2. Map of Burma 3. Early History It is believed that the Mon
people were the first tomigrate into the Ayeyarwady Valley. This
occurred inapprox. 1500 BCE. The Mon were Theravada Bhuddistsand
dominated the southern areas of Burma. Following the Mon was the
Pyu ( now known asBurmese) peoples who arrived in Burma in 1st
centuryBC. These kingdoms declined in the 9th AD when what
ispresent Yunnan attacked. Note: the Mon are still a prominent
peoples inBurma, making up the 2nd largest population in thenation
after the Burmese. 4. Modern Day Mon Children 5. King Anawrahta
(1044-1077 AD) King Anawrahta was the first King to rule over
Myanmar as a single kingdom. He united the Burmese and the Mon into
one nation and made Theravada Buddhism the national religion. His
capital was at Bagan in the Ayeyarwaddy Valley and it flourish as a
religious center filled with pagodas and shrines. 6. Anawrahtas
Bagan 7. Ananda Temple (Bagan) 8. Kublai Khan/The Mongols/Tai-Shan
In 1277 Kublai Khans forces began invadingBurma, ending the Bagan
kingdom. With the Mongols came the Tai-Shan ( of Yunnan )who spread
out into the areas of Burma, Thailand, andCambodia. The Mongols
leave in 1287, but the Kingdom of Baganhas been irreversibly split
into four main kingdoms :Ava or Inwa ( controlling the Burmese
upper state), theMon kingdom of Hanthawady founded by KingWareru (
controlling lower Burma ), the Rakhinekingdom in the west, and the
Shan states. 9. Kublai Khan 10. Taungoo (1531-1752) Led by the
young king Tabinshweti, age nine, Taungoodefeated the power Mon
kingdom at Bago, reunifyingSouthern Burma by 1540. Tabinshwetis
son, Bayinnnaung , continues on thekingdom by conquering Upper
Burma, Manipur, theShan States, Chiang Mai ( part of what is
nownorthern Thailand ), Ayutthaya (part of Thailand), andLan Xang (
a section of Laos. ) However, Bayinnaungsempire unraveled almost
immediately after his deathin 1581. 11. Taungoo (contd) However,
Bayinnaungs grandson Anaukpetlunregrouped and reestablished a
smaller kingdomcovering Upper Burma, Lower Burma, and the
ShanStates. After Anaukpetlunson Thaluns reign (1629-1648)
thekingdom slowly declined for the next hundred yearsuntil, with
the help of the French and the Siamese, theMon successfully rebel
and finally divided the remainsof the kingdom. 12. Taungoo 13.
Konbaung (1752-1885) Founded by King Alaungpaya who also
foundedYangon (also known as Rangoon.) The Qing dynasty of China
attempted to invade Burmafour times from 1765-1769 and failed each
time. (1824-1826) British defeat Burma in the first Anglo-Burmese
War. As a result Burma had to cede its land inManipur, Assam,
Rakhine, and Tanintharyi. After the Second Anglo-Burmese War,
Britaincaptured the territories of Ayeryawaddy, Yangon, andBago.
14. Konbaung Contd King Mindon founds Mandalay and makes it
hiscapital in 1859. One of the most revered kings inBurmese
history, Mindon successfully balances thegrowing threats of French
and British conquests. In 1885 Britain officially lays claim to
Burma, capturingMandalay and exiling the royal family to India. 15.
British Capture of Mandalay 16. Colonnial Period (1886-1948) Burma
is administered as a province of British India priorto becoming a
self-governing colony in 1937. In a failed attempt to facilitate
trade, Britain openedBurmas borders to India and China. However,
soon thenew immigrants displaced the native Burmese in the
largerurban areas. October 1919: Violence breaks out at the
Eindawya Pagodain Mandalay when Burmese monks try to prevent
non-buddhist Britsh from entering. The head monk issentenced to
life in prison. Monks such as U Wisarabecome martyrs in new
protests and uprisings againstBritish Rule. 17. Burmese Monk 18.
Colonial Burma 19. Using Burmese Labor to build Thai-Burmese
Railway 20. Writer George Orwell is stationed as a police in
Burmafor five years. His story Upon Shooting an Elephantis a result
of his years in the colony. ( Orwells station in Burma ) 21.
Colonial Flag of Burma 22. February 12 , 1947 The Panglong
Agreement : Aung Sans administration reaches an agreement with the
Shan, Kachin, and Chin peoples. It declared full autonomy in
internal administration for the Frontier Areas. This agreement also
established the Kachin State, the northernmost state in Burma. A
Chin State was also brought into being the following year. 23. Aung
San 24. January 4th 1948 Burma is given its independence and
becomes arepublic known as the Union of Burma. Unlike mostof the
previous British colonies, Burma did notbecome part of the Britsh
Commonwealth of Nations. The New Republic developed a bicameral
parliamentmade up of a chamber of deputies ( lower house )and
achamber of nationalities ( upper house ). 25. Flag of Independent
Burma 26. Ne Wins Coup Democratic rule of Burma is ended with the
coupdetat of General Ne Win. Originally the BurmesePrime Minister,
Ne Win overthrew the governmentand took the titles of Chairman,
Head of State, andleader of the Revolutionary Council. Though the
coup was recorded as bloodless in theglobal media, the former
presidents young son wasshot dead by a soldier and demonstrations
wereviolently suppressed. Ne Win makes a public statement over the
radiostating : "if these disturbances were made to challengeus, I
have to declare that we will fight sword withsword and spear with
spear". 27. Ne Wins Coup Contd July 7, 1962 : Rangoon University
students try to speakout against the new leadership of Ne Win. Ne
Winsends his troops to disperse the peacefuldemonstration resulting
in the shooting of approx 100unarmed students. The next morning the
RangoonUniversity Student Union Building is blown up. Ne Win denies
any connection to the dynamiting ofthe Student Union Building. All
universities closed for the next 2 years. 28. General Ne Win 29.
Burmese Way To Socialism (1962-1988) Ne Win begins an agenda of
nationalization ofindustries, repression of minorities, and a
police state.These ideals led to expulsion offoreigners,
isolationism, and closing off the economy.Tried to enforce a
state-sanctioned form of Buddhism. This agenda increased Burmas
stability and kept itseparated from getting entangled in Asian Cold
Warconflicts. However, it also lead to a great increase inpoverty
and a military revolt. Ne Win develops government as a Military
Junta. 30. Military Coup of 1988 In Ne Wins farewell speech at his
resignation, hethreatened that even though he was stepping downfrom
office, protestors would not be welcome inBurma and that the
soldiers meant to put them downwould shoot straight to hit.
Tatmadaw Troops upheldthis promise, systematically killing and
maiminghundreds of protestors throughout the country. September 18,
1988 : General Saw Maung brutallycrushes protestor uprisings in
Yangon. There is rumorthat Ne Win has helped to plan and execute
the coupfrom the background. 31. General Saw Maung 32. May 1999 The
Burmese Government holds its first free elections in 30 years. The
National League for Democracy, the party of female Burmese hero
Aung San Suu Kyi won by a landslide, however the Military Juntas
party, the State Peace and Development Council, annulled the
results, refusing to step down. Aung San Suu Kyi was put under
house arrest soon after and remains so today. 33. March 4, 2002 An
alleged plot to overthrow the military junta developed by Ne Wins
son-in-law Aye Zaw Win was exposed. Aye Zaw Win and his wife (Ne
Wins daughter ) Sandar Win were put under house arrest along with
Ne Win himself. That September Aye Zaw Win and his three sons were
found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. They are still
awaiting execution in Rangoons Insein Jail. 34. 2007 Uprisings The
uprisings in August were led by well-known rebelssuch as Min Ko
Naing, who obtains the nom de guerre king of kings. The Military
crack down on theuprisings quickly and still refuses to allow the
RedCross to see Min Ko Naing who is in custody atRangoons Insein
Prison after being severely tortured. In that September several
hundred monks stagedprotest marches in Rangoon and Sittwe. When
theprotests came into conflict with Junta soldiers, theviolence
that ensued resulted in a number of deathsand injuries. National
reporters were warned not toreport about the protests. 35. Monks
Protesting in Sittwe 36. Protestors in Yangon 37. Cyclone Nargis
May 3rd, 2008 : Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma when it struck the
densely populated rice-farming area of Irrewaddy. Current reports
suggest that more than 130,000 people are either missing or dead
from the disaster. It is on record as the worst disaster in Burmese
history. The Burmese Government failed to allow large-scale foreign
aid services into the country, however news stories state that the
foreign aid that was provided to disaster victims was modified to
make it appear as if it was from the military regime, with all
media running photos of General Than Shwe ceremonially handing out
disaster relief. 38. Victims of the Storm 39. Works Consulted"Burma
FREE Burma Information |Encyclopedia.com: Find Burma
Research."Encyclopedia - Online Dictionary |Encyclopedia.com: Find
Articles, Facts, Pictures,Video! 30 Jan. 2009. "Burma FREE Burma
Information | Encyclopedia.com: Find Burma Research." Encyclopedia
- Online Dictionary | Encyclopedia.com: Find Articles, Facts,
Pictures, Video! 24 Jan. 2009 . 40. Works Consulted Contd"Burma
History." Berkeley Graduate School ofJournalism. 28 Jan.
2009."Myanmar History - King Anawrahta." MYANMAR: Travel Asia. 24
Jan. 2009."Burma -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 28 Jan. 2009
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