How External Forces Shaped Southeast Asia During The Colonial And Cold War

International relations of Southeast Asia have been heavily influenced by outsiders. Please discuss how external forces shaped Southeast Asia during the colonial and Cold War periods.

Colonisation refers to the act of taking control of an area and the indigenous people of the area. Southeast Asia was colonised by European countries starting from around the 16th Century to the 18th Century. By the 19th Century, every country was colonised except for Thailand. The colonies were as follows:

France - French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)

Netherlands - Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)

Portugal - Portuguese Timor (Timor)

Spain - Spanish East Indies (Philippines)

United Kingdom - British Burma, Malaya and Burneo (Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Labuan, Sabah, and Sarawak)

During the 15th to late 17th century, advances in shipbuilding, cartography and

These trading posts were used to store the products obtained from the local traders before they were transported to the Europe. Such trading posts had to be located along major shipping routes and their establishments had to be approved by the local ruler so that peace would prevail for trade to take place. Malacca, Penang, Batavia and Singapore were all early trading posts. The role of the Europeans changed, however, in the later phase known as the industrial phase. As the trading posts grew due to an increase in the volume of trade, demand for food supplies and timber (to build and repair ships) also increased. To ensure a reliable supply of food and timber, the Europeans started to deal with the local communities nearby. These marked the beginnings of territorial control. To maintain peace in trade, the Europeans had to also maintain political stability. Sometimes, they interfered with the internal affairs of the locals to maintain peace. The Europeans also tried to impose their culture on their