Decolonisation set the starting point, elites made the key choices, the masses forced some changes, and the Cold War shaped outside support.
The syllabus names three factors: the decolonisation experience, the role of local political elites and the masses, and Cold War developments.
Decolonisation explains the institutions each country started with. But it cannot explain later change, such as the Philippines' turn to dictatorship in 1972.
Elites explain most changes in government. Sukarno, Marcos and Ne Win all chose to replace democratic systems, and Thailand's officers staged repeated coups.
The masses explain moments of dramatic change, as in Thailand in 1973 and 1992, the Philippines in 1986 and Indonesia in 1998.
The Cold War explains why authoritarian rulers found it easy to justify their power and win foreign support. It also explains why that support faded after the late 1980s.
To compare at least three countries, choose examples that test each factor, such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
- Three factors
- Decolonisation; elites and masses; the Cold War.
- Starting point
- Decolonisation.
- Key choices
- Elites.
Worked example: Building a comparative argument
Which factor was most important?
- Criterion: which factor explains the most changes in the most countries?
- Decolonisation: the starting point everywhere.
- Elites: decisive in Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma and Thailand.
- Judgement: elites mattered most, working within limits set by the other factors.
Watch out for this
One factor explains forms of government in every country.
Different factors mattered more in different countries and periods. Compare cases to show this.
Check your understanding
Which example best tests the decolonisation factor?
- The Philippines inherited democracy but became a dictatorship in 1972.
- Thailand's 1932 revolution
- Singapore's housing programme