?
Content Closely related to the History curriculum (S4-6)
Learning
Objectives
 The Singaporean path of independence
 National development of Singapore after independence
 To identify
 To analyse
 To sum up
 To express personal opinions verbally or in written form
 To encourage persistence in adversity
 To develop historical empathy
Items
A Introduction
B Activity 1
C Activity 2
D Activity 3

Format
(Ch. 4-5)
Discussion
Objectives
 Surfing the web  To arouse interest
 To provide background information
 Watching documentary

(Ch. 1-3)
Think-pair-share
 Watching documentary


To have a brief concept of the Singaporean experiences of decolonization
To understand the adversity of Singaporeans after independence
 To analysis the role of government in post-war economic development
 To encourage persistence in adversity
 Writing summary  To develop summary writing skills
E Extended learning
Knowledge:
Skills:
Attitude:
 Comparison  To give students a more
 challenging task
 To encourage self-directed learning
To facilitate cross-topic study in History

Content
 Geographic information of
Singapore
 Singapore: from colonial period to independence
Singapore: from adversity to prosperity – economic development
 Singapore: from adversity to prosperity – economic development
 Post-WWII economic development –
Singapore experiences
 Post-WWII economic development –
Japanese experiences
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Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Step 1

Using the internet, teacher may introduce Singapore with a map and some general information.

General information and map of Singapore: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2798.htm
Do you know?
Similar to the experiences of Hong Kong, Singapore was under British rule for about one and half centuries. Hong Kong was handed over to the mainland in 1997, and Singapore became an independent state in 1965.
Enquiry question
Did Singapore want independence? Did it struggle very hard for it?
Step 1

Watching documentary (Ch. 1-3, 00:00-11:05)

Remind students to pay more attention to the parts about independence, such as the needs for independence, strategies and leaders.
Step 2

Think-pair-share

Teachers may give students a worksheet to facilitate thinking and discussion.
Guidelines for discussion (with suggested answers)
Question
Did Singapore want to become an independent state in the 1950s and
1960s? Why?
What was the British attitude to decolonization of Singapore? How did the attitude affect the independence process in Singapore?
Answer (according to the documentary, Ch. 3)
 No
 Reasons:
-
The people worried about communist threat.
They thought that Singapore might not be able to resist communism alone.
-
Lacked of natural resources, no one believed that Singapore could go alone.
 Supportive, taking initiative;
 Self-government was granted shortly after the end of WWII.
 The process of decolonisation is a peaceful one.
Which solution did Lee Kuan-yew strive for in the process of decolonisation? Did the people support his view?
 Lee wanted Singapore to join the ex-British colony Malaya and become a member of a
Malayan federation.
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Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Who opposed the PAP government’s solution? Give a few examples. How did they show their oppositions?
Why did Lee Kuan-yew cry at a TV interview in August 1965?
 Yes. The 1962 referendum reflected people’s support.
 E.g. Indonesia, some Malays etc.
 Social riots
 Against his will, Singapore was separated from the Malaysia Federation. This shattered his belief in the unity of Singapore and Malaya.
 The future of Singapore became strongly uncertain.
Step 1

Review documentary (11:05-11:24)

Class discussion
Class discussion
Question
What was the main concern of Lee
Kuan Yew and the PAP government after separation from Malaysia?

Answer
To help Singapore to survive.
What was Lee’s primary solution to
Singapore’s adversity?
 To get together able and dedicated leaders to form a strong government (elite government).
Step 2

Review documentary (19:46-20:30)

Class discussion
Class discussion
Question
What was Poh Sin Choon’s conclusion of Singapore’s transformation after independence at the end of the video programme?
Answer
 Singapore survived in the great adversity after independence.
 Instead of suffering from starvation, as foreigners believed in those days, Singapore developed.
 It’s a miracle made by man.
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Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Step 3

Review documentary (00:04 – 00:30)

Class discussion
Class discussion
Question
How successful was
Singapore by the end of the 20 th century?
Answer
 A vibrant Asian metropolis merging various cultures.
 A financial, shipping and oil refining centre of the world.
Further enquiry question
Natural resources that Singapore has are seafood and deep water ports only. It has no motherland to rely on. However, it became a strong competitor of Hong
Kong in Asia in the 1990s. Why were the Singaporeans able to make an economic miracle in 3 decades?
Step 4

Documentary viewing (Ch. 4-5, 11:25 – 20:30).

Teachers may use Table (1) and Table (2) to prepare worksheet. However, it is not appropriate to give students the worksheet before documentary viewing because it may make the task too distractive and difficult. However, teacher may remind students to jot down relevant keywords when they are watching the programme.
Step 5 Further discussion
1.
Why were the Singaporeans able to make an economic miracle in 3 decades?
2.
Make a list of favourable factors that Singapore enjoyed.
Table (1)
3.
Make a list of government policies which help to make the economic miracle.
Favourable factors that Singapore enjoyed
 It is located at strategic position between the Straits of Malacca and the South China
Sea. (00:30)
 The Japanese occupation made the Chinese people think about their future. They began to take Singapore as a home. (06:06)
 Singapore and Britain reached an agreement on full self-government peacefully.
(06:27)
 In the 1960s, many Asian countries plagued with political instability. (11:25)
 Worry about communist threats was strong in those days.
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Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Table (2)
Perspective Successful government policy
Holistic
Political
 Lee’s concept of multi-racialism was accepted by the people.
(07:19)
 The PAP government was able to map out vision for Singapore.
(11:05)
 English was adopted as official language. (11:46)
 The government stressed racial equality.
 Lee’s strong governance was able to create relative political stability.
 Formation of national army gave the country power of selfdefense. (14:01)
 Compulsory military training nurtures commitment and dedication to the country. (14:37)
Social
 The government vigorously promoted racial harmony, sense of citizenship and concept of constant self-improvement through national education.
 The Singaporean government formulated social policies to enable all citizens to enjoy the benefits of economic growth. An example is its housing policy.
 The education policies raised workers’ educational and technical levels.
Economic
 The Singaporean government adopted an elitist policy, creating a strong, efficient and incorruptible leadership.
 The elitist government took charge of economic development with numerous strategies, which dramatically changed the economic structure into a diversified, high-technology-based economy. (15:20, 16:58)
Note
Teacher may refer to the Appendix (subtitles of the documentary on economic development) to prepare a piece of reading material for students. Relevant parts are underlined.
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Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Why was Singapore able to make an economic miracle by the end of the 20 th century? Which is more important, favourable circumstance or human efforts? Write a short summary in 30-50 words.
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Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Do you know?
Japan was defeated in 1945 by the Allied Powers. The Japanese economy collapsed at the end of the war. However, the economy recovered quickly. By the end of 1960s, Japan became an economic power. Some historians comment that the Japanese also made an economic miracle in the post-WWII period.
Task Refer to your textbook, compile a list of favourable factors that contributed to the
Japanese economic miracle. Compare the list with that of Singapore. You may use the template below to make the comparison.
Aspects Singapore Japan
Similarities Political
Differences
Economic
Social
Political
Economic
Social
End
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Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Appendix
Time location
00:04
Economic development of Singapore
2010 is the 45 th anniversary of Singapore’s independence. Today, it is a vibrant Asian metropolis merging various cultures, as well as a financial, shipping and oil refining centre of the world . Its present accomplishments are not from natural resources , but rather from seizing opportunities and tireless self-improvement .
00:30
03:37
06:06
Located at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, Singapore has an area of 710 sq. km., about half the size of Hong Kong. Next door to Malaysia and Indonesia, it commands a strategic location between the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea.
In the early 20th century, Singapore was a city anglicized in administration and commerce. Its culture was mainly Chinese. Due to rise in education standard, increased contact with the West and social changes , patriotic independence movements sprang up in various places of Southeast
Asia to defend their own territory. However, the Chinese in Singapore still regarded themselves as transients.
The Japanese occupation made the Chinese people think, so what is our future here? If we live here in Singapore, where is the defence? We can go back to China, yes, sure, but there are others who had inter-married here, who had sunk their roots here, and therefore they thought of
Singapore as a home.
Lines skipped 06:27
11:05
11:25
11:46
After 1965, the main concern of Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP government was how to survive.
The first thing he did was to get together a good team of leaders. Because of the dedication of this team, he was able to map out vision for Singapore.
In the 1960s, Singapore was a small newly-independent state. Political condition was not stabilized. However, Vietnam, China and other Southeast Asian countries were plagued with political instability of different degrees. Being relatively stable, Singapore was able to attract the attention of international investors .
Singapore was able to spot these advantages, and take advantage of them and turn them into
Singapore’s advantage.
12:21
12:40
For its survival, Lee Kuan Yew’s government exerted strong administration for Singapore, such as holding a strictly anti-communist stance and adopting English as official language .
Furthermore, the government stressed racial equality, and vigorously promoted racial harmony through national education .
Schools in Singapore nurture the belief in harmony among ethnic groups from a young age .
This was the kind of upbringing Ma Kok Seng’s daughter grew up with.
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12:56
13:30
14:37
15:20
16:32
16:58
17:22
18:04
18:15
19:40
19:46
Singapore: post-WWII economic development/Teachers’ Notes
Even though we have different races, different cultures, we come from different family backgrounds, but we are all Singaporean,
Lines skipped
As a soldier, you had to hike, sometimes all through the night without sleep till morning. You’ll find such kind of pressure useful after entering society. You’ll know there’s no family without nation. If you can’t even defend your country, how then can you defend your family?
To improve the economy, the Singaporean government adopted an elitist policy, creating a strong, efficient and incorruptible leadership. The elitist government took charge of economic development with numerous strategies, which dramatically changed the economic structure into a diversified economy . Within 30 years, Singapore transformed from an entrepot economy into one based on industry and the service sector.
There had been many crises that hit Singapore, economic crises, political crises, terrorism, and so on, and one reason why Singapore can survive so far, strangely enough, is the fact that it is small.
It is a city-state, which makes it very adaptable , makes it very nimble. It can react very fast to any concern.
In the late 1970s, Singapore further planned to improve the quality of new investment projects so as to raise workers’ educational and technical levels . It entered its Age of “Second Industrial
Revolution” in the 80s, such as setting up knowledge-intensive industries like research and development, engineering design, and computer software service s. The Singaporean economy rapidly transformed from being labour-intensive into high-technology based.
At the same time, the Singaporean government formulated social policies aimed at enabling all citizens to enjoy the benefits of economic growth. An example is its housing policy . Beginning with the Queenstown project of 1965, the Singaporean government has always been dedicated to providing housing for its nationals. The housing plan allowed citizens to buy reasonably-priced homes by paying installments. Today, about 75% of Singaporean nationals, including almost all low-to-middle income families, live in affordable housing units built by the government.
Ma Kok Seng's family of seven lives comfortably in a flat over a thousand square feet in size.
You know upon returning home you have a shelter. With a shelter, you can then concentrate on your work. That’s most important.
Ma Kok Seng and his wife leave for work before dawn. While enjoying the benefits of the country’s rapid development, people of his generation have to face increasing competition.
Constant self-improvement is the only way out.
I think I will contribute to Singapore because Singapore helps me a lot.
They said that when the British withdrew, Singaporeans would starve to death. But the
Singaporean government stood firm and built solid foundations. In Singapore nobody starved to death. It developed.
Some foreigners say it’s a miracle, but miracles are made by man.
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