A History of Modern Burma

by Michael W. Charney

Burma has lived under military rule for nearly half a century. The results of its 1990 elections were never recognized by the ruling junta and Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Burma’s pro-democracy movement, was denied her victory. She has been under housearrest ever since. Now an economic satellite and political dependent of the People’s Republic of China, Burma is at a crossroads. Will it become another North Korea, will it succumb to China’s political embrace or will the people prevail? Michael Charney’s book –the first general history of modern Burma in over five decades - traces the highs and lows of Burma’s history from its pre-colonial past to the “Saffron Revolution” of 2007. By exploring key themes such as the political division between lowland and highland Burma and monastic opposition to state control, the author explains the forces that have made the country what it is today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asia

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2009

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I would call a "sufficient" history. Charney knows the dilly but focuses mostly on Burma (Myanmar sounds too much like something you'd put on toast) through the political/economic lens. There's not much social history here, and little cultural history, so don't come looking for that. What you get is a finely crafted history of Burmese politics from the colonial period on, all the way up to the last ten years. Burma is politically wacky, with its current politics of perpetual delay--ah, yes, we'll get to democracy in just a little bit, first we must--and it's fascinating to learn the ins and out of all its horrible governments. Good bits on regional politics and interactions, too, but not nearly enough, probably.

[Saul Chan Htoo Sang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps, one of the most crucial books to read for anyone that is interested in Myanmar. Revisionist history!

Thought i might add more substance to this review.

Reading this book is the first I had to thought about how ethnicities were created in Myanmar prior to the colonial period. If you think about it, pre-colonial Myanmar has loads of migration. Particularly, Charney points out at the migration from Mons, Shans, Chins, Rakhines, Bamars, etc to the Irrawaddy delta. It only makes sense. This is the most fertile part of Myanmar at that time. And everyone would have fucked each other and gotten married. If not everyone, at least there would be a huge intermingling between all the ethnic groups.

But, when the colonial government came in, the first thing they did after they annexed the land is they conducted the first and largest census. And in it, they made everyone choose only one ethnic label. And since we all know that having ethnic minority is already a bad wrap, most people chose Bamar and cannot put down their other ethnicities. So, this is how Myanmar became Bamar-majority. Many mixed people had to choose Bamar. It blew my mind when I first read it. And also, I mean there is no such thing as pure race in the first place. Everything is hybridized.

I can't wait to re-read it again now. I read it before I went off to college, and I think i'm ready to revisit this incredible text. Cheers!

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, concise primer for Burmese history: certainly not exhaustive by any means, but the comprehensive bibliography does give you much to go by. I would have liked to see more links between different chapters, especially since conclusions tend to be quite a lackadaisical affair relative to the strength of the chapters. As it stands, it does seem more of a summary than anything else, and should be accompanied with other texts. I don't feel this is an unfair rating given the rather broad scope of the book.

[Robin Card · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched work, with plenty of original content. A stark contrast to the majority of books on the topic lately whose content do little to differentiate themselves from each other. The book is written in an academic style that could be described as dry. I personally found the measured tone a refreshing change to the sententiousness that invariably creeps into other histories of Burma.

There's a lot to get through due to the concise manner of the text. It can be slow reading at times, the sheer density of information during the post-Independence period being the toughest section to get through. All of the in-fighting, coups and factions that one needs to keep track of makes for slow reading if one is to remember it all.

In short: it does exactly as it says on the tin; provides A History of Modern Burma. Much like the title, the content is unpretentious and straight-forward. The book is due for an update, being published mere months before Thein Sein's mid-2009 reforms, which very few, if anyone had predicted. The book comes highly recommended to those wanting to brush-up on the recent history of Burma.

[Stephen Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent summary of modern Burmese history, badly needed even if intended for a more general audience. It suffers from the natural difficulty of being written as notable events were taking place. A similar work written in 2015 or so might ultimately work better. But Charney has done an excellent job of summarizing matters and pointing out the nuanced interpretation necessary to understand the modern state.

[Leon Braun · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, solid, even-handed history that does what it sets out to do. I would've appreciated some pre-colonial history, especially of the various wars with Thailand/Siam, and perhaps a deeper treatment of Aung San and the Panglong Agreement, but I guess I'll just have to read other books for that, won't I?

[SpaceBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty comprehensive overview of the history of Burma, from the era of colonization to Cyclone Nargis in 2008. It is necesarilly broad, and there detail in certain sections seems random (post-independence economic policies, for example). Its useful for its clear understanding of the evolution/emergence of the number of different insurgencies and their splinter factions.

[Kirk]

Gives in-depth explanations about the past half century of Burma's political landscape. Focuses mainly on the BSPP and SLORC years in Burma.

[Daniel Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable, dispassionately written historical account -- a good reference for scholars looking for a objective overview of recent Burmese history.