Highly influenced by the nationalist movements of China, Indonesia, and elsewhere, nationalist demands and aspirations for self-determination grew in Singapore throughout the first third of the 20th century. These demands threatened British rule, and the colonial government sought to repress the growing nationalist movement. They saw the Asian nationalist movements and their values of democracy, justice, and self-determination as subversive and alien to Singapore; Instead, colonial policies valued stability, harmony, the community above the self, and an emphasis on socio-economic development above political development. In this episode, PJ Thum explains how this position was backed up by the aggressive use of repression and regulation, aimed at choking the life out of a nationalist movement the British barely understood, and how this had long term repercussions on the colonial government’s relationship with the Chinese community in Singapore. Please send questions, comments, and feedback to thehistoryofsingapore@gmail.com or visit thehistoryofsingapore.com.