2. Would contemporary Southeast Asia be significantly different if formal colonial rule had never been imposed on most of the region?

Contemporary Southeast Asia is what it is today rich in diversity of culture and achieving general economic and political stability due to a combination of factors. However to find out whether Southeast Asia would be different without colonialism, there is a need to examine the European role and the extent of their impact politically, socially and economically. Also there is a need to examine the pre colonial Southeast Asia and “have an awareness of the rich and important history of Southeast Asian states”.(Osborne : 1998: 61) .It is necessary to examine all these factors to determine whether there would be a significant change in Southeast Asia without colonialism.
The impact of colonialism in Southeast Asia before the nineteenth century was negligible. It was after the Portuguese conquered Malacca that the thrust of European imperialism in Southeast Asia was felt. Though Thailand is the only Southeast Asian state that is never colonized, it is still as competitive as the rest ...