Burmese Independence Army

The Burmese Independence Army (BIA) led the Burmese State to liberation from British rule in Burma with the help of the Japanese in 1941. The Burmese Independence Army was the first national Burmese Army. The Freedom Bloc or Thakins, an anti-colonist political party decided to involve a foreign country to gain access to weapons and funding and to ensure that Burma would be freed from British colonization. With its revolutionary leader Aung San at the forefront, Burma moved towards independence.

British rule in Burma began in 1824 after which time the British steadily infiltrated the country and changed its infrastructure. Within Burma, the British created significant changes to the government and the economy. The British removed the king and separated government operations from Buddhism. This significantly changed the dynamics of Burma’s government and broke down the strength of the country’s identity. The British tightened their grip over time, for example, in 1885 under the Colonial Village Act, all Burmese, except for Buddhist monks, had to Shikko (a greeting used only for important elders, monks and the Buddha), to British officers. These greetings illustrated the respect and power the demanded by the British from Burmese and demonstrated the Burmese submission to British rule. In addition, the act stated that Villages would provide lodging and food upon the arrival of colonial military or civil officers. Lastly, the British implemented changes to the village structure by implementing new heads to the towns that aligned with British ideals. This meant the end of the village having a leader that was on their side in favor of working with the British for the villagers' interest. Therefore, under the British rule changes to Burma included the establishment of land titles, payment of taxes to the British, births and deaths recorded, and a census that included personal information, including information pertaining to jobs and religion. The census was especially hard on Burmese identity due to the variation of names and the habit of villagers to move between various families. These traditions were very different from Western culture and not at all compatible with the census. However, British insistence upon western medicine and inoculation was particularly distasteful to the residents of native residents of Burma. These changes led to a greater distrust of the British by the Burmese and harsher mandates by the British as they became aware of Burmese resistance.

Another large issue of the early 1900s was land alienation by moneylenders who were taking advantage of the economic situation in the villages. This led to the first nationalist group based which focuseds on agrarian issues, the General Council of Burmese Associations. The association set up village courts. It rejected the British courts of law claiming that a fair trial had a better chance and under the control of Burmese people. This led to boycotting of foreign goods for a return to traditional and domestic goods. The result induced the British to impose restrictions on free speech and an increase in the British police force.

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