Editing Myanmar (section)

=== British Burma (1885–1948) ===
{{main|British rule in Burma|Burma campaign}}
[[File:British forces arrival mandalay1885.jpg|thumb|The landing of British forces in Mandalay after the last of the [[Anglo-Burmese War]]s, which resulted in the abdication of the last Burmese monarch, King [[Thibaw Min]]]]
[[File:IND 004723.jpg|thumb|British troops firing a [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]] on the [[Mawchi]] road, July 1944]]

In the 19th century, Burmese rulers sought to maintain their traditional influence in the western areas of Assam, Manipur and Arakan. Pressing them, however, was the [[British East India]] Company, which was expanding its interests eastwards over the same territory. Over the next 60 years, diplomacy, raids, treaties and compromises, known collectively as the [[Anglo-Burmese Wars]], continued until Britain proclaimed control over most of Burma.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baten |first=Jörg |title=A History of the Global Economy. From 1500 to the Present |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2016 |page=287 |isbn=978-1-107-50718-0}}</ref> With the fall of Mandalay, all of Burma came under British rule, being [[Third Anglo-Burmese War#Annexation and resistance|annexed]] on 1 January 1886.

Throughout the colonial era, many Indians arrived as soldiers, civil servants, construction workers and traders and, along with the [[Anglo-Burmese]] community, dominated commercial and civil life in Burma. [[Rangoon]] became the capital of British Burma and an important port between [[Calcutta]] and [[Singapore]]. Burmese resentment was strong, and was vented in violent riots that periodically paralysed Rangoon until the 1930s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Collis |first=Maurice |title=Trials in Burma |year=1945}}</ref> Some of the discontent was caused by a disrespect for Burmese culture and traditions. [[Buddhist monks]] became the vanguards of the independence movement. [[U Wisara]], an activist monk, died in prison after a 166-day hunger strike.<ref>{{cite book |first=Heinz |last=Bechert |author-link=Heinz Bechert |title=The World of Buddhism-Buddhist Monks and Nuns in Society and Culture |url=https://archive.org/details/worldofbuddhismb00bech |publisher=Facts on File |location=New York City |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-87196-982-8}}</ref>

On 1 April 1937, Burma became a separately administered colony of Britain, and [[Ba Maw]] became the first Prime Minister and Premier of Burma. Ba Maw was an outspoken advocate for Burmese self-rule, and he opposed the participation of Britain, and by extension Burma, in [[World War II]]. He resigned from the Legislative Assembly and was arrested for sedition. In 1940, before [[Japan during World War II|Japan formally entered the war]], [[Aung San]] formed the [[Burma Independence Army]] in Japan.

As a major battleground, Burma was devastated during World War II by the [[Japanese invasion of Burma|Japanese invasion]]. Within months after they entered the war, Japanese troops had advanced on Rangoon, and the British administration had collapsed. A [[Japanese occupation of Burma|Burmese Executive Administration]] headed by Ba Maw was established by the Japanese in August 1942. [[Orde Wingate|Wingate]]'s British [[Chindits]] were formed into [[long-range penetration]] groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines.<ref>{{cite news|author=Bennett, Will |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/chindits-remember-their-fallen-comrades-1597019.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/chindits-remember-their-fallen-comrades-1597019.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Chindits remember their fallen comrades |work=The Independent |date=20 August 1995 |access-date=20 November 2012 |location=London}}</ref> A similar American unit, [[Merrill's Marauders]], followed the Chindits into the Burmese jungle in 1943.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/vets/stories/cbi-marauders.html |title=China-Burma-India: Merrill's Marauders. Veterans History Project, Library of Congress |publisher=Loc.gov |date=14 November 2012 |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=28 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328063322/http://www.loc.gov/vets/stories/cbi-marauders.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Beginning in late 1944, allied troops launched a [[Burma campaign 1944|series of offensives]] that led to the [[Burma campaign 1944–45|end of Japanese rule]] in July 1945. The battles were intense with much of Burma laid waste by the fighting. Overall, the Japanese lost some 150,000 men in Burma with 1,700 prisoners taken.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Towle, Philip |author-link1 = Philip Towle |author2=Kosuge, Margaret |author3=Kibata, Yōichi |year=2000 |url={{GBurl|id=ktCv32ysz0AC|p=48}}|title=Japanese prisoners of war |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |page=48 |isbn=978-1-85285-192-7}}</ref> Although many Burmese fought initially for the Japanese as part of the Burma Independence Army, many Burmese, mostly from the ethnic minorities, served in the British Burma Army.<ref>{{cite book|first=Ian|last=Fellowes-Gordon|year=1971|title=The Battle For Naw Seng's Kingdom: General Stilwel}}</ref> The [[Burma National Army]] and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942 to 1944 but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945. Overall, 170,000 to 250,000 Burmese civilians died during World War II.<ref>Micheal Clodfelter. Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Reference to Casualty and Other Figures, 1500–2000. 2nd Ed. 2002 {{ISBN|0-7864-1204-6}}. p. 556<br />Werner Gruhl, Imperial Japan's World War Two, 1931–1945 Transaction 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-7658-0352-8}} (Werner Gruhl is former chief of NASA's Cost and Economic Analysis Branch with a lifetime interest in the study of the First and Second World Wars.)</ref>

Following World War II, [[Aung San]] negotiated the [[Panglong Agreement]] with ethnic leaders that guaranteed the independence of Myanmar as a unified state. [[Aung Zan Wai]], Pe Khin, [[Bo Hmu Aung]], Sir Maung Gyi, Sein Mya Maung, [[Myoma U Than Kywe]] were among the negotiators of the historic [[Panglong Conference]] negotiated with Bamar leader General Aung San and other ethnic leaders in 1947. In 1947, Aung San became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Myanmar, a transitional government. But in July 1947, political rivals<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/interview/author-discusses-martyrs-day-assassination-of-aung-san.html|title=Author Discusses Martyrs' Day Assassination of Aung San|work=The Irrawaddy|author=Moe, Kyaw Zwa|date=August 1977|access-date=20 October 2013|archive-date=7 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107153638/http://www.irrawaddy.org/interview/author-discusses-martyrs-day-assassination-of-aung-san.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Burmese Martyrs' Day|assassinated Aung San]] and several cabinet members.<ref>{{cite book|first=Gustaaf|last=Houtman|year=1999|title=Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics: Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy|isbn=978-4-87297-748-6|publisher=Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa|location=Tokyo}}</ref>