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British Colonialism in Burma. 1824-1948. Location & Geography. Burma Background. Diverse – Trade, rich in resources, water access Konbaung Dyansty : 1752-1885 King Alaungpaya Taxes, irrigation Repels 4 Chinese invasions, subdues Laos and Siam Aggressively expansionist - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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1824-1948
British Colonialism in Burma
Location & Geography
Diverse – Trade, rich in resources, water accessKonbaung Dyansty: 1752-1885King AlaungpayaTaxes, irrigationRepels 4 Chinese invasions, subdues Laos and
SiamAggressively expansionistCultural dominance - MonIrrawaddy valley unifiedVarious capitals – moved by elephantWidespread literacy - ~50% in malesPortuguese trading posts
Burma Background
1785: Burma defeats Kingdom of Arakan
Capture famed Mahamuni Buddha statue: Made during Buddha’s lifetime
Tension in Arakan
Also conquered Manipur (1813) and Assam (1817)
Created a long, poorly-defined border with British India
Tension in Arakan
Burmese demanded slave labor from ArakanArakanese refugees cross border into British
IndiaContinued attacks on border states: Manipur
(ruler neglected to attend coronation) and Cachar (valuable base to attack Bengal)
Cachar seeks British assistanceBurmese raid Shapuree – an island near
Chittagong given to the East India Company – killing six guards
First Anglo-Burmese War
Longtime British policy of appeasement abandoned
War declared in 1824Burmese sack Chittagong, but fail to occupy
itBritish circumvent Western front, take
RangoonDisease and lack of supply thin British ranks“Denial operations”Rainy season – lull allows British to take
several provinces and Tenasserim coastAllows resupply, hospitals, reinforcements
First Anglo-Burmese War
Burmese try to retake Rangoon, but 5,000 British repel 30,000 Burmese
British retake Assam, cities up the IrrawaddyBurmese “agree” to Peace Treaty
Cede Assam and 3 other provinces, allow occupation of Southern Burma until reparations paid
Pay British East India Company 10 million rupees British ships remain armed in Burmese ports EIC administrators allowed into Burmese capital with 50-man
escortKing refuses to signBritish destroy remnants of Burmese army at BaganTreaty of Yandabo (1826)Unprofitable administration by EIC – considered
abandonment
First Anglo-Burmese War
British now the agressors1852 – Commodore George LambertSent to resolve minor issues leftover from Treat of
YandaboBurmese make concessions, remove problematic
govorner“Gunboat diplomacy”Blockades Rangoon, takes other portsDecide not to annex whole country (dubious
economics and difficulties of administration)Unilaterally annex province of PeguTurmoil in court: Mindon Min overthrows Pagan Min
SecondAnglo-Burmese War
Half-siblings: Same fatherMother was Hsibyumashin – ambitious queen (3rd
of 4)Supayalat: “Self-anointed queen” – sister’s
weddingMassacred 80-100 royal family members (denied
knowledge – may have been her mother/ministers)20 and 19 years old at time of ascensionReign lasted only seven yearsDerisively called “soup plate” by British soldiersCapture very similar to account in the “The Glass
Palace” (minus Dolly and Rajkumar of course)
King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat
Mandalay – Planned City
Mandalay – Planned City
Mandalay – Planned City
The King’s Royal Barge
King Thibaw’s on a boat – don’t you ever forget
Mandalay – Queen’s Room
Mandalay – King Mindon’s Tomb
King’s Guards
Thibaw’s Throne
The Moat
Succession Crisis (Thibaw) provokes withdrawal of British Resident, ending diplomatic relations
Burmese contacts with France – attempted to negotiate military alliance in Paris during “industrial fact-finding mission”
Boundary dispute – English form unilateral border commissionBurmese object but eventually consent
British pressure French to withdraw offer of a bank/railroad
Third Anglo-Burmese War
1885Burma imposes fine on Bombay Burmah Trading
Corporation for under-reporting teak harvest (as in book)
British demand Burma accept British arbitration, refused
Ultimatum: Accept new British Resident, all foreign relations through Britain, provide British with commercial assistance and monopolized trade access
Upon refusal, British decide to annex Burmese kingdom
Third Anglo-Burmese War
British knew little of interior – dense jungleUsed Irrawaddy Flotilla Company’s boats and
knowledge of interiorBurmese surprised, British advance rapidly up
IrrawaddyDefense Minister Kinwon Min Gyi U Kuang wanted
peace, told soldiers not to attack – only some obeyThibaw unpopular – massacre, poor managementBritish deception: Intended only to depose King
Brought a man to impersonate surviving royal (actual royal died in exile in India)
Third Anglo-Burmese War
As British approach capital, Thibaw surrenders (unlike book)
War lasts from 7-29 NovemberMany Burmese soldiers flee with weapons,
organize guerrilla resistance (especially as British reveal intention to permanently occupy Burma)
British sack capital, loot palace, exile Thibaw to India
In order to crush insurgency, British resorted to collective punishment: burning entire villages to punish insurgents and (perceived) supporters
Third Anglo-Burmese War
British Fleet at Pagan
British Arrive in Mandaly - 1885
Summer House – Place of Surrender
Stolen Ruby
Huge demand abroad for teak and riceEnvironment utterly ravagedFeudal-style system, Burmese farmers in debt
to Indian lenders, end up foreclosing/evictedRise of Anglo-Burmese intermarriage – new
“caste”Burmese excluded from military, civil postsBritish > Indians > Burmese
British Domination
Young Men’s Buddhist Associations (ironically modeled after YMCA) – political organizations banned, but religious ones okay
U Dhammaloka – Irish hobo turned monk– criticized English, Christians. Jailed twice.
New generations of English-educated Burmese begin to agitate for reform
1920s: Legislature with limited power, more autonomy within British India
Buddhist and student protests over taxes and education system escalate to national resurrection (Galon rebellion) in 1930 – repressed by tens of of thousands of British troops
Rumbling of Nationalism
1930 – We Burmans Association – Called themselves “thakin”, or master.
1936 – More student strikes as Rangoon University Students Union leaders are expelled for refusing to reveal identity of author of critical article
1937 – British separate Burma from India administratively, new constitution with larger role for assembly. May have been a ploy to insulate them from reforms in India
1938 – Oil workers strike becomes general strike. British police kill Rangoon University student, fire into crowd of monks, killing 17
Rumbling of Nationalism
Japanese invade, expel British administration in 1942Thai allies occupy half the country, battle ChineseJails and asylums emptiedShort-lived occupation – British retake by 1945, using
Indian troopsConsidered a “sideshow” – Japan held Burma until it
was irrelevant militarilyEconomic ruin, damage to infrastructure, and
Japanese-aided growth of independent administration spells end of colonial period
Independence in 1948
World War II