British Policy in Burma Myanmar and China

British Policy Burma and China

Geographically, Burma lies in a position of a natural trade rout and strategic centralized hub between two very desirable European trade locations, China and India. As, and independent monarchy, with heavy Chinese and Indian influences throughout the beginning of the colonial period its political leanings, and the pride of its monarchy provided a situation of resistance from the major European trade countries, Portugal, the Dutch, the French and Brittan (Murphy 256, 314) though attempts were made by both the Dutch and the British to establish trade stations and routs in strategic locations in the country, success was limited until the British successfully colonized Burma in the early 1800s and made it a principal of India, one of Brittan's strongholds. The whole of the history of Burma is marked by years of strategic conflict over control between competing interests including all the major players from the West as well as their historical rival China. (Murphy 314-315) The monarchy of Burma even attempted to play trade nations against each other by making trade deals with rivals, in the case of Brittan the Burmese monarch Min made a trade deal with France in 1873. (315)

When the French and the British were both courting Alaungpaya they supported now the Burmans, and now the Peguers; they occasionally made a common front and often transferred their allegiance -- and their arms -- to whichever seemed to be the winning side, and therefore in a position to make the most profitable business contacts.

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Early British policy in Burma, following northern control and then full annexation in 1886, was associated with attempting to extend control via already established networks in India, consolidating the two nations into one to be controlled by the same colonial systems. Which brought with them massive economic expansion, that benefited the British and some high ranking Chinese immigrants and virtually made the Burmese a minority in their own nation. (315) After the Indian connection to Burma became difficult for the British to continue and nationalism became a force to be reckoned with the British government made Burma an independent colony in 1937 and Burma was granted independence ten years later. (315)

Policy differences between Brittan's dealings with Burma as apposed to China are largely a matter of scale, as the Chinese government was relatively strong and well organized, while Burma, a much smaller nation had what many called an antiquated monarchy, that was not as well networked and organized as that of China, even though China did eventually fall to colonial influence, it was only after many years of isolationist resistance. (314, 317) The Opium wars of 1839-1842, resulted in China being opened to trade from many competing Western interests, including France, Brittan and the United States, and to some degree China was a "semi-colonial" nation as a result of its own instability and French and British aggression. (317-318)

Though the Burmese government was highly influenced by Chinese tradition, they seemed to have less of a tendency to change with the times, in the manner that was needed to resist outside control from colonial powers, especially in the since that the nation did not reap the benefits of economic growth created by colonial expansion but instead were relegated to a position of watching as resources were stripped from their nation. (315, 363) British rule left the nation in a position of weakness, especially the poor as outside interests were then free to come in and buy up property and conscript labor for colonial interest. Indian elite were especially prone to buy land from the poor and then demand rent, many peasants lost land in this manner and sympathy for their plight engendered belated concessions for representation and eventually nationalism that spurned first independence as a colony and then as a nation. (363) To Britain Burma was a small holding, while China was a trade partner, not equal to the Western powers but still able to have some control over trade and to take some part in the gains created by colonial expansion. (357) Internal conflict and infighting between powers, the most dominant of which was Britain created a situation where China was held together but required in a sense to sign "open door" treaties that opened the nation even further to Western trade expansion and colonial industry. (325-326)