CHRONOLOGY OF SOUTHEAST ASIA: 1750 CE TO 1945 CE
1750 CE
1774 CE
1783 CE
1788 CE
1795 – 1815 CE
1802 – 1820 CE
1819 CE
1820 CE
1820 CE
1820 – 1841 CE
1820s – 1850s CE
1824 – 1830 CE
1826 CE
1830s CE
1834 CE
1839 CE, 1844 CE
1841 – 1880s CE
1850s – 1890s CE
1858 CE
1859 CE
1862 CE
1863 CE
1860s – 1890s CE
1870s – 1910s CE
1870s CE
1873 CE
1880s CE
1880s CE
1883 – 1884 CE
1885 – 1895 CE
1887 CE
1889 CE
1890s CE
1890s – 1900s CE
1890s – 1910 CE
1890s CE
1892 – 1896 CE
1893 CE
1896 CE
1897 – 1902 CE
1898 CE
1898 CE
1899 – 1902 CE
Early 1900s
1902 CE
1905 CE
1906 CE
1907 CE
1907 – 1914 CE
1910 – 1925 CE
1912 CE
1912 CE
1913 CE
Burma united under new dynasty, seeks to control Eastern India, Siam brings into conflict with Chinese, English
Spanish authorities reduce power of Catholic church in Philippines, establish royal monopolies in production, commerce
British return all Dutch East Indies possessions but obtain free trade rights; continuing tensions between Malay landed
Elite, Celebes seafarers in mainland Malaya; new dynasty in Siam does not end political anarchy but cultural flowering
New dynasty in Vietnam reunites state, increases rice production, lands returned to peasants
British occupy all Dutch possessions in SE Asia to prevent cooperation with France; British, Dutch end local feudalism,
Curtail power of local princes, remove old system, land leases given to native populations; coffee introduced
Vietnam: centralized monarchy on Chinese model, Confucian bureaucracy; sanctions against Buddhism, Taoism; Chinese
Émigrés dominate commercial activities in cities; many poor peasants forced into labor on elite estates
British found Singapore to control international exports; became communications, administrative center; funnels rubber,
Tin, rice into world markets; similar type of colonial capital cities founded by Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French
Siam reopens contacts with Western nations, signs unequal commercial treaties; local sultans, Siam cede lands to English
Mexican independence bankrupts Royal Philippine Company; many Spaniards, mestizos move to islands, took privileged
Positions in bureaucracy; ethnic inequalities, tensions between natives, Europeans increased
Vietnamese increase local autonomy, mid-level intellectuals emerge, charged with local administration; 200 peasant
Uprisings; state suppresses Catholicism, executes priests, missionaries; strong tension with French, USA
British conflict with Burma over Assam leads to two Anglo-Burmese Wars, English annex South Burma, coastal lands
Dutch cede Malacca to English in exchange for Sumatra; Dutch suppress Javanese revolts, seize control of Java
Spain demotes native, mestizo Catholic priests and turns over parishes to Europeans
Dutch introduce forced cultivation system to Java: contract with natives, control crops, fix prices, buy rice, coffee to export
Spain opens Manila to international commerce; expands sugar cultivation, plantations; sugar becomes key export crop
Increased Chinese immigration to Filipino cities; Spanish outlaw private trading by officials; Chinese fill commercial void
Sultan of Brunei gives Sarawak to “white rajahs” who eliminate slavery, piracy; N. Borneo becomes British possession
Siam modernized: feudalism abolished, slavery outlawed, bureaucracy centralized, finances reformed, uses technologies
Acquired from west including railroad, weapons, telegraph; Spanish extend control over Muslim sultanates in South, West
French navy bombards Vietnamese capital to protect Catholics
Spain opens schools to all ethnic groups, emergence of Filipino intellectual elite, who create Filipino nationalism
France wins control of Cochin-China from France, rules through traditional elites; free practice of Catholicism allowed
Facing Siamese aggression, Cambodia accepts French protection; French rule through king, traditional institutions
France digs irrigation canals, reclaims swamps; establishes enormous plantations for rice export
European colonial powers redraw map of Southeast Asia, establish boundaries without regard for ethnic, cultural realities;
Create new political framework on which they imposed bureaucratic systems, modern fiscal and communications systems;
Europeans favor export industries and dominate all major aspects of economies; spectacular population, urban growth
Dutch introduce sugar, new agrarian laws to East Indies, relax forced cultivation system
British force Perak and other Malay states to accept British protection on all matters except religion, customs, traditions
British extinguish Burmese state; Buddhist monks become center of anti-English agitation, opposition
Siamese brotherhood of monks modernize Buddhism: integrate Western science, rationalism, use of literary criticism
Sino-French War after Chinese support Black Flags (anti-French triad) guerrilla forces in Tonkin
French forced to suppress hundreds of revolts, guerrilla movements throughout Vietnam
France gains influence in Laos; creates Indo-Chinese Union of Cambodia, Laos, Cochin-China, Annam, Tonkin
Filipino nationalist newspaper published in Spain; new law set up town councils; Spain reforms local administration
Increased Chinese, Indian migration to British, Dutch cities, ports to control services, commercial opportunities
Javanese revolt against intrusive state; reorganize village structure; refuse to cooperate with elite, banks, communal land
Structures; seek end to Muslim marriage; Islamic reform of education leads to conflict with Javanese syncretic religion
Franco-British rivalry costs Siam territory but both nations preserve Siamese independence as a buffer between colonies
Indigenous Malays number only 55% of population due to Chinese, Indian commercial, administrative, labor migration
Katipunan, secret Filipino revolutionary society founded; execution of Filipino heroes leads to revolt by native troops
France gains control over Laos, rules through cooperation with Lao local princes; minimal French economic penetration
British create Malay Federation of their colonies, allied Malay states; British, elites cooperate to isolate Malay peasants
France modernizes Indo-Chinese society, establishes monopolies on salt, opium, alcohol, public facilities; opens iron mines
France establishes elite institute for study of Asian cultures in Vietnam; attracts native intellectuals
Spanish-American War, US intervention in Philippines; Filipinos declare independence; US acquires islands from Spain
US-Filipinos fight guerrilla war; US commits to tutelary colonialism, supports oligarchic elite; intellectuals acquiesce
British, Dutch, French and Americans complete penetration, control of interior lands, outlying islands
US sets up civil administration in Philippines, purchases church land for landless peasants; Church begins reforms
Tonkin Free School opens, introduces use of vernacular Vietnamese written in Latin script; literacy begins to spread
Founding of Young Men’s Buddhist Association in Burma by British trained lay elites, who seek to reform Buddhism
First elections to Filipino assembly limited to literate landowners; pro-independence party wins absolute majority
Dutch language system of primary schools educate Indonesian urban, commercial, and landed elite; stimulates nationalism
Siamese king continues reforms including education, calendar; ends compulsory labor, supports new Thai nationalism
Islamic Union organized in Dutch East Indies to unite different Muslims, intellectuals, socialists; two million members
Chinese revolution becomes Vietnamese model; Japanese successes at modernization inspires regional national movements
US increases number of Filipinos in colonial bureaucracy; allows Filipino goods to be imported to US duty-free