Great Britain in Burma
By Rachel Wesley
Before Imperialism- Myanmar

India and China’s trade routes passed
through Myanmar (Burma), therefore
keeping the country wealthy
◦ Agriculture was more important than trade in
economy
◦ Indian influence was popular through trade
merchants
First country to obtain Buddhism
 Government was centralized

◦ Ruled by one king who had checks on his power
◦ Broken down into categorized groups
Before Imperialism (of Myanmar)Great Britain

In the 1800’s,Great Britain was one of the
most advanced nations
◦ Had the most colonies throughout the world
 Used colonies mostly for trade
 Competed with other nations
 Spread its global influence
◦ Was one of the nations involved in the Berlin
Conference
◦ Had already established Direct Control in India
 Myanmar (Burma) is one of India’s neighboring countries
Motives for Imperialism

Great Britain was always in need of supplies to fuel the
Industrial Revolutions’ products.
◦ Burma was in direct trade routes with China and India, (which
was already colonized by Great Britain)
◦ Burma was rich in natural resources such as:








Natural Gas
Oil
Tin
Coal
Silver and gold
Gems (rubies)
Large teak forests
Fertile rice fields
Anglo-Burmese Wars
 Britain’s “superiority” enabled them to take care
of “weak” Burma

Anglo-Burmese Wars

First War
◦ Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826)
 Konbaung Dynasty wanted to move into a territory close to a British
colony in India

Second War
◦ Anglo-Burmese War (1852)
 Britain wanted a teak forest in Southern Burma

Third War
◦ Anglo-Burmese War (1885)
 British wanted the teak, oil, and rubies in northern Myanmar
 Blamed king for giving France more influence in country

Outcome
◦ After winning all three wars, Britain had claimed most of
Myanmar, eventually gaining the whole country
 Renamed Myanmar Burma
 Claimed it a province of India
First Anglo-Burmese War, 1824-1826
Second Anglo-Burmese War, 1852
Third Anglo-Burmese War, 1885
British
Imperialism
During the
Anglo-Burmese
Wars
Geopolitical Reasons:

Burma’s western side is
surrounded by the Bay of
Bengal
◦ Easy access points by ship and
harbors
◦ Creates good trade by other
countries going to Burmese
harbors
Burma is also close to other
major trade countries such as
China, Thailand, India, and
Nepal
 Burma had abundant teak
forests and rice fields

Economic Reasons:

Burma had abundant
natural resources
◦ Also in direct trade with China
and India

Britain would use the rice
production and teak forests
to support trade while
taking Burma’s oil and
rubies.
Motives for Imperialism
Nepal
China
Bhutan
Bangladesh
Burma
India
Laos
Gulf of Tonkis
Thailand
Bay of
Bengal
Cambodia
Vietnam
Gulf of
Thailand
Indian Ocean
Andaman
Sea
South China Sea
Social Reasons

Great Britain considered
themselves to be superior
to other “lesser” countries
such as Burma
◦ Would help the “poor”
Burmese
◦ Burma had a caste system

Competition with other
imperialist countries
influenced the need for
colonization
Political Reasons

Britain wanted to expand
their empire in the growing
world
◦ Other countries gaining
territories put pressure on
Britain
Britain was already in multiple
wars with Burma, and
therefore had most of their
land
 Burma had a strong,
centralized government ruled
by one leader

◦ An “easy target”
Motives for Imperialism
Methods of Imperialism

Britain used the method of divide and rule by favoring
some ethnic minorities over others. The better were
treated with less repression.
◦ The Karen and Karenni were converted to Christianity
and used to rule, the ethnic majority of Burmans were
brutally oppressed.

Used direct rule
◦ Abolished monarchy
 Separated church and state
◦ Secular Education system
 Founded schools teaching in both English and Burmese
 Also taught Christianity and frowned upon Buddhist teachings
that were separate from English ways
◦ Burned villages and uprooted disloyal families
◦ Replaced them with trustworthy strangers
Creative Writing Application
We love
England!
We
despise
England!
A letter from the Viceroy of India, Lord Northbrook, to the
Secretary of State for India:
"In dealing with the King of Burma, I have felt very strongly that it would not
be creditable to us or right to do anything which might be interpreted to
show a desire on our part to drive him into a corner and bring on a war...
While I write and feel thus pacifically, I cannot avoid feeling also that the
present condition of our relations with Burma will not be long maintained...
and it is both possible and likely that... sufficient reason will be shown for our
insisting upon so far modifying our treaty engagements with the King as to
place him in the position of Cashmere, we undertaking to protect him
against external attack, and requiring him to abstain from political relations
with Foreign States, as well as to meet our views cordially about extension of
trade.”
This letter demonstrates Britain's attempts to make peace with the
people of Burma. Although already having three wars with the Burmese, the
British don’t want to create more violence and wish that they would strain
from having other relations with other powers.
Geopolitical Results

Many Burmese migrated to
the delta to get better soil
quality and to support the
demand for rice
◦ Shifted the population
concentration

Industrialization was
introduced to Burma
◦ Railroads and steamboats were
used for transportation
Economic Results

Britain gained access to Burma’s natural
resources for trade
◦

To prepare the land for agricultural
products, the Burmese had to borrow
capital from others at high interest rates
◦

Opened to global trade whereas before, it was
to just India and China
The British bank wouldn’t allow mortgages
All methods of transportation were owned
by the British
◦
Burmese had to pay more to ship their goods


People did not gain from the growing economy
Advancements toward foreign trade hurt
Burmese
◦
All the resources taken by Great Britain took
away the supplies needed by the people before
the take over
Impact on Imperialized Burma
A British official describing the lives of the Burmese in 1941 and how
quickly they had to adapt to foreign trade:
“Foreign landlordism and the operations
of foreign moneylenders had led to an
increasing exportation of a considerable
proportion of the country’s resources and
to the progressive impoverishment of the
agriculturist and of the country as a
whole….The peasant had grown
factually poorer and unemployment had
increased….The collapse of the Burmese
social system led to a decay of the social
conscience which, in the circumstances of
poverty and unemployment caused a
great increase in crime.”
Social Results

Britain had separated church and state
◦ Hurt Buddhist monks who were dependent
on the monarchy
◦ The church had given the public a political
education


Burmese migration to delta caused a
shift in population and changed the
basis of wealth and power
Many Indian laborers migrated to
Burma, lowering the social standard
◦ Worked for cheaper prices
◦ Increase in Burmese unemployment
◦ Increase in Burma’s crime and a bad
reputation for its people
Political Results

Great Britain abolished the
monarchy
◦ The monarchy was given
authority by the Buddhist
organization

Very few regulations in
favor of the Burmese
◦ More so for the Indian
immigrants

Caused an increase in
Burmese nationalism
Impact on Imperialized Burma
Resistance in Burma

The Burmese resented both the British and the
Indian immigrants
◦ Staged guerrilla warfare
 Led by former officers of the Burmese Royal Army
◦ Were often captured and brutally punished

Burmese nationalism rose
◦ Educated Burmese led the revolution against the British
◦ Formed the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA) in
1906
 Was not anti-government nor violent
 Established schools and boycotted British goods

Thankin movement
◦ Radical movement that held country-wide semi-violent
protests
The End
Credits






Ernest Chew (1969). The Withdrawal of the Last British Residency
from Upper Burma in 1879. Journal of Southeast Asian History, 10, pp
253-278 doi:10.1017/S0217781100004403
Furnivall, J. S. "Burma, Past and Present." Far Eastern Survey 22.3 (1953):
21-26. Print.
Brännberg, Jonas. "A Potential Paradise Haunted by Poverty and War."
Socialistworld.net. Workers' International, 25 Oct. 2004.
Web. 19
Oct. 2010. <http://socialistworld.net/eng/2004/10/25burmab.html>.
Bhattacharyya, Anindya. "Britain's Brutal Record of Imperialism in
Burma|6Oct07|Socialist Worker." Socialist Worker (Britain) an
Anticapitalist, Revolutionary Weekly. 2 Oct. 2007. Web. 18 Oct.
2010. <http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=13130>.
"British Imperialism in Burma/Myanmar." Wikipedia, the Free
Encyclopedia. WikiMedia, 16 Oct. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Imperialism_in_Burma/Myanma
r>.
Brooks, Ashley. "Burmese Imperialism Map." Map. Britannica. Wikimedia
Commons, 4 Mar. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://media2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/35/4035-004-4ECC016C.gif>.