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Discuss.
The rise of nationalism is defined as a period of time before world war two
where a series of efforts were put in place by the various nationalist
groups in Southeast Asia to advance their respective cultural-religious,
ethnic-economic or political aim so as to seek eventual independence or
autonomy to varying degrees. While there are other factors that played an
important part in inspiring the rise of nationalist movements, they are all
unequal in their degree of importance in contributing to the origins of
nationalism and the significance of Western education does rise about the
rise. Hence, this essay seeks to argue that Western education is indeed
the key driving force in the rise of nationalism asit is the one that ties all
other driving forces together which without, they will be too scattered to
actualise the nationalist movement.
Western education brought about the idea of nationalism that made the
Southeast Asian people realisedthat the subordinate positions that they
were in need not had to be so, thereby kindling the startof nationalist
movement. For instance, in Indonesia, Tjokroaminoto as well as other
Sarekat Islam leaders graduated from OSVIA and STOVIA, schools ran by
the Dutch to train civil servant and it was in those schools that they picked
up the idea of nationalism which would subsequently turn them against
the Dutch government. Likewise in Burma, it was after the 1920 University
of Rangoon strike that the students and other urban intellectuals realised
the power of nationalism in staging strikes for nationalist cause. Hence,
western education played an important role in the rise of nationalism as it
introduced the nationalists with the idea of a modern independent state,
which would be critical when there is sufficient impetus to espouse it.
Moreover,it was through western education that a class of elite leaders
that would know how to carry out their nationalist movement by
espousingsuccessful modelof nationalism presented through key
international events would be groomed, thereby further highlighting the
significance of western education in the rise of nationalist movement. For
eg in Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh who underwent education in France, the
Indochinese Communist Partys aim was to secure independence from
French colonial government by following the revolutionary tactics used as
seen in Bolshevik revolution to establish a communist state. Ho Chi Minh
learned specific details from the event and applied them to the 1930-1931
NgheTinh Revolt which provided the opportunity to establish the soviets
following the temporary collapse of the French authority in the provinces
of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Similarly in Indonesia,led by HendricusSneevliet
who received his education in Netherlands,the IndischeSociaalDemocratischeVereening (ISDV)gained so much support amongst the
Indonesian population as well as Dutch soldiers especially sailors after the
Russian Revolution of 1917that the Dutch authorities got nervous.Hence,