- Britain granted Malaya self-rule, but a Communist party that wished to control British territories and resources started a civil war against the Malaysian people and the new government.
- British and Malaysian guerrilla warfare tactics eventually defeated the communist guerillas
- This allowed Malaysia to remain democratic and capitalist as opposed to a hard-line Soviet bloc country. Malaysia is a prosperous developed nation on par with South Korea
- The communist guerillas also caused great unrest with their attacks on innocent Malaysian civilians that did not support any side (or supported the government), killing up to hundreds of thousands