How did southeast Asia use Western ideas of selfgovernance and Essay

How did southeast Asia use Western ideas of selfgovernance and modernity in their struggles for independence - Essay Example In order to resist this colonial rule and to attain independence, these nations employed several ideals. Of most significant, they applied the western ideas of self-governance and modernity in their struggle for independence (Ruiz, 86). Western ideas spread throughout the countries of Southeast Asia in form of governance and more sophisticated political infrastructure. It was through these established infrastructures that these nations organized several grassroots campaigns and resistance towards the colonial rule. Moreover, the extent and fashion of government, the rising centralization of power and the growth of domestic administrations reflected the impact of European organizational practices (Beeson, 3). Influence of Western Ideas in Southeast Asia Struggle for Independence The colonial period attributed a hypothetical division of independence by European public authorities. There was a lot of influence from the traditional leadership to the colonial rule. The systems of the colo nial rule acquired some privileges from native rulers, originally by publicly owned state ventures and later on, through executive colonial administrators from the European states. This inspiration would count within the bigger expression of European empires while the original drive of colonialism was purely mercantilist. In this way, the core global law standard of esteem for independent states, disintegrated into an adversative selectivity and arbitrariness of states believed to deserve of independence by other, more influential states (Desierto, 396). In most cases, the colonial authorities assigned some administrative powers to the co-opted local rulers thereby changing legal frameworks towards imbalanced relationships. However, the realm of customary law dealt with matters of personal status, although the legal administrations restrained the individual rights and freedoms by controlling and supervising instead of fostering and liberating. The imbalanced relationships sowed the seeds of aspirations towards nationalism, independence and autonomy. The aspirations were mostly because of the different laws applied to the Europeans and the native population (Desierto, 417). In addition, the power bestowed on the new leader brought about an old order, a western-educated middle-class. Of these, most of them were doctors, civil servants, intellectuals, businesspersons, lawyers, and even students. Some had received their higher education in Europe or the United States. The influence of western economic forces and the growth of social services during the last century of the colonial rule instigated this change. For instance, the peasant obtained new ideas concerning garbage removal, latrines, alterations in his farming techniques and other advances (Mills, 4). The root of the1898 revolution in the Philippines was the ideas of the European enlightenment, where they were against Spain first, and then against the U.S. It was a modern nationalist revolution brought back to the Philippines and incorporated freedom, individuality, and citizenship. However, it was also a pre-national resistance movement because it rested in the resistance of people enlightened by the values of folk Christianity. Actually, the struggle itself instigated the creation of a political society founded on Euro-American suppositions of national community (Ruiz, 84). On the other