Leo T. reviewed on + 1775 more book reviews
The authors focus on the extension of Western power into this part of the world and the response of local peoples through 1945, with a final chapter on decolonization ending the book. "In the Philippines, planned decolonization antedated the storms of the Pacific War. American colonial rule had no sooner become firmly established in the first decade of the twentieth century, than the process of devolving power to Filipinos was set in motion. Before long, the executive and judicial branches of government were similarly 'decolonized,' until in 1935 the Philippine Commonwealth became Southeast Asia's first self-governing state headed by an indigenous president." Bibliography, index.
