Singapore: A Very Short History: From Temasek to Tomorrow

by Alvin Tan

A Very Short History — From Temasek to Tomorrow is a fresh, new, and highly-readable account of Singapore’s history. It is a sweeping story of discovery, abandonment, rediscovery and development of what is today one of the world’s greatest port-cities. Brief as this account may be, it incorporates all the latest research and findings about Singapore’s past, and weaves a concise yet coherent and comprehensive account of the island over the last 700 years. Beyond familiar foundational myths and stories, this new account weaves Singapore’s story on a wide tapestry – through a cast of princes, sultans, colonial administrators, occupiers community leaders and politicians – and tells the tale of how they struggled to answer that allimportant How do we make this island succeed? Two recurrent themes emerge from this gripping account. First, that Singapore was an unlikely or accidental nation-state; and second, that given its vulnerability to wider regional and international forces, it survived and flourished only because it was able to constantly change and adapt to make itself useful and relevant to the world. And what of tomorrow? Will Singapore survive? This book is a hopeful response to these questions.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

208 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[Cpen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a concise book on Singapore history that focused on the post-WWII era. Half of the book were dedicated to the fifty years post-colonial period, while covering the 138 years of colonial rule and ancient Temasek period in the first half of the book. As a general history, it is interesting and easy to read. However, I advise anyone who read it to consult other sources on the post-WWII history of Singapore as well. It presented a very biased account on People's Action Party headed by Lee Kuan Yew in the second half of 20th century. Lee Kuan Yew was indeed a shrewd and nimble politician that highly increase the chance of surivial of new-born Singapore in the midst of hostile neighbour, lack of hinterland and declining entrepot trade.

Nonetheless, the author heralded the stability and prosperity brought by PAP through their tight control of government and society without mentioning its infringement on human rights. For example, in recent years there has been some public reflections in Singapore on Operation Coldstore (PAP's purge of leftists/communists) in the early ages of Singapore separation from Malaysia. Moreover, the book glorified the economic achievements of Singapore government without fair discussion on the social inequalities that brought along. Therefore, this book will surely give you a considerably partial view on Singapore's governance under the PAP in modern time.

[Calvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve finished this coincidentally on the 60th birthday of my country, Singapore. I bought this book as a quick reference and guide to understanding my country’s history because I felt that I had a poor understanding of the struggles in 1950-1980.
Admittedly this book does praise with some bias our ruling party for its achievements but I give it credit for showing the struggles that our late prime minister Lee Kuan Yew underwent in establishing a PAP for its people. It wasn’t so smooth sailing as some of us the younger generation would have thought: definitely it wasn’t a party that was poised to take a totally receptive nation alongside our neighbours.

[Guilherme · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers the history of Singapore from the early 13th century to recent times, delving into the politics since independence and providing details on current policies such as housing and education.

I bought this book in Singapore during my first time there. I found this book to be readable and a quick way to get some context on Singapore’s history.

Summary: https://www.kuniga.me/books/singapore...

[Ummu · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggest, it is indeed a very short and concise history of Singapore. It's an introduction of how Singapore came to be. From a bustling small island full of traders and busy ports to a flourished nation.

An easy read!