ABSTRACT ON MIANMAR

• Pagan Empire in the 1050s – Burmese language, , Theravada Buddhism
• The Pagan Empire fell due to the Mongol invasions (1277–1301), and several warring states emerged
• In the second half of the 16th century, the country was reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty which for a brief period was the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia.
• The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Burma as well as Manipur and Assam.
• The country was colonized by Britain following three Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824–1885).
  • Burma lost Arakan, Manipur, Assam and Tenasserim to the British in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826).
  • In 1852, the British easily seized Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War.
  • King Mindon tried to modernize the kingdom, and in 1875 narrowly avoided annexation by ceding the Karenni States. The British, alarmed by the consolidation of French Indo-China, annexed the remainder of the country in the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885

• Throughout the colonial era, many Indians arrived as soldiers, civil servants, construction workers and traders and, along with the Anglo-Burmese community, dominated commercial and civil life in Burma. Rangoon became the capital of British Burma and an important port between Calcutta and Singapore.
  • Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Yangon on occasion all the way until the 1930s.
• On 1 April 1937, Burma became a separately administered colony of Great Britain, with nationalist pro self-rule Ba Maw as prime minister (was soon arrested)
• In 1940, before Japan formally entered the Second World War, Aung San formed the Burma Independence Army in Japan.
  • During the war Japan invaded Myamar for a while and set Ba Maw in rule
    • Minorities and opposition ehtnic groups set alliances with the US side. Eg: The Burma Independence Army and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942 to 1944, but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945
• Following the World War II, Aung San negotiated the Panglong Agreement with ethnic leaders that guaranteed the independence of Burma as a unified state. In 1947, Aung San became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Burma, a transitional government. But in July 1947, political rivals[36] assassinated Aung San and several cabinet members
  • The geographical area Burma encompasses today can be traced to the Panglong Agreement, which combined Burma Proper, which consisted of Lower Burma and Upper Burma, and the Frontier Areas, which had been administered separately by the British
• Becme an Independent republic in 1948, it did not become a member of the Commonwealth. A bicameral parliament was formed, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Chamber of Nationalities,[38] and multi-party elections were held in 1951–1952, 1956 and 1960.

• Since independence in 1948, the country has been in one of the longest running civil wars among the country's myriad ethnic groups
  • From 1962 to 2011, the country was under military rule. The military junta was dissolved in 2011 following a general election in 2010 and a civilian government installed.
  • In 1989 the junta changed the name from Burma to Myanmar, but US doesn't recognizes, however the UN and others do

• On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military since then.
• Between 1962 and 1974, Burma was ruled by a revolutionary council headed by the general, and almost all aspects of society
• From 1974 to 1988 it was a one-party system, and become one of the most empoverished countries in the world
• In 1988, unrest over economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government led to widespread pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country known as the 8888 Uprising. Security forces killed thousands of demonstrators, and General Saw Maung staged a coup d'état and formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
• Elections were established in 1989, but as opposition forces won for 80% the general kept the SLORC untill 1997, changing it to State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) until its dissolution in March 2011
  • 2007 Saffron revolution; 2—8 cyclone;
  • Constitutional change from Union of Myamar to Republic of the Union of Myamar, and set ellections to 2010, which were fraudulently won by the militars (80%)
    • Surprisingly, the militaries made some democratic flexibilizations
    • Hilary Clinton visited the country in 2011
    • 2012 elections were followed by international observance, being tolerable, and electing 43 ou of 45 seats to the pro-democracy party.
• Get's accepted in ASEAN in 1997.