Burma’s Road to Independence

By The Irrawaddy

Burma fought three 19th century wars with colonial Britain and struggled to escape British and Japanese hegemony in 1942-45 before achieving independence on January 4, 1948. It was a long and often bloody journey, costing many lives and much wearisome political wrangling—and the original aim, a free and prosperous country, is today as far removed as it was in the darkest days of the fight for independence.