Malayan Emergency causes essay

To what extent were the causes of the Malayan Emergency economic?

The Malayan Emergency was a conflict between Britain and the Malayan Communist Party
(MCP) that lasted from 1948 to 1960. It was caused by a multitude of factors, but economic
causes were the most important. These were the economic potential of Malaya and labour
unrest. However, economic causes were not the only important factors, as preventing
Communist expansion was an important political cause of the emergency.

Economic causes were the most important in the Malayan emergency because of the
economic potential of Malaya. Malaya had an abundance of raw materials, mainly tin and
rubber, which were very valuable. So valuable, that a 1950 Colonial Office report stated
Malaya’s rubber and tin mining industries as being the biggest dollar earners in the British
Commonwealth. This meant that Malaya was very beneficial as a British colony, because
these materials could help pay off the enormous debts facing Britain following the Second
World War. However, the MCP taking control of Malaya from the British would mean that
Britain would lose control over these resources, making it harder for them to pay back their
debts. This is evidenced by a secret file from the Foreign Office, which noted that Britain’s
war against the MCP was a war in defence of the rubber industry. This is further shown by
how Britain referred to it as an emergency rather than a war, as insurance is usually not
collectible in times of war, however, by calling it an emergency, Britain could still claim
insurance money during the conflict, thus still allowing them to benefit economically from
Malaya. This shows that the main causes of the Malayan emergency were economic,
because the economic potential of Malaya was vital for Britain, and therefore Britain fought
back against the MCP to maintain economic control over Malaya.

Another reason that economic causes were the most important in the Malayan emergency
is labour unrest. Following the Second World War, the labour market was in disarray, and
the workforce in Malaya was less compliant and more independent. This led to
rebelliousness among workers and a rapid growth in unionism. This was a cause of the
emergency, because it threatened Britain’s ability to profit from Malaya. A surge of Malayan
workers unionising meant that employers had to either provide better salaries and working
conditions for the workers, or face strikes. Both options reduced the amount of profit that
Britain could make from Malaya, so Britain implemented measures to fight against workers’
rights in Malaya. The Governor of Singapore, which was a part of Malaya, stated that the
regulations and police action of the emergency reduced resistance to wage reductions, and
the curfews implemented in the emergency reduced the endeavours of unions. This
prevented any way for peaceful cooperation between Britain and the MCP as it essentially
gave the MCP an a choice between accepting that it would have a limited political role as
worker rights were going to be cracked down on, or revolt against the British. Therefore,
labour unrest was an important cause of the Malayan emergency, as created conflict
between Britain and the MCP that could not be peacefully resolved.

To a lesser degree, social causes were important in the Malayan emergency because of the
treatment of the Chinese community in Malaya. Britain had traditionally promoted Malayan
rights over Chinese rights, even though the Chinese in Malaya made up nearly 45 percent of
the population. In 1948, Britain allowed a new Malay constitution that meant that 90
percent of the Chinese in Malaya had no citizenship. This was important, as the large
majority of the insurgents were Chinese. Therefore, this was a cause of the Malayan
emergency, as the large majority of MCP were Chinese. Britain’s failure to grant citizenship
to the Chinese meant that a large amount of Chinese wanted to revolt against the British in
order to gain rights and citizenship, leading to them joining the MCP, and revolting against
Britain in the emergency. This shows that the treatment of the Chinese community in
Malaya was an important social cause of the Malayan emergency.

The causes of the Malayan emergency were economic to a great extent. This is because the
economic potential of Malaya made it too beneficial for the British to lose control of, and
the labour unrest caused Britain to supress workers’ rights, preventing peaceful cooperation
between the British and the MCP. However, economic causes were not the only important
causes, as the treatment of the Chinese community in Malaya was also important in causing
the Malayan emergency.