This book overviews Singapore's fascinating history from the precolonial era to the present, examining this wealthy island nation from economic, political, cultural, and social perspectives.Singapore is a dominant player in the global economy, serving both as an essential business hub for international finance and home to some of the world's most important ports. It is also one of the world's smallest and most resource-poor countries. This book offers an engaging examination of Singapore using a theme of globalization to explain how the country's worldwide interactions across centuries have resulted in an ethnically diverse society and allowed it to ascend to a position of being an economic powerhouse. Every significant historic event and era-from its status as a meeting point for traders in the 600s to its colonization by the British in 1819, and from Japanese occupation during World War II to the 2002 arrest of a group of Islamic terrorists-is covered.

An index assists readers in quickly referencing key persons, locations, events, and concepts

Series ForewordAcknowledgmentsTimeline of Major Events1 A Globalized City-State2 Pre-Colonial Singapore: Temasek, Dragon's Tooth Gate, and Singapura, 100-18193 The Establishment of Colonial Singapore: 1819-18674 A Crown Colony: 1867-19425 Fortress Singapore to Syonan-to: World War II6 The Rough Road to Independence: 1945-19637 From Third World to First World: Since 1965Notable People in the History of SingaporeGlossaryBibliographic EssayIndex