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Britain and Brunei, 1945–1963: Imperial Retreat and Royal Ascendancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2004

A. J. STOCKWELL
Affiliation:
Royal Holloway, University of London

Extract

An organizing principle of Britain's pre-war empire was collaboration with indigenous monarchies. Secure on their thrones, they legitimated British rule as well as assisting it in practical ways. While friendly princes were assets, however, uncooperative ones could be liabilities; they might obstruct attempts to exploit their resources or to modernize their governments. After the Second World War, British priorities and strategies changed. With their backs to the wall they switched from supporting princes to accommodating politicians. There was no obvious role for them in new nation-states and in many dependencies indigenous monarchies were swept aside by the onrush of nationalism. Yet in Malaya and Brunei they survived: the rulers of the peninsular Malay states did so by adjusting to political change, whereas the Sultan of Brunei flourished by preventing it.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

This article derives from research in connection with my forthcoming volume on Malaysia in the series British Documents on End of Empire and has benefited from disussions with Dr Stephen Ashton, Dr Matthew Jones and Dr Nicholas White.