Based on wide-ranging research
For the first time, details of the role of British big business in the decolonization process are depicted
Important study explaining the last stages of empire in Malaya and the continuing historical controversy over decolonization
'White's excellent work will enliven the long-standing debate on Malaysia's neo-colonist state and underscore the origins of crony capitalism in Malaysia, an arrangement that continues to prevail and to undermine economic systems worldwide.' - Business History Review
Nicholas J. White is Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History at Liverpool John Moores University where he specialises in British imperialism and decolonisation and the recent history of Southeast Asia.
Preface Abbreviations and Acronyms Introduction: Dependence, Interdependence and Disengagement in the Malaysian Context; 'Neo-colonialism' Re-visited; The Survival and Revival of British Business in Post-Colonial Malaysia; British Business and the British State: the Pursuit of 'Informal Empire'; 'Disengagement' Chapter 1. The Making and Unmaking of 'Greater Malaysia' A Neo-Colonialist Plot?; The Lure of 'Greater Malaysia'; Official Policy and 'Greater Malaysia'; Frustrations with 'Greater Malaysia'; Conclusion Chapter 2. Political Business: Politics and Economic Nationalism in the Post-Colonial State Bolstering the Alliance; Eternal Pessimism; Building the National Economy; The Beginnings of 'Crony Capitalism'; Frustration with Federation; Conclusion Chapter 3. The Years of Living Dangerously: Instability and Insecurity in the Post-Colonial State Lawlessness and the End of the Emergency; Konfrontasi; The Military Withdrawal from 'East of Suez'; Inter-Communal Violence; Conclusion Chapter 4. Looking After the Old Staples: Rubber and Tin in the Post-Colonial Era The Ongoing Reigns of Raja; Rubber and Tengku Tin; 'What Goes Up Must Come Down': Rubber and the Global Economy; Research, Replanting and Marketing: Rubber Development in Malaysia; The Limits of Commodity Agreements: Tin and the Global Economy; Land Alienation and Taxation: Tin Development in Malaysia; Conclusion Chapter 5. Oil Palms and Factories: Diversifying the Post-Colonial Economy British Prominence, British Dominance?; Palm Oil; Industrialising Malaysia; Conclusion Glossary Select Who's Who Bibliography