The Coup in Myanmar: What Happened and What it means

When people think about history, they often think about old dead people and old stuff that is useless in our modern world. Well, the events in Myanmar provide a perfect example of why history is relevant and why we study it. As we speak, the history of Myanmar is undergoing one of its most consequential moments. After struggling for democracy across many decades, the country’s democratically elected government has been overthrown in a coup d’etat by the military. The democratic leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, was detained and is currently missing. Read on to learn about what happened, why it happened, and what it means for history

The Military of Myanmar on the move during the Coup

Background

The Republic of Myanmar

Myanmar successfully avoided European control for many years, but pressure from the British East Company and defeat in the Anglo-Burmese wars led to Great Britain annexing Myanmar and renaming it British Burma. British rule over Myanmar was never popular and protests and resentment were a staple of this period. Myanmar was the target of Japanese invasions during WWII and the country suffered widespread devastation. In 1947, the British Parliament passed the Burma Independence Act of 1947 and Mynamr became an Independent republic on January 4, 1948. For the next fourteen years, Myanmar temporarily became a successful post-colonial republic with free elections held for the first time in 1951.

The coup of 1962

In 1962 the military of Myanmar overthrew the republic and established a military dictatorship. Democracy would not return until 2011. Under the military dictatorship formerly known as the Burma Socialist Programme Party. Myanmar ideologically aligned itself with the Soviet Bloc. Myanmar became one of the world’s most impoverished countries. In 1988, Myanmar abandoned the one-party system and allowed other political parties to exist. Also in 1988, pro-democracy and anti-military junta protests known as the 8888 uprising began and became widespread. In response to the protests, the government shot thousands of demonstrators. In the midst of this chaos, general Saw Muang staged a coup and overthrew the BSPP, and established his own military-backed government known as State Law and Order Restoration Council. This government would run Myanmar for the next 30 years until 2011. In 2008, Myanmar voted for democracy in the Burmese constitutional referendum of 2008. The military junta allowed these elections after widespread protests erupted. In 2010, Myanmar had their first elections but these elections were likely not 100% free as the UN alleged irregularities and the military-backed party won 80% of the vote. 5 years later, Myanmar held their first-ever free election, and the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi came into power. Myanmar achieved a true democracy. In 2020, the NLD won reelection and was set for another term in power. The military without evidence alleged widespread voter fraud and sought to invalidate the results (sound familiar). The military soon took matters into their own hands

Coup

On February 1, the military of Myanmar detained leaders of the NLD including Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader of the country. The military then declared a one year state of emergency and Ming Aung Hlaing became the de facto leader of the country. The military cited widespread voter fraud as justification for taking this pervasive action.

Historical implications

Myanmar

For Myanmar, the coup falls into the larger trend of political instability and military takeovers. Myanmar struggled for democracy ever since it shook itself loose from British control. As for the future, much remains unclear. Will the coup turn into a permanent military junta or will democracy prevail? Or will other countries get involved? This brings me to my next point.

US and China

Ever since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the US has filled the power vacuum since there was no opponent. But this has recently changed. China is the heir apparent to superpower opposite the US. During the Cold War, countries of the world either allied themselves with the US or the USSR. With the world divided into two camps, the sides struggled to become the top superpower. The USSR and USA never directly fought each other, instead, they fought through proxies of other countries. The two main examples are the Korean War and the Vietnam war. In addition, the US and the USSR fought each other in new ways such as in the Space Race. But when the USSR dissolved in 1991, the US was left at the top of the global pecking order. China is showing signs of creating a Soviet-bloc style of allies. China has made investments in often neglected areas of geopolitics such as East Africa and Central Asia. Could we perhaps see the start of a new cold war? I wouldn’t rule out the possibility. And if there were to be a catalyst, I think the coup in Myanmar makes a good candidate. This is of course all speculative, but this event has the potential to be a significant moment in world history.

Could the events in Myanmar trigger a 2nd Cold War