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The early history of Burma is one of tribal wars between the different ethnic minority groups. In 1044, King Anawratha reigned over the entire Ayeyarwady delta and over Thaton, capital of the Mon kingdom until he was overthrown by Kublai Khan. The Burman Tougngoo dynasty forced the proud Shans to concede to the authorities of Burma in the 16th century.

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By 1885, the British ruled Burma. During British rule, the country’s natural resources were exploited and no Burmese interference in government matters was tolerated. However, by 1923 this began to change and the system of diarchy was introduced allowing a limited number of Burmese ministers to be appointed. Twelve years later, the British officially separated Burma from British India and provided the country with a new constitution.

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Internal politics continued to plague the country with ethnic minority and communist groups rebelling against the socialist AFPL. At this point, the government invited the army to take over the country but internal conflict continued until the 1960 elections when civilian government was restored. Shortly after this, rebellions started again and a military coup was carried out in 1962. This coup however did not have as much impact as hoped and minority leaders continued to assert their right to secede from Burma.

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