From Third World to First: The Singapore Story - 1965-2000: Lee Kuan Yew: 9780060197766: Amazon.com: Books
See all 3 imagesFrom Third World to First: The Singapore Story - 1965-2000 Hardcover – October 3, 2000
by Lee Kuan Yew (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars 98 customer reviews
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In this memoir, the man most responsible for Singapore's astonishing transformation from colonial backwater to economic powerhouse describes how he did it over the last four decades. It's a dramatic story, and Lee Kuan Yew has much to brag about. To take a single example: Singapore had a per-capita GDP of just $400 when he became prime minister in 1959. When he left office in 1990, it was $12,200 and rising. (At the time of this book's writing, it was $22,000.) Much of this was accomplished through a unique mix of economic freedom and social control. Lee encouraged entrepreneurship, but also cracked down on liberties that most people in the West take for granted--chewing gum, for instance. It's banned in Singapore because of "the problems caused by spent chewing gum inserted into keyholes and mailboxes and on elevator buttons." If American politicians were to propose such a thing, they'd undoubtedly be run out of office. Lee, however, defends this and similar moves, such as strong antismoking laws and antispitting campaigns: "We would have been a grosser, ruder, cruder society had we not made these efforts to persuade people to change their ways.... It has made Singapore a more pleasant place to live in. If this is a 'nanny state,' I am proud to have fostered one."
Lee also describes one of his most controversial proposals: tax breaks and schooling incentives to encourage educated men and women to marry each other and have children. "Our best women were not reproducing themselves because men who were their educational equals did not want to marry them.... This lopsided marriage and procreation pattern could not be allowed to remain unmentioned and unchecked," writes Lee. Most of the book, however, is a chronicle of how Lee helped create so much material prosperity. Anticommunism is a strong theme throughout, and Lee comments broadly on international politics. He is cautiously friendly toward the United States, chastising it for a "dogmatic and evangelical" foreign policy that scolds other countries for human-rights violations, except when they interfere with American interests, "as in the oil-rich Arabian peninsula." Even so, he writes, "the United States is still the most benign of all the great powers.... [and] all noncommunist countries in East Asia prefer America to be the dominant weight in the power balance of the region." From Third World to First is not the most gripping book imaginable, but it is a vital document about a fascinating place in a time of profound transition. --John J. Miller
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From Booklist
Yew is not an endearing figure. He is arrogant, self-righteous, and seems unduly sensitive to criticism by "outsiders" of Singapore's record on human rights. Despite occasional efforts to hide his less-than-pleasant characteristics, they often burst through in his long and often fascinating account of the dramatic transformation of this island nation into a stable and prosperous society. As prime minister for more than three decades, Yew certainly merits credit for Singapore's emergence, and there is much to be learned from his version of his stewardship. This is a detailed and sometimes difficult read, particularly if one lacks a strong grounding in macroeconomics. Still, his description of the difficulties of nation building in a multiethnic society has great value; his efforts to mesh Western concepts of free enterprise with Third World traditions of a "guided economy" may not have universal applicability, but they deserve close scrutiny. This is an essential contribution in efforts to understand why some societies seem so successful in becoming important players in the global economy. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedSee all Editorial Reviews
Product details
Hardcover: 752 pages
Publisher: Harper; 1st edition (October 3, 2000)
Language: English
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Biography
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH, SPMJ (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), informally known by his initials LKY, was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, governing for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, including through Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965. After Lee chose to step down as Prime Minister in 1990, Lee's successor, Goh Chok Tong, appointed him as Senior Minister, a post he held until 2004, when his elder son, Lee Hsien Loong, became the nation's third prime minister. The elder Lee then assumed the advisory post of Minister Mentor until he left the Cabinet in 2011. In total, Lee held successive ministerial positions for 56 years. He continued to serve his Tanjong Pagar constituency for nearly 60 years as an elected Member of Parliament until his death in 2015.
Lee is recognised as the founding father of independent Singapore, with the country being described as transitioning from the "third world to the first world in a single generation" under his leadership.
Lee graduated from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, with a double starred-first-class honours in law. In 1950, he became a barrister of the Middle Temple and practised law until 1959. Lee co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP) in 1954 and was its first secretary-general, a position he held until 1992, leading the party to eight consecutive victories. He campaigned for Britain to relinquish its colonial rule. His view was shared by the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (1957–1963), who was keen on a merger of British colonial territories across South East Asia, including Singapore, in order to hasten the end of British rule, whilst sharing similar concerns to those of Lee about avoiding possible Communist infiltration in Singapore. Britain withdrew in 1963, when Singapore merged with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form the new federation of Malaysia. Racial strife and political tensions led to Singapore's separation from the Malaysian Federation two years later. With overwhelming parliamentary control, Lee and his cabinet oversaw Singapore's transformation from a relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources to an Asian Tiger economy. In the process, he forged an effective system of meritocratic and highly efficient government and civil service. Many of his policies are now taught at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
Lee eschewed populist policies in favor of pragmatic long-term social and economic measures. With meritocracy and multiracialism as the governing principles, Lee made English the common language to integrate its immigrant society and to facilitate trade with the West. However, Lee also mandated bilingualism in schools for students to preserve their mother-tongue cultural identity.
Lee's rule was criticised, particularly in the West, for curtailing civil liberties (public protests, media control) and bringing libel suits against political opponents. He argued that such disciplinary measures were necessary for political stability, which together with rule of law, were essential for economic progress.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Robert D. Ward [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
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Customer Reviews
4.9 out of 5 stars
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Top customer reviews
Clay GarnerTop Contributor: Philosophy
5.0 out of 5 stars“There is such a thing as evil, and men are not just evil because they are victims of society.”March 28, 2018
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“There are books to teach you how to build a house, how to repair engines, how to write a book. But I have not seen a book on how to build a nation out of disparate collection of immigrants from China, British India, and the Dutch East Indies.’’ (3)
This unique story, building a nation from scratch, makes Lee’s experience so interesting. Who else?
How to crate an economy? Where to find jobs? Well . . . many believed that multinational corporations. . .
“. . . were exploiters of cheap land, labor and raw materials. This ‘dependency school’ of economists argued that they continued the colonial pattern of exploitation that left the developing countries selling raw materials and buying consumer goods from the advanced countries. The corporations controlled technology and consumer preferences and formed alliances with their host governments to exploit the people and keep them down.’’ (58)
Lee agree?
“Third world leaders believed this theory of neocolonialist exploitation, but Keng Swee and I were not impressed.’’ (58)
His skepticism proved correct. Singapore now wealthy. Mainly from the boost from multinational corporations. Wow!
Chapter 7 - A Fair, Not Welfare, Society
“We believed in socialism, in fair shares for all. Later we learned that personal motivation and personal rewards were essential for a productive economy. However, because people are unequal in their ability, if performance and rewards are determined by the marketplace, there will be a few big winners, many medium winners, and a considerable number of losers.’’ (95)
What problem?
“That would make for social tensions because a society’s sense of fairness is offended.’’ (95) What to do?
“My primary preoccupation was to give every citizen a stake in the country and its future. I wanted a home owning society. I had seen the contrast between the blocks of low-cost rental apartments, badly misused and poorly maintained, and those of house proud owners.’’ (95)
Another key was adamant, unyielding integrity in government . . .
“It is easy to start off with high moral standards, strong convictions, and determination to beat down corruption. But it is difficult to live up to these good intentions unless the leaders are strong enough to deal with all transgressors, and without exceptions.’’ (163)
‘Without exceptions’! Really . . .
Lee continued to seek new ideas and expert opinion. However . . .
“I found many other fresh ideas and picked the brains of other highly intelligent people who were not always right. They were to politically correct. Harvard was determinedly Liberal. No scholar was prepared to say or admit there was any inherent differences between races or cultures or religion.’’ (460)
Well . . .
“They held that human beings were equal and a society only needed correct economic policies and institutions of government to succeed. They were so bright I found it difficult to believe that they sincerely held these views they felt compelled to espouse.’’ (461)
Yep, he is not ‘politically correct’! Another example . . .
“Man needs a moral sense of right and wrong. There is such a thing as evil, and men are not just evil because they are victims of society.”
This large work (681 pages) covers wide variety of themes. International politics, economic decisions, financial developments, race riots, communist adversaries, etc., etc..
Considerable space on his visits and views on other countries; including Russia, China, America, Taiwan, etc.. Also, forthright analysis of world leaders, Gorbachev, Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger, etc..
Fascinating!
Easy to read. Reader will need interest on political, economic, social issues.
Adds insight to the modern world.
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John R
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Story of a Man and the Nation He CreatedDecember 5, 2017
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I lived in Singapore for four years towards of the end of Lee Kuan Yew's tenure as Prime Minister and traveled there many times before and since. What Mr. Lee created in Singapore is a masterpiece of political, economic and social engineering. It represents an important alternative from the inefficiencies and deficiencies of both a free wheeling democracy and autocratic rule. It is the most intelligently run government I have ever run across.
No politician speaks more directly and with greater clarity than Lee Kuan Yew. "Third World to First World" is a great chronicle of his thought process, experiences and view of the world. It remains highly relevant today. A really great book.
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5.0 out of 5 starsUnderstanding APAC history - and nation buildingMarch 12, 2017
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In our new world of rising hysteria l and intellectually void leadership in crucial countries, it is important to return to and read about the great statesmen who have made our world and times a better place. And to learn from their thoughts and thinking. LKY's book is a fantastic series of snapshots and vignettes about the birth and formative years of a remarkable city state and his decision making process. An amazing time for an amazing man.
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Brim
5.0 out of 5 starslike any person with their own opinionsSeptember 17, 2014
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Outstanding man, outstanding writing, outstanding story. Though, like any person with their own opinions, I didn't agree with every one of Mr. Yew's views on life and the world we could all learn some valuable lessons in reality by reading this book and truly contemplating all he accomplished. Amazing (and I hate that word). I've been gobbling up books for the last nine months like I own stock in Amazon and this has been my favorite thus far. Highly recommended.
5 people found this helpful
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Book Worm
5.0 out of 5 starswas just brilliant!February 21, 2015
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Mr. Yew had a vision and put it into place. With only three square miles Mr. Yew led his nation into the modern era by using education and giving it's citizens a sense of of themselves in knowing that freedom can be achieved through staying single minded in purpose. How Mr. Yew handled the myriad is problems, especially the hateful communists, was just brilliant!
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analyzethis
5.0 out of 5 starsEVERYONE should read this bookOctober 5, 2015
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If we could just have five of these people running the entire world, peace and happiness would be achievable. It's a pretty hefty volume but do not be deterred, you can skim over sections of it and just focus on the parts that are applicable everywhere. His observations about human society are thought provoking and brilliant.
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Mary Lee
5.0 out of 5 starsLKY: Singapore from 3rd World to 1st.June 5, 2015
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It's a very engaging book. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew had a lot of wise sayings and he was so predictable. He had very good foresight and events indeed happened according to his words. He meant what he said and was able to transform a tiny island into one of the world's busiest nation within a short spam of time. Very few political leaders would be able to achieve that. LKY had made Singaporeans a product of Singapore. Once I pick up the book to read, it's hard to put it down.
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bleujay17
5.0 out of 5 starsA very good read. I may not agree with all LKY ...April 7, 2017
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A very good read. I may not agree with all LKY said and did, but here is one person with political will and the intent to make his country First World and improve the people's lives, even with strict policies. Singapore is not perfect, but it's a good example of what can happen with vision and followthrough.
2 people found this helpful
Cosmos: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, Neil deGrasse Tyson: 9780345539434: Amazon.com: Books
Cosmos Paperback – December 10, 2013
by Carl Sagan (Author), Ann Druyan (Introduction), & 1 more
4.6 out of 5 stars 785 customer reviews
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Editorial Reviews
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“Magnificent . . . With a lyrical literary style, and a range that touches almost all aspects of human knowledge, Cosmos often seems too good to be true.”—The Plain Dealer
“Sagan is an astronomer with one eye on the stars, another on history, and a third—his mind’s—on the human condition.”—Newsday
“Brilliant in its scope and provocative in its suggestions . . . shimmers with a sense of wonder.”—The Miami Herald
“Sagan dazzles the mind with the miracle of our survival, framed by the stately galaxies of space.”—Cosmopolitan
“Enticing . . . iridescent . . . imaginatively illustrated.”—The New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Carl Sagan served as the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo spacecraft expeditions, for which he received the NASA Medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and (twice) for Distinguished Public Service.
His Emmy- and Peabody–winning television series, Cosmos, became the most widely watched series in the history of American public television. The accompanying book, also called Cosmos, is one of the bestselling science books ever published in the English language. Dr. Sagan received the Pulitzer Prize, the Oersted Medal, and many other awards—including twenty honorary degrees from American colleges and universities—for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. In their posthumous award to Dr. Sagan of their highest honor, the National Science Foundation declared that his “research transformed planetary science . . . his gifts to mankind were infinite.” Dr. Sagan died on December 20, 1996.See all Editorial Reviews
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Biography
Carl Sagan was Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager spacecraft expeditions to the planets, for which he received the NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. Dr. Sagan received the Pulitzer Prize and the highest awards of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation, and many other awards, for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. His book Cosmos (accompanying his Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television series of the same name) was the bestselling science book ever published in the English language, and his bestselling novel, Contact, was turned into a major motion picture.
Photo by NASA/JPL [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Nichanan Kesonpat
5.0 out of 5 starsA true pleasure and eye-openerJanuary 6, 2017
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What a privilege and joy it was to have read this book. I made my way through it rather slowly because it was so packed full of historical anecdotes, scientific findings, and thought-provoking insights that I needed a break every chapter or so to let ideas mentally sink in. In 13 chapters, Dr Sagan gives us a glimpse into all scales of space and time. From the Big Bang to the formation of the stars and the Earth, through the painstaking evolutionary process that resulted in human beings, to millenia beyond our time where interstellar travel may be a viable means of commute. From quarks to complex molecules to planets, supernovae and black holes, to the idea of an infinite hierarchy of universes, all nested within one another.
This book is far beyond an ordinary astronomy general interest read. Its contents incorporate genetics, ancient history, chemical biology, sociology, religion, human psychology and philosophy... Dr Sagan weaves these realms together in the context of the Cosmos, and raises intriguing questions about hypothetical alternate turn of events as well as where we (humankind) go from here. He pays homage to the brilliant minds whose work and courage has contributed to our current technical capabilities. From Erastosthenes' astute calculation of the Earth's circumference, to Kepler’s observations, to Einstein's special theory of relativity (and those in between: Huygens, Brahe, Newton, Champollion etc.), Sagan not only highlights their contribution, but discusses the societal circumstances that these individuals found themselves in. In doing so, he invokes a scrutiny of our current societal climate and behaviors. Are we doing our best to build and maintain a society that values the pursuit of knowledge over one that may eventually crumble under self-destructive greed? Are we investing an adequate amount of resources (both monetary and intellect) on constructive, self-preserving causes? Sagan goes as far as to compare government spendings on military weapons with scientific research funding, and demonstrates how far will have still to go before our loyalties are united not just within nation-states, but as a species of Planet Earth.
Dr Sagan’s intrigues are not limited to Western ways of thinking. Instead, he pays deep respect to the cultures, achievements, and creation myths around the world - this was done through anecdotes from ancient Chinese, Egyptian, and Indian history as well as various tribal accounts. By doing so, he demonstrates that human intrigue has more in common than we may first assume. The early civilizations around the Earth, long before they knew of one another, independently devised theories about how we came to be based on their observations of the heavens. These were passed on to their descendants through subsequent generations ultimately resulting in what we may believe or know of today.
I wonder what Dr Sagan would have thought about the state of the world today… recent election results, SpaceX, virtual reality, artificial intelligence/machine learning, Kepler missions, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, instability in the Middle East, the Higgs Boson… My guess is that he would simultaneously be alarmed that we are STILL arguing whether or not climate change is a problem, and amazed at our technological achievements with the internet and a legitimate goal to visit Mars. I would without a doubt recommend this book to everyone. A scientific degree is not necessary to fully appreciate the lesson and message that this book conveys. Dr Sagan’s literary style is not only comprehensible but so finely depicts his deep passion for the sciences that it is almost poetic. After having read the book, one could truly dwell on what we can do to unify ourselves as citizens of Planet Earth, with a mutual interest of survival, pursuit of interplanetary/interstellar travel and constant discovery of what our universe has to offer.
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vikki
5.0 out of 5 starsThe possibility of trillions of planets leads us to believe many now have or have had intelligent beings. I like his books becauJuly 21, 2016
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I read this book when it was first published. Although many advancements have been made in the methods of viewing the universe, the content in this book remains relevant. Some answers to our questions have been answered only to lead to more questions. He thought that maybe most stars had planetary systems, and we now know that to be true. The possibility of trillions of planets leads us to believe many now have or have had intelligent beings. I like his books because he writes for the laymen and is easy to understand. It opens our eyes to the many wonders of our universe. It is very educational.
Ruby Seifert
(Vicki)
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whj
5.0 out of 5 starssuch refrshing sanity, eloquence, and intelligenceNovember 11, 2017
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I also watched the video of Cosmos as I was reading this book to enhance my understanding of the subject. I am very grateful for the author as well as all the people involved in making the series. The book is superbly written, eloquent, educational, persuasive, a plea for knowledge and sanity, desperately lacking in our time of craziness and political and religions fanaticism. While I was reading, I couldn't help but feeling conflicted--finding intelligence and solace in his intelligence and sagacious mind, and then tremendous fear of current state of affairs, repeating destructive history, propelled and justified by political and religious manipulations.
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Nojokes
5.0 out of 5 starsCosmic and foreverFebruary 16, 2018
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An old fart now, I read this book when it first came out a BILLION, BILLION years ago. I was young then. We had to slay dinosaurs for food. I was a Marine sergeant at the time and forced my young charges to watch the PBS series once a week on the barrack's TV. They loved it.
In a lot of ways, Carl Sagan shaped my life. I had always been interested in astronomy and cosmology. My first memory as a young child is seeing the Moon in the sky. As a junior in high school biology I read his book "The Cosmic Connection", my first introduction to Sagan. I was hooked.
I recently ordered this edition as a gift. I quickly read through it and was both relieved and dismayed that it hadn't been updated. It appears to be the same book. I was glad that Sagan's words hadn't been (apparently) changed. I do think that Tyson and Druyan might have added chapters that would highlight discoveries made since Sagan's death.
I can't look at a picture of Mars or Jupiter without thinking of Carl Sagan. What would he have thought about the Cassini probe around Saturn, the Titan lander or New Horizons at Pluto? Uranus or Neptune? Or that his children have left the interplanetary domain and are now in interstellar space?
I reordered this book again for moi. Welcome home, Carl.
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Maynard M. Withrow
5.0 out of 5 starsCarl Sagan and Cosmos, STILL the best.July 20, 2016
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What can you say about this classic that hasn't already been said and possibly over and over at that? For most persons, especially myself, this was their first introduction to Dr. Sagan's work,especially the documentary on P.B.S. which we saw about every time it aired and then when we found out there was a book we rushed to our local library to see if they had it and checked it out and renewed it numerous times! Other than that, it has been VERY difficult to find the original Cosmos in or near our local area. So, when I found this and checked it out to confirm this WAS the first edition I jumped on it! For an entire generation this (the book and the series) was our first and best introduction to astronomy, space exploration and the Universe as a whole and Man's basic place in it from a single, reliable source. Again, what CAN you say about this classic?
2 people found this helpful