As early as in the 3rd century B.C. Ashoka, the Emperor of India, sent missionaries to Suvannabhumi, the 'Golden Land'. The inhabitants of Suvannabhumi most probably were Mon people, which ruled over wide areas of present Thailand. They belong to the same ethnic group as the Khmer of Cambodia, but contrary to their Cambodian brothers the Mon did not found an empire; instead, they were organized in a number of more or less powerful small states. One after another those states embraced Buddhism. Some of those states, as for example Dvaravati in Thailand or Thaton (near to modern Mawlamyine), had considerable influence, namely on the cultural side.

At about the same time the Pyu people had settled in the Ayeyarwaddy River Basin. The Pyu most probably were related to the ethnic Burmans. Similar to the Mon they practiced Buddhism alongside Hinduism. The last powerful state of the Pyu (Srikshetra or Tharekittaya, as the Burmese call it) collapsed in the 9th century A.D. under the onslaught of the Nanchao (Thai) empire. For several hundred years Burman tribes had migrated from their homelands in Tibet down to the fertile plains of Burma. After the fall of Srikshetra the surviving Pyus found refuge in an area that later became known as Bagan. Pyu and Burmans together founded the city-state Bagan. From humble beginnings as one of more than a dozen similar states in the Ayeyarwaddy basin, under its ruler Anawrahta Bagan quickly rose to subdue all rivals and became the most powerful state in the region. At the height of their power the kings of Bagan ruled over most of what is now Myanmar.

Under King Anawrahta Theravada Buddhism had become the state religion and the kings as well as high ranking officials got into a building frenzy: When the empire collapsed in the late 13th century A.D. under Mongol pressure, more than 7,000 pagodas dotted the plain of Bagan. Until today still more than 2,500 temples and stupas remain and bear witness to the importance of this early Burmese state.

In the two centuries following the downfall of Bagan the country was separated into several small power centers. Only in the 16th century A.D. the Burman King Bayinnaung managed to bring the whole country under his control. He also invaded Thailand and other neighboring states. Bayinnaung’s main concern was to end the centuries-old conflict between the two major ethnic groups, Burman and Mons. The king shifted the capital from Toungoo to the old Mon city of Bago. However, under Bayinnaung's successors Burman power eroded visibly and the kings withdraw to the old capital Ava. Around the mid 18th century the power of Burman kings had receded so far that the Mon controlled nearly all of Burma. All of Burma? Well, not exactly: There was a little town by the name of Shwebo in Upper Burma. Its chief Alaungpaya managed to drive the Mon away from the Burmese heartland and in the ensuing campaign he conquered the arch enemy’s land. One of Alaungpaya’s most important victories was the conquest of the village of Dagon, home to the majestic Shwedagon pagoda. It was renamed Yangon - 'End of Strife' - by the victorious Burmans. The last Mon capital Bago was besieged and finally conquered by the Burmans and razed to the ground. This was the end for the Mon and they ceased to be a political power in the country. Until today Bago is still suffering from this disastrous defeat. Alaungpaya's successors expanded the empire to the best of their abilities.

In 1767 the Burmans even conquered Ayutthaya, the capital of the old rival Siam. So complete was the destruction that the Siamese abandoned their old capital and removed their residence to Thonburi and finally to Bangkok. A few years later the Burmans invaded the kingdom of Rakhine. This proved to be the beginning of the end: With this conquest Burma became a neighbour of British India.

Not even 50 years after the annexation of Rakhine by the Burmese the first Anglo-Burmese war broke out. In altogether 3 wars Burma first lost parts of her territory and finally her independence in 1885. The country became a province of British India and the last king was sent into exile to India.The Burmese never accepted the conquest of their country and subsequently started regular uprisings against their new masters.

In the 1930s the Burmese nationalists managed to split off their country from British India - a very important step on the way to independence. Then the Japanese invasion of 1942 drove out the British in no time at all and dramatically boosted the push for independence.

Among all South East Asian countries Myanmar suffered most during World War II; its infrastructure had suffered large-scale destruction. In 1945 the British finally reconquered their old colony. However, it was clear to everybody that the age of colonialism was over.