Myanmar(Burma)Part I

Government/History 354

Campbell University

Myanmar Location

Shares borders with India, China, Laos and Thailand. It’s slightly smaller than Texas.

Myanmar’s Population• Myanmar has a population of about

47million: 68% are Burmese, 9% are Shan, 7% are Karen, 4% are Rakine, 2% are Mon, 3% are Chinese and 2% are Indian.

• They are 89% Theravada Buddhist, 4% Christian (3% Baptist) & 4% Muslim.

• The fertile, central Kyaukse Plain, is dominated by the Burmese. The Mons who they supplanted were pushed into lower Myanmar.

Myanmar States

• Myanmar is composed of 14 subdivisions, 7 divisions and 7 states. The states are composed of ethnic miniorities: Chin, Shan, Kachin, Mon, Karen (Kayin), Kayah & Rakhine.

• Myanmar’s minorities are largely unassimilated.

Military Dictatorship• Myanmar has been a

military dictatorship since 1962. The current government has been run by the State Peace and Development Council since 1992. The council is composed of 12 generals. The Chairman is Sr. Gen. Than Shwe.

• Myanmar suffers from pervasive government control and a black market economy.

Sr. Gen. Than Shwe

The Economy• Myanmar is rich in

resources, but the people live in poverty. The country has off shore oil and gas plus tin, zinc, tungsten, and cooper. It also has jade, rubies, sapphires and teak forests.

• It is the world’s second largest producer of illicit opium. The tribal Wa.

• The issues are corruption and mismanagement. Mural in a Yangon bus station.

Aung San Suu Kyi• The daughter of Aung San

(hero of Burmese independence), she led the National League of Democracy (NLD) to an election victory over the military in 1990.

• The military annulled the election and place her under house arrest where she remains.

• She was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1991.

Mons• The Mons were the earliest

known occupants of the Kyaukse Plain. They are ethnically related to the Khmers.

• They were recipients of Buddhist missionaries in the 3rd Century BC.

• Became transmitters of Indian culture to the Burmese by whom they were defeated and pushed south to Pegu and Thaton.

Mon couple courting.

Pyus• The Pyus were the first to

establish a kingdom in Myanmar (3rd Century). Practiced Hinduism, Theravada & Mahayana Buddhism. Were unusually peaceful people.

• Capital was Sri Kshetra.• Most famous dynasty was Pyu

Vikrama, AD 638.• They were defeated by the

Burmans in the 8th Century. Became vassals of Nan Chao

Pagan• The first Burmese

kingdom was Pagan (849). King Anawratha (1044-77) expanded the kingdom from Bhamo to Martaban.

• He became an adherent of Theravada Buddhism.

• He conquered Thaton and brought Buddhist writings and 30,000 monks and artisans to Pagan.

• He received a replica of Buddha’s tooth from Sri Lanka.

Toungoo Dynasty• The Pagan dynasty was brought to an end by the

Mongol invasion of 1287 and subsequent Shan attacks.

• Burmese power was not restored until 1531 with the Toungoo dynasty. The founders were Tabinshweti and his successor Bayinnaung.

• The drive for expansion led to two unsuccessful attacks on Ayutthaya by Tabinshweti. The issue was control of Chiengmai. His losses led to a Mon uprising and Tabinshweti’s death.

Toungoo Dynasty (Cont’d)• Bayinnaung was successful in conquering Chiengmai

and in 1568 conquered Ayuthaya. A 15 year occupation followed. The Thai king Nareseum then expelled the Burmese and invaded southern Myanmar.

• In the 17th Century, the Burmese capital was moved to Ava due to foreign pressure.

• Philip de Brito was part of that pressure. He was an adventurer who became governor of Syriam. He attacked Toungoo in the name Portugal 1612. The Burmese took retribution and crucified him.

Konbaung Dynasty• In 1752, the Mons captured Ava

ending the Toungoo Dynasty.• The Burmese resistance was led

by Alaungpaya who retook the country including Pegu and Rangoon. The Mons fled to Ayuthaya to escape capture.

• Alaunpaya was succeeded by Hsinbyushin who sacked and looted Ayuthaya 1764.

• The Burmese were forced to return to Myanmar to meet Chinese attacks.

Ruins of Ayuthaya

First British Contacts• In 1753, the British occupies Negrais Island.

Alaungpaya learns of British assistance to the Mons and retaliates with a massacre of the East India Company residents.

• In 1795, Captain Michael Symes is sent to Myanmar to investigate direct trade between India and China thru Myanmar. He returns with permission to trade and to station a resident.

• In 1802, Symes makes a second visit and notes the export of cotton from Myanmar to China.

1st War (1824-26)• The war was a conflict over

tributary states that border on both India and Myanmar.

• Burma attempted to annex Assam and Arakan.

• The British lost 15,000 Indian and 3,115 British troops. They gained Arakan and Tenasserim, a L 1million indemnity and a Resident at the Burmese court under the Treaty of Yandabo.

Between Wars• The British considered their Resident at the Burmese

court as a representative of British paramountcy whose advice must be followed. The Burmese considered him to be only an envoy or plenipotentiary, at best.

• The Burmese hoped to regain Tenasserim.• John Crawford (the Crawford Mission) was sent to

Myanmar in 1827 to negotiate a commercial treaty. The issue of Burma being a “back door” into China surfaced again when he estimated that 1/3 to ½ of Myanmar’s exports were raw cotton being sold to China.

The 2nd Anglo-Burmese War, 1852.

• Factors leading to the war included:– The mistreatment of the resident leading to his

withdrawal in 1840.– Declaration of Teak as a new royal monopoly.– Maung Ok’s more stringent enforcement of customs

and duty taxes.• Captain Potter forced to pay R16,000 in taxes on a new ship.• May Flower Crisp’s complaints of unfair treatment.

• Commodore George Robert Lambert was sent to investigate complaints. He annexed Lower Myanmar on 24 hours notice.

Results of 2nd War• The loss of the war leads to King Pagan Min being

overthrown by Mindon Min. The coup precludes Burmese negotiation of the end of the war.

• Lambert imposes boundaries to include the Teak forests to the north.

• Mindon Min refuses to sign the treaty which would cede lower Burma to the British.

• A French mission appears at King Mindon Min’s court in 1856.

The French Option• In 1873, King Mindon sends a delegation headed

by Kinwun Mingyi to London, France and Italy. In London, the delegation is treated as if Burma is part of India.

• In France & Italy, the delegation is treated warmly. Commercial treaties are negotiated with both. The treaties represent de facto recognition of Myanmar as an independent nation-state.

• In 1885, the commercial treaty is signed with France in Paris. Rumors abound about secret provisions in the treaty.

Dreams of a Back Door• Capt. R.S.M. Spyre promotes the idea of an

overland railroad from Myanmar to China.• In 1862, Arthur Phayre negotiates a treaty to

permit trade thru upper Burma with China. Goods would be shipped thru Yangon to Bhamo.

• In 1866, the British learn that a French expedition is exploring a route from Saigon to China.

• Albert Fytche seeks additional concessions from Mindon in 1867. A resident is permitted at Bhamo and a boat allowed to make the trip once a week.

The End of Part I

Karen girl from Padaung tribe.