In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Introduction - Against Great Odds Hong Kong occupies a unique place in the history of the British Empire. No other colonial territory has matched its economic achievements, and no other colonial community has been so deprived of access to democracy. It was the first society in Asia to escape from poverty after World War II, and by the end of the century its people had a standard of living unmatched anywhere else in the region exceptJapan and Singapore. "No other society in history," it has been claimed, "has ever grown wealthy so fast."J By 1997, Hong Kong had become the only crown colony in imperial history where, by the end of British rule, the average level of prosperity measured by GDP per head exceeded that of the United Kingdom. Politically, however, the territory had barely advanced during British rule. For once when the British retreated from an imperial possession, they did not leave behind a legacy of parliamentary democracy. Hong Kong was also exceptional for its political and social stability.2Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom's Asian empire, no indigenous movement was launched to expel British colonialism or to expropriate the capitalists, and riots, unlawful demonstrations and even industrial disputes were relatively rare occurrences. By the end of the colonial era, it seemed as if economic success and social stability were part of the natural order. The weight of expert opinion was that the British had devised an ingenious system that triumphed over the inherent conflicts caused by colonialism and capitalism. This system seemed to have put itself beyond serious criticism by the prosperity and stability it delivered and by the peaceful transition from British to Chinese rule that was achieved in 1997. This flattering view ignored the struggles that took place between the power-holders during Hong Kong's emergence as a major international economy. The rate of political, economic and technological change had been so rapid that memories of what went before seemed irrelevant in relation to current events.3 But Hong Kong could not escape from the tensions created by colonialism, and these were aggravated by the British reluctance to allow 2 Uneasy Partners the general public to participate in government through direct elections, relying instead on a partnership with the business and professional classes. In turn, the government's capitalist collaborators had their own personal and corporate interests to promote, which frequently conflicted with the well-being of the rest of the community. The strains caused by the anachronistic political arrangements sometimes led to open political clashes, but they were visible mostly in the form of defects and distortions in Hong Kong's way of life. They became increasingly difficult to manage in the 1990s, and they did not disappear at the end of British rule. Indeed, the first Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa, made a considerable effort to replace political confrontation with consensus.4 This book looks at the impact of these conflicts on the way that Hong Kong was governed, their consequences for the community, and how the competition between rival groups affected the distribution of political and economic power in the second half of the twentieth century. The Capitalist Setting Always centre stage in any review of Hong Kong is its glittering economic success since World War II. The odds in Hong Kong's favour at the end of a brutal Japanese occupation had not been good. By 1949, over a million refugees had arrived in search of shelter from the civil war engulfing the Chinese Mainland and the impending victory of the Chinese Communist Party. Hong Kong was about to lose its Mainland markets, and the economy faced ruin. National income per head was a mere quarter of the United Kingdom's levels.5 Yet, by the time the British came to leave, Hong Kong was a major player in the global economy:6 generating a GDP equivalent to over 20% of China's ... the world's eighth largest trading entity, with the world's eighth largest stock market, seventh largest financial reserves, fifth largest foreign exchange market, third busiest airport ... the world's busiest port. The Last Bastion ofLaissez Faire Hong Kong's transformation into a world-class economy has been attributed very widely to its commitment to the laissez faire doctrines imported from nineteenth century Britain. Despite the central role that laissez faire played in government policies, these doctrines were never defined officially and comprehensively, nor were they subject to much systematic analysis by academic economists.7 Few...

Share