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 In
a series of wars (1824–1826, 1851–1852 and 1885–1886)
Burma lost territory to the British and Siamese and became a province
of India under British rule. On April 1, 1937, Burma became self
administered colony independent of the Indian administration. During
World War II Burma became a major front in the South-East Asian
Theatre. After initial successes by the Japanese in the Burma Campaign
which saw them expel the British from most of Burma, the British
fought back and by July 1945 had retaken the country. Burmese fought
for both sides in the war. The Burma 1st Division, the Kachin Levies,
the Karen Rifles and in other formations such as the American-Kachin
Rangers fought for the Allies, and the Burmese National Army under
the command of Aung San fought for the Japanese.
On January 4, 1948 at 04:20am, the nation became sovereign, as
the Union of Burma, with U Nu as the first Prime Minister. Democratic
rule ended in 1962 with a military coup d'etat led by General Ne
Win. Ne Win ruled for nearly 26 years, bringing in harsh reforms.
In 1990 free elections were held for the first time in almost 30
years, but the landslide victory of the NLD, the party of Aung San
Suu Kyi was voided by the military, which refused to step down.
One of the top figures in Burmese history in the 20th century is
Army founder and freedom figure General Aung San, a student-turned
activist whose daughter is 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate and worldwide
peace, freedom and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi of the NLD, now
under house arrest. The third most recognised Burmese figure in
the world is U Thant, who was UN Secretary General for two terms
and highly respected throughout United Nations' history.
In November 2005, the military junta announced that the national
capital would be moved from Yangon to Pyinmana.
The map on the history page shows Burma as it was at its height
before 1886. Burmese kings occasionally occupied some parts of India,
small parts of Bangladesh, Laos and most of hearts of Thailand's
ancient kingdoms at various times in history.
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