30.2 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT

By: Remedor Gumabon Jr. , Darryck Williams , Zachary Winter , Henry Leon, and ALEX GARDUNNO

Terms to know Maritime Sphere of Influence Buffer state

Places to Locate Melong River Gulf of Thailand Indochina Peninsula Malay Peninsula Angkor Wat Strait of Malacca Sunda Strait East Timor

A Geographic View The many names given to the Mekong

River serve as reminders of Southeast Asia’s rich and colorful history.

The Mekong River has been a major waterway for the different civilizations that have flourished along its banks.

The Mekong River

Early Civilizations Early peoples in Southeast Asia were

highly skilled farmers. During this early period, farmers in the region grew vegetables and domesticated cattle and pigs.

Bronze was first cast in Thailand in 3000 B.C. Many Southeast Asian cultural traditions arose during this period.

Early Civilizations (cont.) Early Southeast Asians worshiped their

ancestors as well as animal and nature spirit.

In society, power and wealth were passed down the mother’s family.

Kingdoms and Empires In Southeast Asia civilizations developed

water ways Empires used Maritime, or seafaring, to

control shipping and trade Other empires gained wealth from crops

Funan Indian traders set up trading posts along the

gulf of Thailand People living in the region blended their

traditions with the local traditions People of Funan adopted Hinduism and the

Indian model of government Funan traded with regions like China, India,

and Persia In 200 A.D. the kingdom of Funan was

established

Khmer Fertile river deltas and valleys brought wealth to the

region The empire flourished along the Mekong river with

advanced architecture Used complex system of lakes and canals to grow rice

Khmer (cont.) Their architecture has also made them well known along with their

agricultural advances Angkor wat was a temple that had both Hindu influences and local

styles

Srivijaya Empire Based on the island of Sumatra empire with

naval strength, A.D. 600-1300 Controlled all seas surrounding the island Used its navy to control the seas around it By the 1300s, the empire had declined but left

an influence on all maritime territories Today, Singapore owes its economic prosperity

to the same straits

Vietnam The Vietnamese controlled the peninsula from

the Hong river to the coastal lands in the center Vietnamese struggled with Chinese invaders Chinese controlled the area and introduced their

ideas and belief to the area

Islam Most people along the coast adopted Islamic culture and

converted to Islam Religion spread from the coast to the inland Malacca was an important seaport and Islamic cultural

center

Western Colonization The European powers at first set up spheres

of influence-agreed-upon areas of control. After dividing the British from French-ruled

territories, the kingdom of Siam served as a buffer state, or a neutral territory between rival powers.

Because of this, Siam was the only Southeast Asian territory that remained independent from European rule

Western Holding During the early 1900s, the

Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States dominated Southeast Asia.

The Netherlands claimed most of the islands that today make up what we see today as Indonesia. The United Kingdom controlled what is now Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.

France governed territories in Indochina that later became Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. The United States controlled the Philippines as a result of a war with Spain in 1889.

Effects of Western Rule Europeans and Americans brought widespread changes

to Southeast Asia. They built railroads, paved roads, and improved harbors to speed the movement of people and goods throughout the region.

Westerners expanded tin mining and oil drilling, and they replaced small farms with large commercial plantations. The production of rice, rubber, coffee, and other products soared, and Westerners received enormous profits.

Southeast Asian agricultural workers alone could not meet the growing Western demand for labor. Plantation owners imported machinery, but they also hired Indian and Chinese immigrants to work in the mines and fields.

Effects of Western Rule(cont.)

The Struggle for Freedom Japan forced western countries out of Southeast

Asia, during world war II In 1945, the western countries tried to gain their

independence back from Japan In 1965, the western countries finally gained

their independence

Regional Conflicts In 1954 communist defeated the

French in Vietnam Vietnam separated into North

Vietnam(communist) and South Vietnam(non-communist)

In mid-1970s North Vietnam used force to unite all of Vietnam

Regional Conflicts(Cont.) Ethnic and Religious groups within a

country struggle for independence For example the East Timor’s mostly

Roman Catholic broke from Indonesia and became independent

Forms of Government Indonesia, the Philippines, and

Singapore are democratic republics Myanmar's military tried to defeat Aung

San Suu Kyi, to bring democracy peacefully to the country