Myanmar was first united in the 11th
Century when King Anawrahtha ascended
to the throne after defeating the Mon city
of Thaton in 1057. Under his rule he
introduced Theravāda Buddhism to the
country and Pagan was established as the
capital city.

The British rules over Burma from
1824-1948 and included three Anglo-Burmese Wars.
The British tactic of divide and rule saw some ethnic
minorities, such as the Karen, favoured for positions
in the military and local administrations, which caused
friction between Myanmars ethnic minorities which is
still felt today.

Protests against British rule first began in the 1920s.
By 1935 the Students Union at Rangoon University had
a strong emerging leader in the form of Aung Sun, who
would lead the students in strikes and demonstrations
supported by the nation.

Aung Sun used the outbreak of WWII to
bring about independence for Myanmar.
Having completed military training in
Japan, Aung Sun and his Thirty Comrades
fought alongside the Japanese when they
invaded Myanmar. When it became clear
that the Japenese planned to renege on
their promise to grant Myanmar
independence if Britain was defeated,
Aung San turned to negotiations with the
British to help them defeat the Japanese.

In 1947 Aung San devised an agreement with
the British under which Myanmar would be
granted full independence. Although somewhat
controversial to some minorities, Aung Sun
nevertheless made an effort at reconciliation
and unity of the country as a whole.

In July 1947 the course of Myanmars history
was dramatically altered when members of
an opposition group burst into the the room
where Aung Sun and his newly formed cabinet
were seated and opened fire with machine guns,
killing Aung Sun and six of his cabinet members.

Following Aung Sun's assassination Myanmars
democratic government was constantly challenged,
with many instances of civil war. U Nu - a member
of Aung Suns former cabinet who had taken over his
position - was removed from his role in office in
1958 by a caretaker government headed by General
Ne Win. General Ne Win took control of the whole
country, including minority states, forcing them to
remain under central rule for the next two years. In
1960 he staged a coup d'etat that cemented his role
as the military dictator of Myanmar.

General Ne Win ruled Myanmar through the Burma
Socialist Programme Party (BSPP). They were the
only political group until 1988 and while there have
been demonstrations against the government since
they took over - notably the 1988 student protest
(known as The 8888 Popular Uprising) which lead
to over 3,000 deaths but saw the emergence of
Aung Sun Suu Kyi (daughter of the late Aung Sun);
and the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests.
Although Aung Sun Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD) party won the democratic election
in 1990 the military government has refused to
relinquish power, continuing instead to maintain strict
military control over the nation, which has lead to
Myanmar becoming a severly impoverished and
underdeveloped nation, with millions of citizens
forced into refugee status in neighbouring states
and many more becoming internally displaced within
their own country

Political Hotspots September Issue