National University of Singapore Press
The Politics of the Malayan Communist Party from 1930 to 1948
9789813252585
Distributed for National University of Singapore Press
The Politics of the Malayan Communist Party from 1930 to 1948
A new evaluation of the history of the Malayan Communist Party.
By 1946, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) had become one of the most successful communist parties in Asia. From its foundation in 1930, it had built up a membership in the thousands, mainly among Chinese and Indian workers in Malaya. When the Japanese arrived, the MCP organized the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), the only effective resistance force. After the War, when the British returned, the Party launched a legal campaign for independence, but by 1948, the MCP had surrendered its achievements and taken many members underground to launch a disastrous, failed insurrection against the British.
To understand these momentous turns of history, a fresh view is required of the Malayan Communist Party as a political actor. The Politics of the Malayan Communist Party from 1930 to 1948 gives a political history of the Party and explains why the MCP self-destructed in 1948. In particular, David Lockwood questions assumptions that post-war politics led inevitably to armed struggle and questions the accepted narrative of Party Chairman Lai Tek's treachery. This is a revisionist history of a period, and political force, that has left a lasting mark on the politics of Malaya and Singapore.
By 1946, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) had become one of the most successful communist parties in Asia. From its foundation in 1930, it had built up a membership in the thousands, mainly among Chinese and Indian workers in Malaya. When the Japanese arrived, the MCP organized the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), the only effective resistance force. After the War, when the British returned, the Party launched a legal campaign for independence, but by 1948, the MCP had surrendered its achievements and taken many members underground to launch a disastrous, failed insurrection against the British.
To understand these momentous turns of history, a fresh view is required of the Malayan Communist Party as a political actor. The Politics of the Malayan Communist Party from 1930 to 1948 gives a political history of the Party and explains why the MCP self-destructed in 1948. In particular, David Lockwood questions assumptions that post-war politics led inevitably to armed struggle and questions the accepted narrative of Party Chairman Lai Tek's treachery. This is a revisionist history of a period, and political force, that has left a lasting mark on the politics of Malaya and Singapore.
248 pages | 5.98 x 9.02 | © 2024
Asian Studies: Southeast Asia and Australia
History: Asian History
Sociology: Social Change, Social Movements, Political Sociology
Table of Contents
List Of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter One: Communism, The Colonies And Malaya In 1930
Chapter Two: The Malayan Communist Party: 1930 To 1934
Chapter Three: Building A Mass Workers’ Movement: 1934 To 1941
Chapter Four: The People’s Front
Chapter Five: The Japanese Occupation
Chapter Six: The First Debate
Chapter Seven: Back To The Workers
Chapter Eight: The British Strike Back
Chapter Nine: The Second Debate
Chapter Ten: The Decision
Chapter Eleven: The Campaign Against Lai Teck
Chapter Twelve: Disaster
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
Chapter One: Communism, The Colonies And Malaya In 1930
Chapter Two: The Malayan Communist Party: 1930 To 1934
Chapter Three: Building A Mass Workers’ Movement: 1934 To 1941
Chapter Four: The People’s Front
Chapter Five: The Japanese Occupation
Chapter Six: The First Debate
Chapter Seven: Back To The Workers
Chapter Eight: The British Strike Back
Chapter Nine: The Second Debate
Chapter Ten: The Decision
Chapter Eleven: The Campaign Against Lai Teck
Chapter Twelve: Disaster
Appendix
Bibliography
Index