British rule in Burma

British Burma (1824–1886) ဗြိတိသျှဘားမား (Burmese) byaitish bharrmarr Burma (1886–1948) မြန်မာပြည် myanmarpyi
1824–1948
Top: Official Flag Bottom: National Flag (1939–1948) Official Coat of Arms
Anthem: God Save the King (1824–1837; 1901–1948) God Save the Queen (1837–1901)
National Badge (1939–1948)
Map of British Burma
Status	Division of the Bengal Presidency (1826–1862) Province of the British Indian Empire (1862–1937) Crown colony of the United Kingdom (1937–1948)
Capital	Moulmein (1826–1852) Rangoon (1853–1942; 1945–1948)
Capital-in-exile	Simla, Punjab Province, British India (1942–1945)
Official languages	English
Common languages	Burmese Rungtu Rohingya Meitei Hindustani Tamil Telugu Bengali Gujarati Odia Punjabi Nepalese Yunnanese Mandarin Hokkien Cantonese Hakka Standard Chinese Kedah Malay Southern Thai Northern Thai
Religion	Buddhism (majority) Burmese folk religion Rungtu Animism Hinduism Islam Sikhism Jainism Sanamahism Taoism Confucianism Chinese folk religion Tai folk religion Christianity
Demonym(s)	British Burmese
Monarch
• 1862–1901	Victoria
• 1901–1910	Edward VII
• 1910–1936	George V
• 1936	Edward VIII
• 1936–1948	George VI
Governor
• 1862–1867 (first)	Sir Arthur Purves Phayre[a]
• 1946–1948 (last)	Sir Hubert Rance
Premier
• 1937–1939	Ba Maw
• 1947–1948	U Nu
Legislature	Legislative Council of Burma (1897–1936) Legislature of Burma (1936–1947)
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Historical era	Colonial era
• First Anglo-Burmese War	5 March 1824
• Anglo-Burmese Wars	1824–1826, 1852–1853, 1885
• Separation from British India	1937 (Government of Burma Act)
• Attained partial self-governing status within the British Empire	April 1, 1937
• Japanese and Thai invasion	1942–1945
• Independence declared	4 January 1948
Currency	Burmese rupee, Indian rupee, Pound sterling
ISO 3166 code	MM
Preceded by Succeeded by 1885: Upper Burma 1937: British Raj 1945: State of Burma 1942: Japanese occupation 1943: Thai occupation 1948: Union of Burma
Today part of	Myanmar

The British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence. The region under British control was known as British Burma, and officially known as Burma (Burmese: မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်)^[1] from 1886.^[2] Various portions of Burmese territories, including Arakan and Tenasserim, were annexed by the British after their victory in the First Anglo-Burmese War; Lower Burma was annexed in 1852 after the Second Anglo-Burmese War. The annexed territories were designated the minor province (a chief commissionership) of British Burma in 1862.^[3]

After the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, Upper Burma was annexed, and the following year, the province of Burma in British India was created, becoming a major province (a lieutenant-governorship) in 1897.^[3] This arrangement lasted until 1937, when Burma began to be administered separately by the Burma Office under the Secretary of State for India and Burma. British rule was disrupted during the Japanese occupation of much of the country during World War II. Burma achieved independence from British rule on 4 January 1948.

Burma is sometimes referred to as "the Scottish Colony" owing to the heavy role played by Scotsmen in colonising and running the country, one of the most notable being Sir James Scott.^{[citation needed]} It was also known for the heavy role played by Indian elites in managing and administering the colony, especially while it was still a part of the British Raj; some historians have called this a case of co-colonialism.^[4]

History of Myanmar
Prehistory of Myanmar 11,000–200 BCE Pyu city-states 200 BCE – 1050 CE (Sri Ksetra Kingdom, Tagaung Kingdom) Mon kingdoms 825?–1057? CE (Thaton Kingdom) Arakanese kingdoms 788?–1406
Pagan Kingdom 849–1297 Early Pagan Kingdom 849–1044 Warring states period Upper Myanmar 1297–1555 Myinsaing and Pinya Kingdoms 1297–1365 Sagaing Kingdom 1315–1365 Kingdom of Ava 1365–1555 Prome Kingdom 1482–1542 Hanthawaddy Kingdom 1287–1539, 1550–1552 Shan States 1215–1563 Kingdom of Mrauk U 1429–1785 Toungoo dynasty 1510–1752 First Toungoo Empire 1510–1599 Nyaungyan Restoration 1599–1752 Restored Hanthawaddy 1740–1757 Konbaung dynasty 1752–1885
British colonial period 1824–1948 Anglo-Burmese Wars 1824–1885 Resistance movement 1885–1895 Nationalist movement 1900–1948 Japanese occupation 1942–1945
Modern era 1948–present AFPFL government 1948–1962 Ne Win dictatorship 1962–1988 SLORC / SPDC junta 1988–2010 Political reforms 2011–2015 SAC junta 2021–present
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