Immediately after the war, the British authorities had set up the Malayan Union, a state where all citizens, Malay, Chinese and Indian, would have equal rights. This was rejected by many ethnic Malays and by the rulers of the various protected states under effective British control. In 1948 the British replaced the Malayan Union with The Federation of Malaya which reduced Chinese influence and for many Chinese this appeared as a betrayal after their community had borne the brunt of fighting the Japanese occupation.