Lee Kuan Yew took a crowded, dirty, poor port town, and turned it into one of the world's great cities. How was he able to lead such an incredible transformation of Singapore?

00:00 Introduction

03:50 Early Life and Education

12:00 The Japanese Occupation and Its Impact

17:30 Post-War Singapore and the Road to Independence

24:45 The People's Action Party and Early Governance

37:30 Operation Coldstore and the Fight Against Communism

40:00 Ethnic Tensions and Operation Cold Store

41:15 Formation of Malaysia and Rising Tensions

42:30 Singapore's Expulsion and Independence

43:50 Lee Kuan Yew's Emotional Address

46:40 Building a Defense Strategy

51:20 Lee Kuan Yew's Ideology and Governance

59:00 Economic Growth and Development

01:06:20 Social Progress and Urban Development

01:15:00 Conclusion and Legacy

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Sources:

⁠No Man Is An Island: A Portrait of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew by James Minchin⁠

⁠Lee Kuan Yew: The Grandmaster's Insights on China, United States, and the World by Graham Allison, Michael McConnohie, et al.⁠

⁠From Third World to First by Lee Kuan Yew⁠

⁠Singapore: A Modern History by Michael D Barr⁠

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Writing, research, and production by Ben Wilson.