ABSTRACT
In a certain sense, nationalist revolutions were the creation of Western colonial powers themselves. In fact, the political borders of some of the new nations of Southeast Asia were the product of the colonial era and have no history of a common political administration previously. The economic dislocation and distress caused by Western rule were, indeed, very important factors responsible for the growth of nationalism. Perhaps the most potent factor creating nationalist consciousness among Southeast Asian elites was education. Western rule ironically had the effect of also helping the revival of a glorious historical past for most Southeast Asians. Knowledge of epoch-making events in neighboring countries in Asia also promoted a nationalist feeling among the Southeast Asian peoples. Most nationalists and many of the more than 1 million army personnel returning from the battlefields of World War I believed in the rhetoric. The Japanese occupation served as both a catalyst and an inspiration to Southeast Asian nationalist movements.
