A Brief History of Burma
A Brief History of Burma
A Brief History of Burma
A Brief History of Burma
11th 19th century: A Buddhist monarchy
Burma was united in the eleventh century under the Buddhist King, Anawrahta. A series of monarchs at-
tempted to maintain absolute rule over different ethnic groups, with varying degrees of success.
1886 1947: A British colony
In 1886 the British annexed the country and Burma was immediately declared a province of British India.
1939 1945: Burma Theatre of War
With the support of Indian and ultimately Burmese troops, the British expelled the Jaapanese from Burma
towards the end of the war. Burma was granted total independence from Britain in January 1947.
Transition to Freedom
An election was held to form an interim government, in which 32 year old Aung san's Anti-Fascist People's
Freedom League won 248 of 255 assembly seats. Aung san met with ethnic leaders throughout Burma in an
effort to create reconciliation and unity for all Burmese.
1947: Aung San is assassinated
In July 1947, Aung San was assassinated by political rivals. The nation was badly shaken by the loss of their
charismatic young leader. A member of the cabinet, U Nu, was delegated to head the government.
1948 58: Ten years of uneasy democracy
Ten years of parliamentary followed. There was a lot of unrest, however, as communists and ethnic minorities
clamoured for recognition and autonomy. In 1958 the army ousted U Nu and put a military controlled
`socialist' government in place.
1962 88: The Generals take over
In 1962, a military coup was staged by General Ne Win, who instituted authoritarian military rule. The coun-
try was closed off to the outside world and Burma went into a steady economic decline.
1988: The `Summer of Democracy'
By 1988, the economy was near collapse and much of the country took to the streets to demand food and
basic rights. For the brief `summer of democracy', people began to form political groupings and hold open
discussions, which for years had been forbidden. Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Burma's independence hero,
Aung San, became a focus of the democracy movement.
On 8th August 1988, millions of men, women and children joined peaceful demonstrations around the coun-
try. Army troops began a four-day massacre. Approximately 3000 people were killed in Rangoon, the capital
city, alone.
On 18th September 1988 the army reasserted its power. Again, thousands of unarmed demonstrators were
killed, and the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) was established. At least 10000 demonstra-
tors were killed across the country during 1988.
September 1988: The SLORC era begins
SLORC was forced by international pressure to allow political parties to register. Repression intensified, how-
ever, and Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest in 1989. She was kept there for six years. Demo-
cratic elections were held in 1990. Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide
victory despite her imprisonment. SLORC refused to acknowledge the election results and has retained its
grip on power ever since.
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