The British’s Colonial Policies Toward Malaya During Churchill’s Peacetime Administration 1951-1955

Winston Churchill won the General Election of Britain and came back to power as the Prime Minister for the second time,he led the British Conservative Party to promote and strengthen the colonial policies.As a significant colony of the British Empire in Southeast Asia,Malaya is highly regarded by Churchill government for its strategic position and economic value.In order to eliminate the Malayan Communist Party,restore the law and order,and to bring back peace to the Commonwealth,Churchill government has formulated a series of policies from three aspects:Firstly,upgrade the Emergency and start the Jungle War to defeat terrorists;Secondly,planning Federal Elections,cultivate the soft nationalism of Malaya by meeting UMNO/MCA Alliance’s needs;thirdly,undertake the "Malayanisation" in the field of economy,government services and national education,to control the independence process of Malaya.Britain made colonial policies toward Malaya not only considering the Southeast Asia geopolitical implication and Malaya situation changes during the Cold War,but also taking individual factors into account such as policymaker’s minds.In terms of policy effect,Churchill government safeguarded imperial interests to the greatest extent,it reflected in economic status and defense security of UK are keep remain in Malay Peninsula.As for Malaya,it accelerated the independence process and left an indelible mark by British occupiers.Meanwhile,the policy effect radiated to other countries around Malaya,exert a certain influence on the Cold War pattern in Southeast Asia.Therefore,Churchill government’s Colonial Policies towards Malaya is the result of a balance between the realistic basis for the relative decline in British power and the goal of maximizing imperial interests,the flexible political mediation between Britain and Malaya has become a classic case in the wave of decolonization.