Editing Singapore (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Singapore}}

=== Ancient Singapore  ===
{{further|Early history of Singapore}}
In 1299, according to the ''[[Malay Annals]]'', the [[Kingdom of Singapura]] was founded on the island by [[Sang Nila Utama]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9JAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA43 |title=Malay Annals |page=43 |author=<!--unknown; old historical document-->|translator-last=Leyden|translator-first=John |date=1821}}</ref> Although the historicity of the accounts as given in the ''Malay Annals'' is the subject of academic debates,{{sfn|Miksic|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154 154]}} it is nevertheless known from various documents that Singapore in the 14th century, then known as [[Temasek]], was a trading port under the influence of both the [[Majapahit]] Empire and the [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Siamese]] kingdoms,{{sfn|Miksic|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA184 183–185]}} and was a part of the [[Indosphere]].<ref name=Dixon>{{cite book |last1=Dixon |first1=Robert M.W. |last2=Alexandra |first2=Y. |year=2004 |title=Adjective Classes: A Cross-linguistic Typology |url=https://archive.org/details/adjectiveclasses00dixo_002|url-access=limited |page=[https://archive.org/details/adjectiveclasses00dixo_002/page/n96 74] |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-920346-6}}</ref><ref name=Matisoff1990>{{Citation |last=Matisoff |first=James|author-link=James Matisoff |title=On Megalocomparison |journal=Language |volume=66 |issue=1 |pages=106–120 |year=1990 |doi=10.2307/415281 |jstor=415281}}</ref><ref name=Enfield>{{Citation |last=Enfield |first=N.J. |title=Areal Linguistics and Mainland Southeast Asia |journal=Annual Review of Anthropology |volume=34 |pages=181–206 |year=2005 |doi=10.1146/annurev.anthro.34.081804.120406 |url=http://pubman.mpdl.mpg.de/pubman/item/escidoc:57458/component/escidoc:57459/Enfield_2005_areal.pdf |hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0013-167B-C|hdl-access=free|access-date=5 August 2018|archive-date=16 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816071246/http://pubman.mpdl.mpg.de/pubman/item/escidoc:57458/component/escidoc:57459/Enfield_2005_areal.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="academia edu">{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/2635407 |title=As in Heaven, So on Earth: The Politics of Visnu Siva and Harihara Images in Preangkorian Khmer Civilisation |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=21–39 |publisher=Academia|access-date=23 December 2015 |last1=Lavy |first1=Paul A. |year=2003 |doi=10.1017/S002246340300002X |s2cid=154819912|archive-date=12 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812222402/https://www.academia.edu/2635407|url-status=live |issn=0022-4634}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/people/faculty/stark/pdfs/AP1999%20article.pdf |title=Results of the 1995–1996 Archaeological Field Investigations at Angkor Borei, Cambodia |publisher=University of Hawai'i-Manoa|access-date=5 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172419/http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/People/Faculty/Stark/pdfs/AP1999%20article.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref> These Indianised kingdoms were characterised by surprising resilience, political integrity and administrative stability.<ref>Pierre-Yves Manguin, "From Funan to Sriwijaya: Cultural continuities and discontinuities in the Early Historical maritime states of Southeast Asia", in ''25 tahun kerjasama Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi dan Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient,'' Jakarta, Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi / EFEO, 2002, p. 59–82.</ref> Historical sources also indicate that around the end of the 14th century, its ruler [[Parameswara (king)|Parameswara]] was attacked by either the [[Majapahit]] or the Siamese, forcing him to move to [[Malacca]] where he founded the [[Sultanate of Malacca]].{{sfn|Miksic|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bMt3BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA162 155–163]}} Archaeological evidence suggests that the main settlement on [[Fort Canning Hill]] was abandoned around this time, although a small trading settlement continued in Singapore for some time afterwards.<ref name="turnbull" /> In 1613, [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] raiders burned down the settlement, and the island faded into obscurity for the next two centuries.<ref name="Borschbergp157-158">{{cite book |last=Borschberg |first=P. |title=The Singapore and Melaka Straits. Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th century |publisher=NUS Press |year=2010 |location=Singapore |pages=157–158 |isbn=978-9971-69-464-7}}</ref> By then, Singapore was nominally part of the [[Johor Sultanate]].<ref name="country studies">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/singapore/3.htm |title=Country Studies: Singapore: History |publisher=U.S. Library of Congress|access-date=1 May 2007|archive-date=23 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923070753/http://countrystudies.us/singapore/3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The wider maritime region and much trade was under Dutch control for the following period after the 1641 [[Dutch Malacca|Dutch conquest of Malacca]].<ref name=uslcFοunding>{{cite book|editor-last=Leitch Lepoer|editor-first=Barbara |title=Singapore: A Country Study |url=http://countrystudies.us/singapore/|access-date=18 February 2010 |series=Country Studies |year=1989 |publisher=GPO for tus/singapore/4.htm|archive-date=15 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015211019/http://countrystudies.us/singapore/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== British colonisation ===
{{Main|Founding of modern Singapore|Singapore in the Straits Settlements}}
[[File:Letter from William Farquhar to Sultan Muhammad Kanzul Alam, the Sultan of Brunei, dated 28 November 1819.jpg|thumb|301x301px|Letter from [[William Farquhar]] to Sultan Muhammad Kanzul Alam, the 21st [[List of sultans of Brunei|Sultan of Brunei]], dated 28 November 1819. In the first line, Farquhar mentions that Sultan Hussein Shah and Temenggong Abdul Rahman allowed the [[East India Company|British East India Company]] to establish a [[Factory (trading post)|factory]] in Singapore on 6 February 1819.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Nicholl |first1=Robert |title=From Buckfast to Borneo: Essays Presented to Father Robert Nicholl on the 85th Anniversary of His Birth, 27 March 1995 |last2=King |first2=Victor T. |last3=Horton |first3=A. V. H. |publisher=University of Hull |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-85958-836-2 |location=Hull, England |pages=219 |chapter=Malay sources for the history of the Sultanate of Brunei in the early nineteenth century: some letters from the reign of Sultan Muhammad Kanzul Alam (Annabel Teh Gallop) |oclc=35366675 |access-date=24 April 2022 |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/11507827 |archive-date=11 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000715/https://www.academia.edu/11507827 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=add_ms_12398_f019r |title=Farquhar Letterbook (Add MS 12398) |year=1842 |pages=39–40 |language=ms |chapter=Ini kupia surat kepada Raja Barunai |trans-chapter=This is a copy of the letter to the Raja of Brunei |access-date=24 April 2022 |archive-date=24 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424173837/http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=add_ms_12398_f019r |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
The British governor [[Stamford Raffles]] arrived in Singapore on 28 January 1819 and soon recognised the island as a natural choice for the new port.<ref name="YongRao1995">{{cite book |author1=Mun Cheong Yong |author2=V. V. Bhanoji Rao |title=Singapore-India Relations: A Primer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZdZo5Ui8oS4C&pg=PA3 |year=1995 |publisher=NUS Press |isbn=978-9971-69-195-0 |page=3|access-date=14 September 2019|archive-date=11 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000734/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZdZo5Ui8oS4C&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The island was then nominally ruled by [[Abdul Rahman Muazzam Shah of Johor|Tengku Abdul Rahman]], the [[Sultan of Johor]], who was controlled by the [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] and the [[Bugis]].<ref name="Trocki2009">{{cite book |last=Trocki |first=Carl A. |title=Singapore: Wealth, Power and the Culture of Control |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vA-CAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73 |year=2009 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-50243-1 |page=73|access-date=14 September 2019|archive-date=11 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000706/https://books.google.com/books?id=vA-CAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the [[Sultanate]] was weakened by factional division: [[Temenggong Abdul Rahman|Abdul Rahman]], the [[Temenggong of Johor]] to Tengku Abdul Rahman, as well as his officials, were loyal to the Sultan's elder brother [[Hussein Shah of Johor|Tengku Long]], who was living in [[exile]] in [[Penyengat Island]], [[Riau Islands]]. With the Temenggong's help, Raffles managed to smuggle Tengku Long back into Singapore. Raffles offered to recognise Tengku Long as the rightful Sultan of Johor, under the title of [[Hussein Shah of Johor|Sultan Hussein]], as well as provide him with a yearly payment of $5000 and another $3000 to the Temenggong; in return, Sultan Hussein would grant the British the right to establish a trading post on Singapore.<ref name="uslcFounding">{{cite web |title=Singapore – Founding and Early Years |url=http://countrystudies.us/singapore/4.htm |publisher=[[U.S. Library of Congress]]|access-date=18 July 2006|archive-date=17 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117143728/http://countrystudies.us/singapore/4.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[1819 Singapore Treaty|Treaty of Singapore]] was signed on 6 February 1819.<ref>{{cite web |title=1819 – The February Documents |publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (Singapore)|Ministry of Defence]] |date=7 February 1997|access-date=18 July 2006 |last=Ng |first=Jenny |url=http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/overview/the_early_years/v01n02b_history.html|archive-date=17 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717065310/https://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/overview/the_early_years/v01n02b_history.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Milestones in Singapore's Legal History |publisher=[[Supreme Court, Singapore]]|access-date=18 July 2006 |url=http://app.supremecourt.gov.sg/default.aspx?pgID=39|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927183512/http://app.supremecourt.gov.sg/default.aspx?pgID=39|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref>

[[File:Part of Singapore Island (British Library India Office Records, 1825, detail).jpg|thumb|left|1825 survey map. Singapore's [[free port]] trade was at [[Singapore River]] for 150 years. [[Fort Canning]] hill (centre) was home to its ancient and early colonial rulers.]]
In 1824, a further treaty with the Sultan led to the entire island becoming a part of the [[British Empire]].<ref name="Founding of Modern Singapore">{{cite web |title=Founding of Modern Singapore |url=http://app.www.sg/who/32/Founding-of-Modern-Singapore.aspx |publisher=[[Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts]]|access-date=13 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508135636/http://app.www.sg/who/32/Founding-of-Modern-Singapore.aspx|archive-date=8 May 2009}}</ref> In 1826, Singapore became part of the [[Straits Settlements]], then under the jurisdiction of [[British India]]. Singapore became the regional capital in 1836.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archiveeditions.co.uk/titledetails.asp?tid=17 |title=East & South-East Asia Titles: Straits Settlements Annual Reports (Singapore, Penang, Malacca, Labuan) 1855–1941 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|access-date=31 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609014003/http://www.archiveeditions.co.uk/titledetails.asp?tid=17|archive-date=9 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Prior to Raffles' arrival, there were only about a thousand people living on the island, mostly indigenous [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]] along with a handful of [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]].<ref name="The Malays">{{cite web |title=The Malays |url=http://yesterday.sg/discover-more/communities-festivals/communities/the-malays/ |publisher=National Heritage Board 2011|access-date=28 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223000344/http://yesterday.sg/discover-more/communities-festivals/communities/the-malays/|archive-date=23 February 2011}}</ref> By 1860 the population had swelled to over 80,000, more than half being [[Chinese Singaporeans|Chinese]].<ref name="Founding of Modern Singapore" /> Many of these early immigrants came to work on the pepper and [[Uncaria gambir|gambier]] plantations.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924023134368#page/n227/mode/2up|editor1-last=Wright|editor1-first=Arnold|editor2-last=Cartwright|editor2-first=H.A. |last=Sanderson |first=Reginald |date=1907 |title=Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources |pages=220–221}}</ref> In 1867, the Straits Settlements were separated from [[British India]], coming under the direct control of [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/372a4e72-9f1b-4eb4-9ec6-58cad02000f0 |title=Singapore attains crown colony status – Singapore History |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg|access-date=3 April 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414171544/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/372a4e72-9f1b-4eb4-9ec6-58cad02000f0|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, in the 1890s, when the rubber industry became established in [[Singapore in Malaysia|Malaya]] and Singapore,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/a8ceea4c-1c8b-4c9a-885c-b85038b39e4c |title=First Rubber Trees are Planted in Singapore – 1877 |website=History SG |publisher=National Library Board Singapore|access-date=8 February 2017|archive-date=14 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614122517/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/a8ceea4c-1c8b-4c9a-885c-b85038b39e4c|url-status=live}}</ref> the island became a global centre for rubber sorting and export.<ref name="Founding of Modern Singapore" />
[[File:Singapore 1865 SLNSW FL15083916.jpg|thumb|Panorama of Singapore at sunrise, 1865, lithograph by Vincent Brooks.]]

Singapore was not greatly affected by the [[First World War]] (1914–18), as the conflict did not spread to [[Southeast Asia]]. The only significant event during the war was the [[1915 Singapore Mutiny]] by [[Muslim]] [[sepoys]] from British India, who were garrisoned in Singapore.<ref name=Brill1>{{cite book |title=The Indian Army in the Two World Wars |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cON5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 |date=14 October 2011 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |isbn=978-90-04-21145-2 |pages=17–18|access-date=14 September 2019|archive-date=11 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000843/https://books.google.com/books?id=cON5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> After hearing rumours that they were to be sent to fight the [[Ottoman Empire]], a Muslim state, the soldiers rebelled, killing their officers and several British civilians before the mutiny was suppressed by non-Muslim troops arriving from [[Johore]] and [[Burma]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_570_2005-01-24.html |title=1915 Singapore Mutiny |website=National Library Board |publisher=National Library Board Singapore|access-date=26 August 2019|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225200105/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_570_2005-01-24.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

After [[World War I]], the British built the large [[Singapore Naval Base]] as part of the defensive [[Singapore strategy]].<ref name="Stille2016">{{cite book |last=Stille |first=Mark |title=Malaya and Singapore 1941–42: The fall of Britain's empire in the East |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gHe9DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 |year=2016 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4728-1124-0 |pages=5–6|access-date=14 September 2019|archive-date=11 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000710/https://books.google.com/books?id=gHe9DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Originally announced in 1921, the construction of the base proceeded at a slow pace until the [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]] in 1931. Costing $60&nbsp;million and not fully completed in 1938, it was nonetheless the largest [[dry dock]] in the world, the third-largest [[floating dock (jetty)|floating dock]], and had enough fuel tanks to support the entire British navy for six months.<ref name="Stille2016" /><ref name="Tan2008">{{cite book |last=Tan |first=Kevin |title=Marshall of Singapore: A Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BH88kpvyrdYC&pg=PA90 |year=2008 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-230-878-8 |pages=90–}}</ref><ref name="Hobbs2017">{{cite book |last=Hobbs |first=David |title=The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVEgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 |year=2017 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-1-61251-917-3 |page=5 |access-date=14 September 2019 |archive-date=11 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211001300/https://books.google.com/books?id=FVEgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> The base was defended by heavy {{convert|15|in|mm|adj=on}} naval guns stationed at [[Fort Siloso]], [[Fort Canning]] and Labrador, as well as a [[Royal Air Force]] airfield at [[Tengah Air Base]]. [[Winston Churchill]] touted it as the "[[Gibraltar]] of the East", and military discussions often referred to the base as simply "[[East of Suez]]". However, the [[British Home Fleet]] was stationed in Europe, and the British could not afford to build a second fleet to protect their interests in Asia. The plan was for the Home Fleet to sail quickly to Singapore in the event of an emergency. As a consequence, after [[World War II]] broke out in 1939, the fleet was fully occupied with defending Britain, leaving Singapore vulnerable to [[Japanese occupation of Singapore|Japanese invasion]].<ref name="LambTarling2001">{{cite book |last1=Lamb |first1=Margaret |last2=Tarling |first2=Nicholas |title=From Versailles to Pearl Harbor: The Origins of the Second World War in Europe and Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4izcCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818180438/https://books.google.com/books?id=4izcCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 August 2020 |date=2001 |publisher=Macmillan International Higher Education |isbn=978-1-4039-3772-8 |page=39}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BH88kpvyrdYC&pg=PA90 |title=Marshall of Singapore: A Biography |last=Tan |first=Kevin |isbn=978-981-230-878-8 |year=2008 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies}}</ref>

=== Japanese occupation ===
{{Main|Japanese occupation of Singapore}}
[[File:Evacuation of British POWs, Kallang Airport, Singapore - 19450908.jpg|thumb|right|British evacuation in 1945 after the [[Japanese surrender]]. [[Kallang Airport]]'s control tower near the city has been conserved.]]
During the [[Pacific War]], the Japanese [[Malayan campaign|invasion of Malaya]] culminated in the [[Battle of Singapore]]. When the British force of 60,000 troops surrendered on 15 February 1942, British prime minister Winston Churchill called the defeat "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/15/newsid_3529000/3529447.stm |title=On This Day&nbsp;– 15 February 1942: Singapore forced to surrender |access-date=1 May 2007 |publisher=BBC News |date=15 February 1942 |archive-date=19 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519174009/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/15/newsid_3529000/3529447.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> British and Empire losses during the fighting for Singapore were heavy, with a total of nearly 85,000 personnel captured.{{sfn|Wigmore|1957|p=382}} About 5,000 were killed or wounded,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-singapore |title=Battle of Singapore |publisher=World History Group |access-date=8 May 2015 |archive-date=12 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512181020/http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-singapore |url-status=live}}</ref> of which [[Australians]] made up the majority.{{sfn|Legg|1965|p=248}}<ref>{{cite news |title=1,000 Aussie victims of WWII join suit against Japan |first=Teresa |last=Ooi |newspaper=[[The Straits Times]] |location=Singapore |date=17 January 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=South West Pacific War: Australia's Fine Record |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19460912-1.2.47?ST=1&AT=search&k=battle%20of%20singapore,%20world%20war%20ii,%20australians&QT=battle,of,singapore,world,war,ii,australians&oref=article |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=12 September 1946 |access-date=22 October 2019 |archive-date=20 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220093327/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19460912-1.2.47?ST=1&AT=search&k=battle%20of%20singapore,%20world%20war%20ii,%20australians&QT=battle,of,singapore,world,war,ii,australians&oref=article |url-status=live}}</ref> Japanese casualties during the fighting in Singapore amounted to 1,714 killed and 3,378 wounded.{{sfn|Wigmore|1957|p=382}}{{efn|The breakdown of British Empire losses included 38,496 United Kingdom, 18,490 Australian, 67,340 Indian and 14,382 local volunteer troops. Total Australian casualties included 1,789 killed and 1,306 wounded.{{sfn|Wigmore|1957|p=382}}}} The occupation was to become a major turning point in the histories of several nations, including those of [[Japan]], [[United Kingdom|Britain]], and Singapore. Japanese newspapers triumphantly declared the victory as deciding the general situation of the war.{{sfn|Toland|1970|p=277}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Japanese Occupation newspaper in library portal |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/japanese-occupation-newspaper-in-library-portal |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |first=Melody |last=Zaccheus |date=21 January 2017 |access-date=22 October 2019 |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819024819/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/japanese-occupation-newspaper-in-library-portal |url-status=live}}</ref> Between 5,000 and 25,000 ethnic Chinese people were killed in the subsequent [[Sook Ching massacre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+sg0027) |title=Singapore, Shonan: Light of the South |last=Leitch Lepoer |first=Barbara |year=1989 |website=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=29 January 2011 |location=Washington, DC |archive-date=29 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629230435/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+sg0027) |url-status=live}}</ref> British forces had [[Operation Mailfist|planned to liberate Singapore]] in 1945/1946; however, the war ended before these operations could be carried out.{{sfn|Bose|2010|pp=18–20}}<ref name="auto1">{{cite news |title=The real Japanese surrender |url=http://staff.science.nus.edu.sg/~sivasothi/blog/pdf/jap_surrender-st04sep2005.pdf |archive-url= https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080119210334/http://staff.science.nus.edu.sg/~sivasothi/blog/pdf/jap_surrender-st04sep2005.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date=19 January 2008 |newspaper=The Sunday Times |location=Singapore |date=4 September 2005 |access-date=22 October 2019}}</ref>

=== Post-war period ===
{{Main|Colony of Singapore}}
[[File:SINGAPORE.png|thumb|right|Map of Singapore Town in 1951.]]
After the [[Surrender of Japan|Japanese surrender]] to the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] on 15 August 1945, Singapore fell into a brief state of violence and disorder; looting and revenge-killing were widespread. British, Australian, and Indian troops led by Lord [[Louis Mountbatten]] [[Operation Tiderace|returned to Singapore]] to receive the formal surrender of Japanese forces in the region from General [[Seishirō Itagaki]] on behalf of General [[Hisaichi Terauchi]] on 12 September 1945.{{sfn|Bose|2010|pp=18–20}}<ref name="auto1" /> Meanwhile, [[Tomoyuki Yamashita]] was tried by a US military commission for war crimes, but not for crimes committed by his troops in Malaya or Singapore. He was convicted and hanged in the [[Philippines]] on 23 February 1946.{{sfn|Smith|2006|p=556–557}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Yamashita Hanged |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/maltribune19460223-1.2.12 |work=Malaya Tribune |location=Singapore |date=23 February 1946 |access-date=22 October 2019 |archive-date=22 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022150250/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/maltribune19460223-1.2.12 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Much of the infrastructure in Singapore had been destroyed during the war, including those needed to supply utilities. A shortage of food led to malnutrition, disease, and rampant crime and violence. A series of strikes in 1947 caused massive stoppages in public transport and other services. However, by late 1947 the economy began to recover, facilitated by a growing international demand for tin and rubber.<ref name="uslcAftermathOfWar">{{cite web |title=Singapore – Aftermath of War |url=http://countrystudies.us/singapore/9.htm |publisher=U.S. Library of Congress |access-date=16 May 2020 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514010408/http://countrystudies.us/singapore/9.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The failure of Britain to successfully defend its colony against the Japanese changed its image in the eyes of Singaporeans. [[British Military Administration (Malaya)|British Military Administration]] ended on 1 April 1946, and Singapore became a separate [[Crown colony|Crown Colony]].<ref name="uslcAftermathOfWar" /> In July 1947, separate Executive and Legislative Councils were established and the election of six members of the Legislative Council was scheduled for the following year.<ref name="micaSelfGovernment">{{cite web |title=Towards Self-government |url=http://www.sg/explore/history_towards.htm |publisher=Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore |access-date=18 June 2006 |archive-date=13 July 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060713023113/http://www.sg/explore/history_towards.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the 1950s, [[Chinese Communist Party|Chinese communists]], with strong ties to the trade unions and Chinese schools, waged a [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla war]] against the government, leading to the [[Malayan Emergency]]. The [[1954 National Service riots]], [[Hock Lee bus riots]], and [[Chinese middle schools riots]] in Singapore were all linked to these events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://library.thinkquest.org/12405/19.htm |title=Communism |website=Thinkquest|access-date=29 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000409182924/http://library.thinkquest.org/12405/19.htm|archive-date=9 April 2000}}</ref> [[David Marshall (Singaporean politician)|David Marshall]], pro-independence leader of the [[Labour Front]], won Singapore's first general election in 1955.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Low |first=James |date=2004 |title=Kept in Position: The Labour Front-Alliance Government of Chief Minister David Marshall in Singapore, April 1955 – June 1956 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20072556 |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=41–64 |doi=10.1017/S0022463404000037 |jstor=20072556 |s2cid=154326049 |issn=0022-4634|access-date=20 February 2021|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419081147/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20072556|url-status=live}}</ref> He led a delegation to [[London]], and Britain rejected his demand for complete self-rule. He resigned and was replaced by [[Lim Yew Hock]] in 1956, and after further negotiations Britain agreed to grant Singapore full internal [[Self-governance of Singapore|self-government]] for all matters except defence and foreign affairs on 3 June 1959.<ref name=countrystudies10>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/singapore/10.htm |title=Country studies: Singapore: Road to Independence |publisher=U.S. Library of Congress|access-date=16 May 2020|archive-date=4 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704220519/http://countrystudies.us/singapore/10.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Days before, in the [[1959 Singaporean general election|30 May 1959 election]], the [[People's Action Party]] (PAP) won a landslide victory.<ref name="yewnyt">{{cite news |title=Headliners; Retiring, Semi |date=2 December 1990 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE4DD123DF931A35751C1A966958260|access-date=27 December 2008|archive-date=18 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318035148/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE4DD123DF931A35751C1A966958260|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Governor of Singapore|Governor]] Sir [[William Allmond Codrington Goode]] served as the first [[Yang di-Pertuan Negara]] (Head of State).<ref name="Law">{{cite web |url=http://www.singaporelaw.sg/content/LegalSyst1.html |title=The Singapore Legal System |publisher=Singapore Academy of Law|access-date=26 June 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603225639/http://www.singaporelaw.sg/content/LegalSyst1.html|archive-date=3 June 2011}}</ref>

=== Within Malaysia ===
{{Main|Singapore in Malaysia}}
[[File:SingaporeRiver-bumboats-196009.jpg|thumb|left|Singapore thrived as an entrepôt. In the 1960s, [[bumboat]]s were used to transport cargoes and supplies between nearshore ships and Singapore River.]]
PAP leaders believed that Singapore's future lay with Malaya, due to strong ties between the two. It was thought that reuniting with Malaya would benefit the economy by creating a common market, alleviating ongoing unemployment woes in Singapore. However, a sizeable left-wing faction of the PAP was strongly opposed to the merger, fearing a loss of influence, and hence formed the [[Barisan Sosialis]], after being kicked out from the PAP.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lee |first=T. H |year=1996 |title=The Open United Front: The Communist Struggle in Singapore, 1954–1966 |publisher=Singapore: South Seas Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Bloodworth |first=D |year=1986 |title=The Tiger and the Trojan Horse |url=https://archive.org/details/tigertrojanhorse00bloo|url-access=registration |publisher=Singapore: Times Books International}}</ref> The ruling party of Malaya, [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO), was staunchly anti-communist, and it was suspected UMNO would support the non-communist factions of PAP. UMNO, initially sceptical of the idea of a merger due to distrust of the PAP government and concern that the large ethnic Chinese population in Singapore would alter the racial balance in Malaya on which their political power base depended, became supportive of the idea of the merger due to joint fear of a communist takeover.<ref name="Wipe out extremists">{{cite news |title=MCA: Wipe out extremists |date=18 February 1959 |newspaper=Singapore Standard}}</ref>

On 27 May 1961, Malaya's prime minister, [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]], made a surprise proposal for a new Federation called [[Malaysia]], which would unite the current and former [[British possessions]] in the region: the [[Federation of Malaya]], Singapore, [[Brunei]], [[North Borneo (British Crown colony)|North Borneo]], and [[Sarawak (British Crown colony)|Sarawak]].<ref name="Wipe out extremists" /><ref name="Big Unity Plan">{{cite news |title=Big 'Unity' Plan – Tengku on closer ties with S'pore, Borneo and Brunei |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1961-05-28/full.jpg |work=The Straits Times |publisher=[[Singapore Press Holdings]] |date=28 May 1961 |page=1 |access-date=9 March 2022 |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309061422/https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1961-05-28/full.jpg |url-status=live}}</ref> UMNO leaders believed that the additional Malay population in the Bornean territories would balance Singapore's Chinese population.<ref name=countrystudies10 /> The British government, for its part, believed that the merger would prevent Singapore from becoming a haven for communism.<ref>{{cite news |title=Appeal To Singapore |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19620328-1.2.70.1?ST=1&AT=advanced |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |page=10 |date=28 March 1962|access-date=19 August 2017|archive-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319214737/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19620328-1.2.70.1?ST=1&AT=advanced|url-status=live}}</ref> To obtain a mandate for a merger, the PAP held a [[1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore|referendum on the merger]]. This referendum included a choice of different terms for a merger with Malaysia and had no option for avoiding merger altogether.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yes – What a win for Premier Lee |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1962-09-02/full.jpg |access-date=9 March 2022 |work=The Straits Times |publisher=Singapore Press Holdings |date=2 September 1962 |page=1 |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309061847/https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1962-09-02/full.jpg |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Merger "Yes" |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1962-09-03/full.jpg |access-date=9 March 2022 |work=The Straits Times |publisher=Singapore Press Holdings |date=3 September 1962 |page=1 |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309061616/https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1962-09-03/full.jpg |url-status=live}}</ref> On 16 September 1963, Singapore joined with Malaya, the North Borneo, and Sarawak to form the new Federation of Malaysia under the terms of the [[Malaysia Agreement]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Abisheganaden |first1=Felix |title=Hail Malaysia! |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1963-09-16/full.jpg |access-date=9 March 2022 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |publisher=[[Singapore Press Holdings]] |date=16 September 1963 |page=1 |archive-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309062748/https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1963-09-16/full.jpg |url-status=live}}</ref> Under this Agreement, Singapore had a relatively high level of autonomy compared to the other states of Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/1dab53ea-788c-461c-acfb-ca625b974c9c |title=Singapore becomes part of Malaysia |publisher=HistorySG|access-date=6 February 2017|archive-date=7 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207040425/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/1dab53ea-788c-461c-acfb-ca625b974c9c|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Indonesia]] opposed the formation of Malaysia due to its own claims over Borneo and launched [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation|''Konfrontasi'']] ("Confrontation" in Indonesian) in response to the formation of Malaysia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=James |first1=Harold |last2=Sheil-Small |first2=Denis |year=1971 |title=The Undeclared War: The Story of the Indonesian Confrontation 1962–1966 |publisher=Rowman and Littlefield |location=Totowa |isbn=978-0-87471-074-8}}{{cite book |last=Mackie |first=J.A.C. |year=1974 |title=Konfrontasi: The Indonesia-Malaysia Dispute 1963–1966 |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-638247-0}}</ref> On 10 March 1965, [[MacDonald House bombing|a bomb planted by Indonesian saboteurs]] on a mezzanine floor of [[MacDonald House]] exploded, killing three people and injuring 33 others. It was the deadliest of at least 42 bomb incidents which occurred during the confrontation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Record of the Wreckers |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19650516-1.2.85 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=16 May 1965|access-date=19 August 2017|archive-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819065549/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19650516-1.2.85|url-status=live}}</ref> Two members of the [[Indonesian Marine Corps]], [[Osman bin Haji Mohamed Ali]] and [[Harun bin Said]], were eventually convicted and executed for the crime.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mac Donald House blast: Two for trial |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19650406-1.2.99 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=6 April 1965|access-date=19 August 2017|archive-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819064442/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19650406-1.2.99|url-status=live}}</ref> The explosion caused US$250,000 ({{Inflation|US|250000|1965|fmt=eq|cursign=[[United States dollar|US$]]}}) in damages to MacDonald House.<ref>{{cite web |author=Tan Lay Yuan |title=MacDonald House bomb explosion |url=http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_62_2004-12-17.html |website=Singapore Infopedia |publisher=National Library Board|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215082844/http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_62_2004-12-17.html|archive-date=15 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mac Donald House suffered $250,000 bomb damage |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19651009-1.2.46 |newspaper=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=9 October 1965|access-date=19 August 2017|archive-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819065124/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19651009-1.2.46|url-status=live}}</ref>

Even after the merger, the [[People's Action Party–United Malays National Organisation relations|Singaporean government and the Malaysian central government disagreed]] on many political and economic issues.<ref name="Road to Independence" /> Despite an agreement to establish a common market, Singapore continued to face restrictions when trading with the rest of Malaysia. In retaliation, Singapore did not extend to [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]] the full extent of the loans agreed to for economic development of the two eastern states. Talks soon broke down, and abusive speeches and writing became rife on both sides. This led to communal strife in Singapore, culminating in the [[1964 race riots in Singapore|1964 race riots]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=A moment of anguish: Singapore in Malaysia and the politics of disengagement |last=Lau |first=A |publisher=Times Academic Press |year=2000 |location=Singapore}}</ref> On 7 August 1965, Malaysian prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, seeing no alternative to avoid further bloodshed (and with the help of secret negotiations by PAP leaders, as revealed in 2015)<ref name="Lim2015" /> advised the [[Parliament of Malaysia]] that it should vote to expel Singapore from Malaysia.<ref name="Road to Independence">{{cite news |title=Road to Independence |url=http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/merger/merger.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013002423/http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/merger/merger.html|archive-date=13 October 2013 |publisher=[[AsiaOne]] |year=1998}}</ref> On 9 August 1965, [[Members of the Dewan Rakyat, 2nd Malaysian Parliament|the Malaysian Parliament]] voted 126 to 0 to move a bill to amend the constitution, expelling Singapore from Malaysia, which left Singapore as a newly independent country.<ref name=countrystudies10 /><ref name="LOC2">{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+sg0033) |title=Singapore as Part of Malaysia |last=Leitch Lepoer |first=Barbara |year=1989 |website=Library of Congress Country Studies |publisher=Government Printing Office|access-date=29 January 2011 |location=Washington, DC|archive-date=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629223526/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+sg0033)|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article7878 |title=A Summary of Malaysia-Singapore History |website=europe-solidaire|access-date=29 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529081759/http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article7878|archive-date=29 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/dc1efe7a-8159-40b2-9244-cdb078755013#27 |title=Singapore separates from Malaysia and becomes independent – Singapore History |quote=Negotiations were, however, done in complete secrecy... (Tunku moved) a bill to amend the constitution that would provide for Singapore's departure from the Federation. Razak was also waiting for the fully signed separation agreement from Singapore to allay possible suggestions that Singapore was expelled from Malaysia. |publisher=National Library Board|access-date=12 May 2017|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111210312/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/dc1efe7a-8159-40b2-9244-cdb078755013#27|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thehistoryofsingapore.com/2015/07/31/episode-0-trailer/ |title=Episode 0: Trailer|access-date=14 August 2022|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920150336/https://thehistoryofsingapore.com/2015/07/31/episode-0-trailer/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lim2015">{{Cite news |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/secret-documents-reveal-extent-of-negotiations-for-separation |title=Secret documents reveal extent of negotiations for Separation |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=22 December 2015 |last1=Lim |first1=Edmund|access-date=15 August 2022|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920150329/https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/secret-documents-reveal-extent-of-negotiations-for-separation|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Republic of Singapore ===
{{See also|Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965}}
[[File:Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore Making a Toast at a State Dinner Held in His Honor, 1975.jpg|thumb|upright=0.68|[[Lee Kuan Yew]], the first prime minister of Singapore.]]

After being expelled from Malaysia, Singapore became independent as the Republic of Singapore on 9 August 1965,<ref>{{cite news |title=Road to Independence |url=http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/merger/merger.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013002423/http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/merger/merger.html |archive-date=13 October 2013 |publisher=Headlines, Lifelines, by [[AsiaOne]] |year=1998}}</ref><ref name="ST 10 Aug Front page">{{cite news |last1=Abisheganaden |first1=Felix |title=Singapore is out |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1965-08-10/full.jpg |access-date=21 February 2022 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |publisher=[[Singapore Press Holdings]] |date=10 August 1965 |archive-date=21 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221051204/https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/assets/images/ST175/NewspaperSG/1965-08-10/full.jpg |url-status=live}}</ref> with [[Lee Kuan Yew]] and [[Yusof bin Ishak]] as the first prime minister and president respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Past and present leaders of Singapore |website=Infopedia |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_139_2005-01-19.html |publisher=National Libraries Board |access-date=28 May 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200505061547/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_139_2005-01-19.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Yusof to be the first President |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19651215-1.2.60 |website=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=1 February 1960 |access-date=28 May 2020 |archive-date=7 August 2020 |via=National Libraries Board |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200807064731/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19651215-1.2.60 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1967, the country co-founded the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] (ASEAN).<ref>{{cite wikisource|Bangkok Declaration}}</ref> Race riots [[1969 race riots of Singapore|broke out once more]] in 1969.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sandhu |first1=Kernial Singh |last2=Wheatley |first2=Paul |title=Management of Success: The Moulding of Modern Singapore |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-3035-42-3 |page=107 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ldKwPQ2PyBAC&pg=PA107 |year=1989}}</ref> Lee Kuan Yew's emphasis on rapid economic growth, support for business entrepreneurship, and limitations on internal democracy shaped Singapore's policies for the next half-century.<ref>Terry McCarthy, "Lee Kuan Yew." ''Time ''154: 7–8 (1999). [https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104451/http://madeinthoughts.com/pdf/LeeKuanYew.pdf online]</ref><ref name="lky-7prin" /> Economic growth continued throughout the 1980s, with the unemployment rate falling to 3% and real GDP growth averaging at about 8% up until 1999. During the 1980s, Singapore began to shift towards high-tech industries, such as the [[wafer fabrication]] sector, in order to remain competitive as neighbouring countries began manufacturing with cheaper labour. [[Singapore Changi Airport]] was opened in 1981 and [[Singapore Airlines]] was formed.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Changi Airport |publisher=Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore |url=http://www.changiairport.com.sg/changi/en/about_us/history_changi.html |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060629014047/http://www.changiairport.com.sg/changi/en/about_us/history_changi.html |archive-date=29 June 2006}}</ref> The [[Port of Singapore]] became one of the world's busiest ports and the service and tourism industries also grew immensely during this period.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lunch Dialogue on 'Singapore as a Transport Hub' |url=https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/news-events/events/details/lunch-dialogue-on-singapore-as-a-transport-hub |website=Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117104954/https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/news-events/events/details/lunch-dialogue-on-singapore-as-a-transport-hub|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lam |first1=Yin Yin |title=Three factors that have made Singapore a global logistics hub |url=http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/three-factors-have-made-singapore-global-logistics-hub |website=The World Bank Blogs |date=26 January 2017|access-date=17 November 2018|archive-date=17 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117105041/http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/three-factors-have-made-singapore-global-logistics-hub|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[People's Action Party]] (PAP) has remained in power since independence. Some activists and opposition politicians see the government's strict regulation of political and media activities as an infringement on political rights.<ref>{{cite news |title=Singapore elections |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=5 May 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4976536.stm|access-date=28 July 2017|archive-date=15 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115181132/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4976536.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> In response, Singapore has seen several significant political changes, such as the introduction of the non-constituency members of parliament in 1984 to allow up to three losing candidates from opposition parties to be appointed as MPs. Group representation constituencies (GRCs) were introduced in 1988 to create multi-seat electoral divisions, intended to ensure minority representation in parliament.<ref>{{Singapore legislation|title=Parliamentary Elections Act|cap=218|titlelink=Parliamentary Elections Act (Singapore)}}</ref> Nominated members of parliament were introduced in 1990 to allow non-elected non-partisan MPs.<ref name="HoKhaiLeong">Ho Khai Leong (2003). ''Shared Responsibilities, Unshared Power: The Politics of Policy-Making in Singapore''. Eastern Univ Pr. {{ISBN|978-981-210-218-8}}</ref> The [[Constitution of Singapore|constitution]] was amended in 1991 to provide for an [[President of Singapore|elected president]] who has veto power in the use of [[Reserves of the Government of Singapore|past reserves]] and appointments to certain public offices.<ref>{{cite web |title=Presidential Elections |publisher=Elections Department Singapore |date=18 April 2006 |url=http://www.elections.gov.sg/presidential_elections.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827213801/http://www.elections.gov.sg/presidential_elections.htm|archive-date=27 August 2008}}</ref>

In 1990, [[Goh Chok Tong]] succeeded Lee and became Singapore's second prime minister.<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Singapore |date=2006 |location=Singapore |publisher=Tailsman Publishing |isbn=978-981-05-5667-9 |page=82 |url=http://eservice.nlb.gov.sg/item_holding_s.aspx?bid=12751459|access-date=19 August 2017|archive-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707102725/http://eservice.nlb.gov.sg/item_holding_s.aspx?bid=12751459|url-status=live}}</ref> During Goh's tenure, the country went through the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]] and the 2003 [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS]] outbreak.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yeoh |first=En-Lai |date=9 April 2003 |title=Singapore Woman Linked to 100 SARS Cases |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref name="Goh">{{cite web |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_860_2004-12-27.html |title=Goh Chok Tong |publisher=National Library Board|access-date=6 February 2017|archive-date=29 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729194333/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_860_2004-12-27.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2004, [[Lee Hsien Loong]], the eldest son of [[Lee Kuan Yew]], became the country's third prime minister.<ref name="Goh" /> Lee Hsien Loong's tenure included the [[2008 financial crisis]], the resolution of a [[Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990|dispute over land ownership]] at [[Tanjong Pagar railway station]] between Singapore and Malaysia, the introduction of the two [[integrated resort]]s (IRs), located at the [[Marina Bay Sands]] and [[Resorts World Sentosa]], and the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Country profile: Singapore |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1143240.stm|access-date=22 April 2010 |date=15 July 2009|archive-date=29 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229042533/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1143240.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The PAP suffered its [[2011 Singaporean general election|worst ever electoral results]] in 2011, winning just 60% of votes, amidst debate over issues including the influx of foreign workers and the high cost of living.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/ge2015-a-look-back-at-the-last-5-general-elections-from-1991-to-2011 |title=GE2015: A look back at the last 5 general elections from 1991 to 2011 |last=hermesauto |date=28 August 2015 |work=The Straits Times|access-date=7 October 2018|archive-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007073757/https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/ge2015-a-look-back-at-the-last-5-general-elections-from-1991-to-2011|url-status=live}}</ref> On 23 March 2015, Lee Kuan Yew [[Death and state funeral of Lee Kuan Yew|died]], and a one-week period of public mourning was observed nationwide.<ref name="lky-7prin">{{cite news |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/remembering-lee-kuan-yew-our-chief-diplomat-to-the-world |title=Lee Kuan Yew: Our chief diplomat to the world |date=25 March 2015 |work=The Straits Times |location=Singapore|access-date=8 November 2015|archive-date=26 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026020834/http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/remembering-lee-kuan-yew-our-chief-diplomat-to-the-world|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequently, the PAP regained its dominance in Parliament through the [[2015 Singaporean general election|September general election]], receiving 69.9% of the popular vote,<ref name=BTresults>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=U-Wen |title=PAP racks up landslide win, takes 83 out of 89 seats |url=http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/singapore-general-election/pap-racks-up-landslide-win-takes-83-out-of-89-seats |work=Business Times (Singapore) |access-date=13 September 2015 |archive-date=13 September 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150913023301/http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/singapore-general-election/pap-racks-up-landslide-win-takes-83-out-of-89-seats}}</ref> although this remained lower than the 2001 tally of 75.3%<ref name=STresults>{{cite news |last=Heng |first=Janice |title=For PAP, the numbers hark back to 2001 polls showing |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/for-pap-the-numbers-hark-back-to-2001-polls-showing |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=12 September 2015 |location=Singapore|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912094804/http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/for-pap-the-numbers-hark-back-to-2001-polls-showing|url-status=live|archive-date=12 September 2015}}</ref> and the 1968 tally of 86.7%.<ref name="ELE">{{cite web |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_549_2004-12-28.html |title=History of general elections in Singapore |publisher=National Library Board|access-date=4 February 2020|archive-date=4 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204130922/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_549_2004-12-28.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[2020 Singaporean general election|2020 election]] held in July saw the PAP drop to 61% of the vote, while the [[Workers' Party (Singapore)|Workers' Party]] took 10 of the 93 seats, the highest number ever won by another party.<ref name="Economist2020election">{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/07/18/why-so-many-singaporeans-voted-for-the-opposition |title=Why so many Singaporeans voted for the opposition |newspaper=The Economist |date=18 July 2020 |access-date=20 July 2020 |archive-date=20 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720041203/https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/07/18/why-so-many-singaporeans-voted-for-the-opposition |url-status=live}}</ref>
On 15 May 2024, [[Lawrence Wong]] became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister; he is the first prime minister born after independence.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-swear-lawrence-wong-prime-212009750.html |title=Singapore to swear in Lawrence Wong as new prime minister |website=Yahoo! News Singapore |date=14 May 2024 |agency=Agence France-Presse |access-date=15 May 2024 |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515110042/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-swear-lawrence-wong-prime-212009750.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His first electoral test in the [[2025 Singaporean general election|2025 election]] saw the PAP winning 65.5% of the vote and 87 out of 97 seats in Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sen |first1=Ng Jun |title=GE2025: Stunning victory for PAP, winning 87 of 97 seats with higher national vote share in PM Wong's first electoral test |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ge2025-pap-secures-victory-seats-opposition-challenge-5107201 |website=CNA |access-date=7 May 2025 |language=en |date=4 May 2025}}</ref>