15 Facts About British Burma

British Burma rule was disrupted during the Japanese occupation of much of the country during World War II.

British 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.

The British Burma dispatched a large seaborne expedition that took Rangoon without a fight in 1824.

British Burma was forced to cede Assam and other northern provinces.

The British Burma were victorious in this war and as a result obtained access to the teak, oil, and rubies of their newly conquered territories.

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British Burma enacted administrative reforms and made Burma more receptive to foreign interests.

The British government justified their actions by claiming that the last independent king of Burma, Thibaw Min, was a tyrant and that he was conspiring to give France more influence in the country.

Burmese armed resistance continued sporadically for several years, and the British Burma commander had to coerce the High Court of Justice to continue to function.

British Burma controlled their new province through direct rule, making many changes to the previous governmental structure.

British Burma's annexation ushered in a new period of economic growth.

The British Burma began exploiting the rich soil of the land around the Irrawaddy delta and cleared away the dense mangrove forests.

British separated Burma Province from British India in 1937 and granted the colony a new constitution calling for a fully elected assembly, with many powers given to the Burmese, but this proved to be a divisive issue as some Burmese felt that this was a ploy to exclude them from any further Indian reforms.

In Rangoon student protesters, after successfully picketing the Secretariat, the seat of the colonial government, were charged by the British Burma mounted police wielding batons and killing Rangoon University student.

In 1943 the State of British Burma was proclaimed in Rangoon, with the government ran as a puppet state under Japanese control, led by head of state Ba Maw who escaped from prison in April 1942.

The British Burma administration sought to try Aung San and other members of the British Burma Indian Army for treason and collaboration with the Japanese.