Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Cold War, 1945-1950

This detailed study throws light on the evolution of British policy in South-east Asia in the turbulent post-war period. Through extensive archival research and insightful analysis of the British mindset and official policy, Tarling demonstrates that South-east Asia was perceived as a region consisting of mutually co-operating new states, rather than a fragmented mass. The book covers the immediate post-war period until the Colombo plan and the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. A companion volume to Tarling’s Britain, Southeast Asia and the Onset of the Pacific War, it finds parallels between Britain’s approach to the threat of Japan and its approach to the threat of communism. It also shows that the British sought to shape US involvement, in part by involving other Commonwealth countries, especially India. This is a major contribution to the diplomatic and political history of South-east Asia.

Preface; List of abbreviations; Maps; 1. Wartime plans for post-war Southeast Asia, 1942–1945; 2. Southeast Asia after the Japanese surrender, 1945–1946; 3. The re-establishment of colonial régimes in Southeast Asia, 1946; 4. Concession and conflict, 1947; 5. The impact of Communism, 1948; 6. Commonwealth and Colombo, 1949–1950; Personalia; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

This detailed study throws light on post-war British policy in South-east Asia. Extensive archival research demonstrates that South-east Asia was perceived as a region of mutually co-operating new states, rather than a fragmented mass. It is a major contribution to the diplomatic and political history of South-east Asia.