Singapore is one of the  smallest countries in the world  

and yet it's also one of the most successful.

Lying at a strategically vital crossroads,  it's emerged as an economic powerhouse.

However, it had a difficult beginning.

Its independence from Malaysia was one of the most  

interesting cases of state creation  in modern international politics.

Indeed, it's often seen as unique.

Singapore is the only state to have been  created by being forced out of another country.

But is this an entirely accurate  picture of what actually happened?

Hello and welcome. If you're new to the  channel my name is James Ker-Lindsay  

and here I take an informed look at international  relations, conflicts, security and statehood.

We tend to think that countries will  resist the loss of territory at all costs.

Modern international relations shows that  

very few states are willing to accept  the independence of a breakaway region.

But what happens if a state impact  wants to lose a piece of land?

In truth, it's almost unknown.

While countries may reluctantly accept that  the piece of territory wants to secede,  

there are remarkably few  instances where a country has  

actively wanted to get rid  of part of its territory.

Indeed, it's widely accepted that there's only one  example of this in modern international politics:  

Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia in 1965.

And yet, as we'll see, it wasn't quite  as straightforward as it might seem.

The island of Singapore lies just off the southern  tip of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia.

At around 721 square  kilometers, or 280 square miles,  

it ranks 175th out of the 193  members of the United Nations.

Its population currently stands at 5.45 million.

This is made up of a diverse  mixture of national groups.

The largest community are ethnic Chinese,  

representing around three  quarters of the population.

Then there are Malays and ethnic Indians,  

representing 15 percent and  7.5 percent respectively.

The remaining one and a half percent or so are  Europeans, Eurasians and other communities.

Although Singapore has a long history of  settlement, the story really begins in 1819  

when Sir Stamford Raffles, a British official,  

established a trading post on the  then sparsely inhabited island.

Sitting at a crucial junction between  the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean,  

in the years that followed Singapore joined  - and later became the administrative centre  

for - other British settlements  established on the Malay Peninsula  

along the strategically  significant Strait of Malacca.

In the decades that followed, Britain extended  its influence over the rest of the peninsula  

as various sultanates came under its protection.

In 1895, a group of these were amalgamated  to form the Federated Malay States.

These sat alongside the straight  settlements and a group of five  

other individual protectorates, collectively  known as the Unfederated Malay States.

Meanwhile, the population  of Singapore grew rapidly.

Numbering just a couple of hundred people  when the trading post was first established,  

within five years the island's  inhabitants had passed ten thousand.

By 1901, this had reached 225,000 people,  rising to over half a million by 1931.

While this growth was driven by  Malay and Indian immigration,  

almost from the start the largest  single community were ethnic Chinese.

During the Second World War, the  Malay Peninsula, including Singapore,  

was occupied by Japanese forces.

However, following the resumption of British  rule the territories were reorganised.

On 1 April 1946, Singapore ceased to be part of  

the Straits Settlements and became a  British crown colony in its own right.

Meanwhile, the remaining Straits Settlements,  along with the Federated and uUnfederated Malay  

States, were amalgamated; becoming the  Federation of Malaya, on 1 February 1948.

As a result, Singapore now sat apart from  the Malay Peninsula - not only geographically  

but also administratively - and over the next  decade and a half achieved greater self-rule.

However, questions were growing about its future,  

especially as by this point the process of  British decolonisation was in full swing.

This issue became even more  pressing when, on 31 August 1957,  

the neighbouring Federation became independent.

Despite its status as a standalone crown colony,  

many in Singapore saw its place within  the newly independent Federation.

While there was little obvious  economic advantage to the union,  

the general view was that Singapore, as a  small island, couldn't survive on its own.

In contrast, the political leaders in the  Federation were cautious about any unification.

Singapore's population was larger than that  of the Federation and they worried about the  

implications of 3.6 million Chinese outnumbering  the 3.4 million Malays in a united country.

However, in the end they were  persuaded by wider political concerns.

Against the backdrop of an ongoing  communist insurgency in the region,  

many feared that without protection  Singapore might be overrun.

In April 1961, Lee Kuan Yew,  the Prime Minister of Singapore,  

proposed the creation of a new state: Malaysia.

This would be made up of the Federation, Singapore  and three other territories still under British  

rule on the neighbouring island of Borneo: Brunei  and the colonies of Sarawak and North Borneo.

Seven months later, in November 1961, and  in consultation with the British Government,  

the creation of the Federation  of Malaysia was agreed.

On 1 September 1962, a controversial  referendum was held in Singapore  

offering voters three choices on the form  of integration but not on the merger itself.

In the end they chose considerable autonomy,  instead of the other two models that envisaged  

either a complete and unconditional merger or a  merger on terms equal to the other new entrants.

In the year that followed, the  details of the union were outlined.

Singapore would be represented  in the federal administration and  

would contribute accordingly to the state budget.

On top of this, it was agreed that a  common market would be established,  

ensuring open trade between the parts of Malaysia.

On 31 August 1963, British rule officially  came to an end and just over two weeks later,  

on 16 September, Singapore became one  of the 14 states of the newly created  

Federation of Malaysia, alongside Sabah  and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

In the end, Brunei, the fourth  territory that was to have joined,  

opted to stay out at the federation.

It would remain a British protectorate  until it gained its independence in 1984.

From the start, the union proved to be a difficult  relationship, both economically and politically.

While it was always clear that there were  significant differences between the two entities,  

these were magnified following  Singapore's entry into the federation.

Singapore became unhappy at the  failure to implement the common market.

Meanwhile, Malaysia felt that Singapore  wasn't meeting its financial obligations.

Moreover, Malaysia's political leadership  was angered by the decision of Singapore's  

ruling People's Action Party to  contest seats in Malaysia in the  

April 1964 general election - a move seen  by the United Malays National Organisation,  

the dominant party in the rest of the Federation  as an encroachment on their political territory.

It was against this backdrop that ethnic tensions  now began to grow between the Malays and Chinese.

This came to a head in July and September 1964,  

when rioting broke out in Singapore  that left 36 dead and over 550 injured.

By the end of the year, relations between the  politicians and the people of Singapore and the  

rest of Malaysia were under intolerable  strain and the Malaysian Prime Minister,  

Tunku Abdul Rahman, now made it clear that if  Singapore's politicians continued their path  

then the only route was for  Singapore to leave the Federation.

That said, soon afterwards he outlined  an idea for a form of confederation.

Singapore would have full autonomy in all  areas except for defence and foreign policy  

in return for giving up its  seats in the Federation.

However, the discussions on this looser  arrangement failed to produce a credible plan.

Instead, in the months that  followed the differences grew.

By July 1965, Rahman had decided  

that the only remaining option was to  force Singapore out of the Federation.

Clearly, this had the potential to lead to  major complications had Singapore refused.

However, by this stage it seems that  Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew  

had also reached the conclusion that the  separation was the only viable way out.

To this end, the sides held top  secret talks on the terms of divorce.

Indeed, even many members of the  governments in Malaysia and Singapore  

were kept in the dark about the negotiations.

Just weeks later, the sides reached a deal.

On the morning of 9 August 1965, less than  two years after it had joined Malaysia,  

and in a move that surprised ordinary  Malaysians and Singaporeans alike,  

a law for Singapore's separation was  unanimously passed by the Malaysian parliament.

Taking direct personal  responsibility for the decision,  

Rahman said that there had been no other choice.

It had been needed for peace.

At the very same time, a visibly upset  

Lee Kuan Yew broke down as he  declared Singapore's independence.

Calling on people to be calm, he  promised that there was nothing to fear.

Singapore would be a multi-ethnic state.

Six weeks later, on 21 September 1965,  

the Republic of Singapore became the  117th member of the United Nations.

What made the separation particularly interesting  was that - at least at the time - it was widely  

regarded as a temporary move based on the  differences of the main political forces.

It wasn't in fact seen as a permanent  parting of the ways driven by some sort  

of fundamental incompatibility  between Malaysia and Singapore.

To that end, the door was in fact  left open for eventual reunification.

Indeed, at the time it appeared as  though many saw this as inevitable.

As Rahman noted, Singapore would  be welcomed back at some point.

Indeed, he would later express his  regret at having let Singapore go.

Likewise, Lee Kuan Yew also sounded a note  of regret about how things turned out.

He too left the door open for a new settlement,  

stating that it would be up to the next  generation to bring about reunification.

Of course, this never happened.

It's now almost 60 years since the  country separated and there appears  

to be no organised movement for reunification;  although the idea is still sometimes floated.

Nevertheless, it's interesting to consider  that, despite everything that had happened,  

there was still a sense that  Singapore's place was really within  

the wider union of other territories  that had come together to form Malaysia.

We often think that states will  do anything to hold on to land.

However, just occasionally  we encounter a situation  

where a country appears willing to  be rid of a troublesome territory.

One of the most interesting such  cases in modern international politics  

was Malaysia's decision to expel Singapore.

As seen, in many ways Singapore's incorporation  into Malaysia was never entirely comfortable.

Despite the many common ties, there  were in fact fundamental political  

and economic differences that quickly made  the union uncomfortable for both parties.

However, ultimately the situation was  resolved peacefully and relatively easily.

And it wasn't quite the dramatic  expulsion that many often think it was.

Although Malaysia wanted to be rid of Singapore,  

it was clear that Singapore was ready to  accept the decision and go its own way.

In this sense, and contrary to the  view many outsiders often have,  

while it was indeed an expulsion it could equally  be regarded as a consensual mutual succession.

In this sense, it raises a fascinating  question about what would happen if a state  

did in fact try to expel a territory that  didn't in fact want to accept independence.

I hope you found that interesting. If so,  here are some more videos that you might like.

Thanks so much for watching  and see you in the next video.