TL;DR: Gist: Described as SG's "original sin," Lee's detainment without trial of pro-Communist opposition in 1963 paves the way for one-man rule. Lee applies

TL;DR: Gist: Described as SG's "original sin," Lee's detainment without trial of pro-Communist opposition in 1963 paves the way for one-man rule. Lee applies scientific rigor to backwater of Southeast Asia. Theory 1: SG's small geography is uniquely tailored for Lee's centralism. Abstractions collapse and errors get magnified over larger distances (USSR, China, Brazil). Lee and Chinese premiere Jiang Zemin apply SG's model to Suzhou Industrial Park. Widely regarded as failure. Theory 2: Strongman approach fails in Zimbabwe and North Korea because only Lee is wise enough to pull it off. Timeline: 1819: Stamford Raffles colonizes sleepy Malay village. 1940s: Japan captures and oppresses SG during WW2. Britain gradually decolonizes in war's aftermath. 1950s: Moderate Lee and Communist sympathizer Lim Chin Siong emerge as leaders of Western-educated PAP party. Lim dominates Lee in charisma and Mandarin ability in rallying the key Chinese laborer demographic. 1956: Minister of SG Lim Yew Hock imprisons Lim and other Communist PAP leaders citing public safety. 1958: Mollified by Hock's anti-leftism, Britain entrusts SG with full self-governance in State of Singapore Act. 1959: Lee's PAP party wins election in landslide. Lee releases Lim and other imprisoned Communists. 1961: Lim splits from Lee over Malay merger (Lee is for, Lim is against), forming own party Barisan Sosialis. 1963: Lee wins Malay merger referendum. Lim accuses Lee of "cheating" and "threats." Lee builds case for Lim's potential for violent subversion. When Lim is discovered lunching with Brunei's rebel leader, Lee triggers "Operation Coldsore" detaining Lim and 113 others without trial. Lim was released after six years, moved to England and became a grocer. 1965: SG leaves Malaysian Federation. Lee cries on TV.