Short History of Myanmar

Derived from BAMAR * Burma spoken flesh * Myanmar literary form 2. BASIC FACTS * Official Name Republic of the labor union of Myanmar * Capital Naypyidaw * Form of administration Unitary Presidential Constitutional Republic * President Thein Sein * Vice-President Nyan Thun (Navy Chief) * 2nd Vice-President Sai Mauk Kham World Organizations UN (1948), ASEAN (June 23, 1997) * Ethnic Group Burmans 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, Others 5% * lyric poem Burmese (Sino-Tibetan) * Currency Kyat (K) * Religion Theravada Buddhism 89%, Christianity 4%, Islam 4%, Others 2%, Hinduism 1% * Foreign Rulers Chinese, Muslims, Indians, BRITISH, Nipponese * Date of Independence (from British) January 4, 1948 *Geography largest country in the mainland SEA Bordered on the NW by India and Bangladesh, NE by Tibet and China, SE by Laos and Thailand, S by the verbalize of Bengal and Andaman Sea * Highest point is Hkakabo Razi in Kachin / highest mountai n in SEA, along the borders of Myanmar, India and China / along the foothills of the Himalayas * Lowest point is Andaman Sea/Burma Sea, southeast of Bay of Bengal * Major rivers are Irrawaddy, Thanlwin, Sittang * Climate Hot term is from March to May, rainy season is from June to October and cold season is from November to February 3. EARLY HISTORY Pyu (1st century BC) entered the Irrawaddy Valley / established city states * Mon (6th century BC) gray part of Myanmar / had ethnic and economic links with India > Buddhism * Mranma/Bamar/Burmans (9th century BC) settled in the Irrawaddy basin / dominant ethnic group / started the hedonist empire 4. 1044-1077 *Founded by King Anawrahta * Flourished in the upper Irrawaddy Valley * Laid the foundation of the Burmese actors line and culture, the spread of Burman ethnicity, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and in the mainland * Fall attacks of the Mongol empire . WARRING STATES PERIOD * Ava state (1364-1555) Led byB urmanized Shan kings who claimed descent from Pagan kings Founded byThadominbya * Hanthawaddy Kingdom/Hanthawaddy Pegu Dominant kingdom in southern Burma Founded by KingWareru 6. FORTY YEARS WAR * Military conflict between Ava and Pegu * 1st one-half Ava invaded Pegu and was defeated Ava signed a truce * 2nd half Pegu attacked Ava to stop its expansion Ava signed some other truce and broke it * After the fight, Hanthawaddy Pegu reached its golden age through profits and commercializing . TOUNGOO DYNASTY * KingMingyinyo founded theFirst Taungoo Dynasty * Tabinshwehti interconnected most of Burma and was crowned king of all Burma in 1544 *Burma became an important trading center with the coming of European traders * Bayinnaung succeeded the throne in 1551 and reigned for 30 years, launching a campaign of conquest invading several states 8. KONBAUNG DYNASTY * die hard dynasty in Burma * Founded by a village-chiefAlaung expecta Reunited all of Burma, extinguished the Hanthawadd y dynasty and drove out the European powers who provided arms to Hanthawaddy * 1760-1855 serial publication of wars with Siam until the two countries exchanged Tenasserim (to Burma) and Lan Na (to Siam) 9. FIRST ANGLO-BURMESE WAR * King Bodawpaya expanded westward which happened to allow in areas near the borders of the British India * British won full control over Assam, Manipur, Cachar, Arakan, Jaintia, and Tenasserim * Burmese forced to pay 1M pound sterling and sign a commercial treaty * Longest and most expensive war in British Indian history 10.SECOND ANGLO-BURMESE WAR * Commodore George Lambert sent to Burma to resolve some pocket-size issues regarding the Treaty of Yandabo * George Lambert blocked the port of Rangoon, seizing the Kings royal ship * Britain likewise wanted the teak forests in the southern parts of Burma and the port between Calcutta and Singapore * The British succeeded annexed Pegu and renaming it spurn Burma 11. THIRD ANGLO-BURMESE WAR King Mindon tried to modernize the Burmese state and economy to resist British encroachments * The British claimed that Mindons son, Thibaw Min, was a tyrant intending to side with the French * The British won for the last time, do Burma a province of the British Raj 12. BRITISH RULE * Capital at Rangoon *Traditional Burmese hostelry was changed by the end of monarchy * Demand for Burmese rice grew and lands were opened for cultivation * Farmers were forced to borrow silver from Indian moneylenders called chettiars * Burmese economy grew simply all the power and wealth remained in the British firms 3. chauvinistic MOVEMENT * Dominated by Ethnic Burmese * Strongly anti-Chinese and anti-Indians * Domination of Myanmar economy by orthogonal capital stimulated the devt of socialist ideology * The stress on Buddhism as being the union of cultural, religious and personal identity alienated the non-Burmese 14. JAPANESE RULE * Nominally declared Burma independent as the distinguish of Burma on August 1, 1943 * Asia for the Asians Co-Prosperity Sphere (self-sufficient bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and excess of Western powers) * 1944 Aung San established the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League *1945 British troops had regained control 15. license * Britain move Myanmar towards full self-governance ( to a lower place the British Commonwealth) * January 1947 Aung San led the AFPFL to London election for a constitution * Won the elections, but Aung San was assassinated U Nu led Myanmar to independence from the British on January 4, 1948 * Union of Burma federal state constitute of large Burmese are and four upland states * General Ne Win led a military coup to overthrow U Nus elected government * Many people support the coup = end to the corruption, instability, inflation and social unrest * Military-based political party Burma Socialist Program company *1974 new Constitution Socialist Republic of the Union Of Burma * 1987 UN Myanmar as the least develop ed nation, one of the human beings 10 poorest countries * Two economies the legal state-controlled economy & the black market economy * State Law and Order Restoration Council General Saw Maung * Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Aung San, won the elections but was placed under house arrest * March 27, 2006 the capital was officially namedNaypyidaw Myodaw (Royal City of the Seat of Kings) * 2005 capital fromYangon toNaypyidaw * May 10, 2008 from theUnion of Myanmarto theRepublic of the Union of Myanmar