32. The British Empire in Burma took three wars and over 60 years of fighting.
From its base in India, and using predominantly Indian native troops, the British Empire fought three wars of conquest over a period of sixty years before subduing Burma and creating British Burma on New Year’s Day, 1886. The British established Rangoon as the capital, linking the empire’s critical ports of Singapore and Calcutta. The Burmese people were not willing subjects of the British Empire, an impertinence which was led by Burmese monks and created a contentious environment up to the time of the Japanese invasion of the territory during World War II. During the war, Burmese troops supported both sides, with some fighting for the Japanese and others in the British Burmese Army.