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The First War
After the British colonized India, they were looking for more territory in the east. They set their sights on Myanmar (as it was called at the time), for economical benefits, as they were a big producer in rice. They were hoping on expanding their territory, working their way towards Hong Kong, where they had already had under their control. Under the command of British General Sir Archibald Campbell, East India Company forces seized Rangoon, defeating the forces of the King of Ava. -
The Combustible Commodore
In 1852, another war led by Commodore Lambert (otherwise known as "Combustible Commodore"), led to another Burmese defeat and the annexation of all lower Myanmar to the expanding raj -
The Rest of Myanmar
In 1885, Lord Randolph Churchill, then secretary of state for India, ordered the invasion of what was left of the Myanmar kingdom. On this day, British troops entered Mandalay. -
Officially The British
On this day, Burma was officially attached to the British. The 28 year old Burmese king was unceremoniously exiled to India and the entire aristocracy was stripped of their offices and expelled from their homes. The royal city at Mandalay was renamed 'Fort Dufferin' after the Viceroy at the time. The British renamed Myanmar Burma, and made it a Province of British India. -
The Nationalist Movement
In the 1920s, there were strikes and anti-tax protests in regard to the British colonial rule. Active protesters were the Buddhist monks, who turned their alms bowls upside-down, the Buddhist symbol for contempt. Aung San, the father of the future Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, the only female in parliament, started forming a nationalist movement, The Burma Independence Army (BIA). -
The Japanese
When the Japanese invaded in 1941, many cheered and some even joined the pro-Japanese Burma Independence Army of General Aung San. With the help of the Japanese, the Burmese finally managed to drive the British out of the country. However, they only managed to maintain Burmese political support before their conduct alienated the people, and were driven out as well, as towards the end of WWII, the Burmese switched sides and fought with the Allies to drive out the Japanese. -
General Aung San
After WWII, with the departure of both the British and the Japanese, Aung San emerged as the country's leader. He was an early activist for nationalism. When elections held in 1947, his party won with overwhelming majority. Unfortunately, before he could take office, he was assassinated by a rival. -
An Independent Country
On this day, Burma was officially declared an independent country, free from colonial rule. Aung San's protege U Nu was at the helm. -
The Military Takeover
In 1962 General Ne Win led a left-wing army takeover and set the country on its way to the “Burmese way of Socialism”. He nationalized everything, including retail shops, and quickly crippled the country’s economy. By 1987, the economy had reached a virtual standstill, and the Burmese people packed to the streets, and there were massive confrontations between pro-democracy demonstrators and the military, which led to an estimated 3,000 deaths
