Revision Test Unit 4: Factors leading to achieving of independence
4b
How far was Southeast Asian Independence achieved as a result [13]
of the Japanese Occupation? Explain your answer.
L1
Writes about Jap Occupation/Southeast Asian Independence but [1]
without focus on the question
Award 1m max.
L2
Describes the given factor and/or identifies other factor
Award 2 marks for describing the given perspective and/or other
perspectives. Award 3 marks for both perspectives.
[2-3]
Given factor: Japanese Occupation (linked to rise of nationalism)
Other factors: Outstanding Nationalist Leaders and Favourable
international circumstances.
L3
Explains factor, but without examples from at least two [3-4]
countries.
Award 3 marks for explaining one perspective and an additional mark
for any supporting detail, up to a maximum of 4 marks.
(General observation + example from 1 country)
No answer can achieve more than L3 if it has not drawn
examples from at least two countries: Indonesia, Malaya and
Vietnam.
L4
Explains the given factor OR other factors, with examples from [5-8]
at least two countries.
Award 5 marks for a main point, with references to at least two
countries
Award 8 marks max for two points, with references to at least two
countries
Given factor: The Japanese Occupation did contribute to the
achievement of independence, as it encouraged nationalist
movements which grew due to the experience of common suffering.
In addition, it also increased the prominence of nationalist leaders
who either benefited from the political experiences gained from
working with the Japanese, or gained increasing popularity as a
result of their anti-Japanese credentials. The Japanese Occupation
thus brought about an awakening of the political consciousness
of the people, who in turn became more willing to fight for their
independence. (link to the question)
E.g. In Indonesia, the Japanese Occupation brought great hardship
on the people. Not only did they suffer from severe food shortages,
there was also huge inflation due to the worthless military currency,
which led to the flourishing of black markets. This worsened in the
late 1943-44, and resulted in anti-Japanese revolts by the
paramilitary group PETA in Blitar, Central Java. This thread of
common suffering subsequently served as a fodder for the
Indonesian nationalists, who had ironically first risen to prominence
during the Japanese occupation, where nationalists such as Sukarno
and Hatta were allowed to tour around Java to conduct nationalistic
rallies, as they were part of the PUTERA advisory council.
E.g. Similarly, the Vietnamese were forced to export rice to Japan for
at very low prices, despite the fact that they had not enough to eat.
This resulted in a famine in Tonkin at the end of 1944 which killed
hundreds of thousands of people despite the fact that the Red River
Delta, which was a major rice-producing region, was part of Tonkin.
This made the ground ripe for the nationalists who used it to
strengthen their cause to fight for freedom from their colonial
oppressors. The Vietminh ironically benefitted from the Tonkin
Famine in the sense that it was during that period that they won over
the support of the villagers, by looting the rice granaries of the rich
and those that belonged to the Japanese, in order to alleviate the
suffering of the people.
OR
Other factor: International circumstances such as the signing of the
Atlantic Charter in 1941 (Clause 3 states that all people had the right
to self determination), between Britain and America did contribute to
the general trend towards decolonization and thus was a factor in the
achievement of independence. In the case of Indonesia and Malaya,
the trend towards decolonisation and Cold war politics did help to
accelerate the transfer of independence to native leaders.
E.g. In Indonesia, American interests of supporting Asian nationalism
and resisting communism coincided, which resulted in America
putting pressure on the United Nations to denounce the Dutch
second police action (1948), which had successfully captured
nationalists such as Hatta and Sukarno. America went so far as to
threaten to withhold Marshall aid from the Netherlands should the
Dutch refuse to pave the way for Indonesian independence. This
forced the Dutch to hold the Round Table Conference 1949, which
recognised the Republic of Indonesia as a state within the federal
United States of Indonesia, which became the key stepping stone to
the achievement of independence.
E.g. Similarly, in the case of Malaya, the desire of the British for a
more progressive form of rule also made them willing to grant gradual
self rule through the Malayan Union (1946), and subsequently to
relinquish greater power through the Federation of Malaya (1948)
agreement. Moreover, to combat the appeal of Communism in
Malaya, the British government tried to outbid them by offering
gradual independence, and subsequently sped up the process when
they saw, in 1955 that Tungku Abdul Rahman’s newly sworn in
cabinet was capable of standing up to the Communists.
OR
Other factor: Independence was also achieved as a result of the
contribution of outstanding nationalist leaders who were able to
garner the support of their people and external players which made
the colonial powers more inclined to grant them independence.
E.g. Sukarno’s decision to clamp down on the PKI revolt in 1948 was
crucial in winning over the support of the Americans, as it showed
him to be an anti-Communist leader. America thus responded by
supporting the nationalists against their Dutch colonial masters.
Sukarno’s keen sense of political opportunism is clear, as he had in
the past had toyed with Marxist ideals, and in subsequently in the mid
1959, after independence had been won, made frequent use of
Communist ideas and publicly supported the PKI, which may suggest
that he had certain socialist inclinations that he masked well, as it
would have proved detrimental to gaining international support during
the climate of the Cold War.
E.g. Tungku Abdul Rahman, the chief minister and leader of UMNO
and the Alliance Party (MCA +MIC) led the Baling Talks in 1955 with
the Communist leader Chin Peng. He succeeded in winning British
support for granting of early independence as he refused to give in to
the demands of the MCP to allow them to become a legal political
party, thus convincing the British that they had a competent, antiCommunist government that can be trusted to lead Malaya as an
independent state.
L5
Both elements of L4
[9-11]
Award 9 marks for explaining the given and other factors, and
additional marks for any supporting detail, to a maximum of 11.
L6
L5 + Reaches a balanced conclusion based on the relative
significance of the reasons.
Ultimately it was mainly due to outstanding nationalist leaders, rather
than the Japanese Occupation, that enabled Vietnam, Indonesia
and Malaya to achieve independence.
Capable leaders in Malaya and Indonesia succeeded in reading the
international climate accurately, and thus won the support of the
British and Americans respectively. Similarly, it was due to capable
leaders like Nguyen Vo Giap and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, who were
finally able to circumvent the unfavourable international
circumstances (i.e. Cold War Politics), which delayed their
achievement of independence as they had to take up armed struggle
to defeat the Americans, and to finally achieve independence for a
unified Vietnam in 1975.
Finally, the Japanese Occupation on its own could not have led to
independence, as the colonial masters could have used the resulting
devastation as a pretext to extend their stay in the region by helping
to ‘rebuild’ their colonies. Rather, it was due to the nationalist leaders
who took advantage of the Japanese Occupation to encourage the
formation of national consciousness that ultimately led the way to the
achievement of independence.
[12-13]