Activity 1 - What was the Emergency?

  1. Think/Pair/Share - What do you know about the history of Malaysia? What role did Malaysia have in the Cold War? Consider what you already know about this topic, then discuss with a partner before sharing with the class.
  2. Watch - Watch this video which gives an overview of the Emergency. As you watch, try to answer these questions:
    1. What impact did the British have on Malaya?
    2. Why was Malaya important to the British?
    3. How did the British resist the Japanese during the Second World War?
    4. Why is Malaya important to Britain after the war?
    5. What actions do the Malayan Communist Party take against the British after the war?
    6. Why is this called an 'Emergency' rather than a war?
    7. What were the causes of the Malayan emergency?
    8. What actions did the Communist Party take against the British?
    9. Why was the terrain 'classic guerrilla country'?
    10. What was the British response to guerrilla actions?
  3. Examine - Read and make notes from Slides 3-5 of the Lesson Presentation. Make a note of at least five facts about the Malayan Emergency.
  4. Discuss - Consider Slide 4. Why do you think people argue over what type of conflict this was? Which people or groups would argue this?

Activity 2 - Who were the MCP?

  1. Research - Research at least three facts about each of the following groups and people related to the Malayan Communist Party (MCP):
    1. Lai Teck
    2. Chin Peng
    3. ​Lau Yew
    4. The Min Yuen
    5. The Malayan Communist Party (MCP)
    6. Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA)
    7. Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA)
  2. Read - Read this article by Cheah Boon Kheng about MCP strategy after WW2. List the reasons given in this article by historian Cheah Boon Kheng as to why the MCP did not try to seize independence for Malaya at the end of the Second World War.
  3. Discuss - Why did the MCP fail to seize power in 1945? Why was this seen as a missed opportunity?

Activity 3 - What caused the conflict?

  1. Examine - Read and make notes from Slides 6-12 of the Lesson Presentation on the various causes of the Malayan Emergency.
  2. Analysis - Using your notes so far, complete a causal analysis of the Malayan Emergency by completing this worksheet:
    1. First, record historical details and factual evidence about the various types of possible causes for the Malayan Emergency in the first column.
    2. Next, decide on the role of that cause by considering whether that cause is a precondition, precipitant (catalyst), or trigger for the event in the middle column.
    3. Then in the last column, use at least three connective words on page two of this worksheet to help you describe the importance of this cause to the event. 
  3. Write - Write a paragraph answering the question, ‘What caused the Malayan Emergency?’. Discuss at least three causes in your answer. 

Further Reading

OBLIGATORY READING
  1. Yao, Souchou. (2016). The Malayan Emergency: A Small, Distant War, pp. 1-19
RECOMMENDED READING
  1. Ng, Sze-Chieh. (2011). Silenced Revolutionaries: Challenging the Received View of Malaya’s Revolutionary Past, pp. 70-82
SUPPLEMENTAL READING
  1. Cheah, Boon Cheng. (2012). Red Star over Malaya: Resistance and Social Conflict During and After the Japanese Occupation of Malaya 1941–46, pp. 293-300
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