Decolonization

of Burma
By Julianna Galofaro
Precolonial Burma
-Precolonial Burma, known today as Myanmar, was founded by King
Anawrahta

-At times, Burma was divided into several independent city-states

-In early times Burma was known as the Pagan Empire

-The government of the Pagan Empire was ruled by Monarchs

-The religion of precolonial Burma was Buddhism

-For a time, the Mongol Empire ruled over Burma

Colonization of Burma
-Burma was colonized by the British

-There were three wars between the British and the Burmese before
Britain completely annexed Burma known as the Anglo-Burmese Wars.

-The British made Burma a part of British India

-The British used the colony of Burma as a Buffer Zone between India
and the other parts of Asia

-Burma was annexed in separate sections. The British annexed certain

sections due to victories over the course of the three wars.

-The British made amendments to the government in Burma and

separated the church from the state.
Independence of Burma
-During World War II, Japan invaded the colony of Burma and declared
Burma independent; however many of the Burmese believed that Japan
would actually let them have their independence.

-The Japanese wanted to defeat the British

-Aung San led a Burmese independent group called Thirty Comrades

-The Burmese knew that Japan would not let Burma keep its
independence so they worked with the British in order to beat the
Japanese

-In 1947, Burma gained its independence from Britain

-Aung San and some of his cabinet members were assasinated. A cabinet
member, U Nu, took leadership
 Post-colonial Burma
-The government in Burma became democratic

-Communist groups repeatedly challenged the democracy

-U Nu was replaced from leadership with U Ne Win

-U Ne Win staged a coup and ruled Burma as a military dictator

-Under U Ne Win, Burma went through a period of isolationism

-A period of unrest resulted in the emergence of a new leader: Aung San

Suu Kyi

-Aung San Suu Kyi was kept in house arrest by military dictators
Burma Today
-Aung San Suu Kyi finally became the leader of Burma

-Today, Myanmar's president is Htin Kyaw

-Myanmar is still recovering from a long period of dictatorship

-Recently, while Myanmar has been trying to democratize, there is still a

lot of gender inequality

-Example: A law trying to be put in place that protects women from

violence is being opposed by many people in Myanmar

-Myanmar is not yet completely democratic but, it is taking steps to

become democratic and is not a military dictatorship anymore.
 Works Cited
"History Of Burma." History of Burma. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2017.

Hays, Jeffrey. "BRITISH RULE OF BURMA." Facts and Details. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2017.