Ancient Foundations
The region has been home to sophisticated civilizations for thousands of years. The Pyu, Mon, Bamar, and other peoples built cities, traded across Asia, and developed rich literary, artistic, and religious traditions. The Bagan kingdom, which flourished from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries, left thousands of Buddhist temples and monuments across central Myanmar.
British Colonial Rule
Britain took control of Burma through three wars during the nineteenth century and completed its annexation in 1885. Colonial rule reshaped the economy, dismantled traditional institutions, and intensified tensions among ethnic and religious communities. It also helped give rise to student movements and a growing demand for independence.
Independence and Fragility
Aung San, the leading architect of modern Burma's independence, negotiated with Britain and worked toward an agreement among the country's ethnic groups. He was assassinated in 1947, months before independence.
Burma became independent on January 4, 1948. The new country had elections, a free press, and a lively civil society, but it also faced armed uprisings and unresolved questions about ethnic autonomy.
Military Rule
In 1962, General Ne Win seized power. The military closed Parliament, suppressed dissent, nationalized industries, and isolated the country under the "Burmese Way to Socialism." A once-promising economy deteriorated, universities were repeatedly restricted, and ethnic minority regions endured continuing military campaigns.
The Democracy Movement
In 1988, students, monks, workers, and families filled the streets in a nationwide uprising. The military killed thousands and retained power. During the movement, Aung San Suu Kyi—daughter of Aung San—emerged as a central democratic leader.
Her National League for Democracy won the 1990 election by a landslide, but the military refused to transfer power. Suu Kyi spent much of the next two decades under house arrest. Buddhist monks led another major protest in 2007, known as the Saffron Revolution; it too was suppressed.
A Brief Democratic Opening
Beginning around 2010, the military allowed limited reforms. Suu Kyi was released, censorship eased, and the country opened to greater investment and communication. The National League for Democracy won a historic election in 2015 and another landslide in November 2020.
The transition remained incomplete. The military retained guaranteed parliamentary seats and control of powerful ministries. Ethnic conflicts continued, and the military's 2017 campaign against the Rohingya brought worldwide condemnation.
On February 1, 2021—the day the newly elected Parliament was scheduled to convene—the military seized power again.
The Truth to Remember
The coup did not end a settled democracy. It destroyed a fragile opening for which generations had sacrificed. That history helps explain both the grief that followed and the determination with which so many citizens responded.