Colonial Era to Present

British Burma (1885–1948)

In three Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824, 1852, 1885), the British conquered the entire kingdom. King Thibaw, the last king, was exiled to India with his family in 1885 — the end of 800 years of Burmese monarchy. The British made Rangoon (Yangon) the capital and transformed Burma into a major exporter of rice and teak. The colonial buildings that characterize Yangon's old town today date from this era.

Independence & Aung San

The hero of the independence movement was General Aung San — father of Aung San Suu Kyi and still the most revered Burmese figure. He founded the Burmese army, negotiated with the Japanese, switched sides during the war, and eventually negotiated independence from the British. On July 19, 1947, he was assassinated along with six cabinet members — six months before independence. On January 4, 1948, Burma became independent.

Military Dictatorship (1962–2011)

In 1962, General Ne Win staged a coup and established the "Burmese Way to Socialism" — a bizarre mix of socialism, nationalism, and superstition (he changed banknotes so they were divisible by his lucky number 9). The country, once one of the richest in Asia, dramatically impoverished. Burma became a hermit state.

1988: Mass protests against the regime. Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the national hero, became an icon of the democracy movement. The military junta brutally crushed the protests (an estimated 3,000 dead) and placed Suu Kyi under house arrest — a total of 15 years. 1991 she received the Nobel Peace Prize. 2010 she was released.

Democratization and Setback

2015: Suu Kyi's party NLD won the elections in a landslide victory. Myanmar opened up, tourists flocked to the country, the economy grew. But the euphoria was dampened by the Rohingya crisis (2017) in Rakhine State, which was internationally condemned as ethnic cleansing.

February 1, 2021: The military (Tatmadaw) staged another coup, arrested Suu Kyi and her government, and took over power. Since then, Myanmar has been in a severe crisis: armed resistance in many parts of the country, economic decline, and humanitarian suffering. The future of Myanmar is uncertain — but the people's will for democracy remains unbroken.