Burma

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Union of Burma ပြည်ထောင်စုမြန်မာနိုင်ငံ - pyihtaunghcumyanmarninengan (Burmese)
TAG = BUR
Politics
Capital	Rangoon
Ruling Party	We Burmans Association
Head of State	Aung San
Head of Government	Ne Win
Diplomacy
Sphere	Co-Prosperity Sphere
Foreign Alignment	Economically Dependent Member of The Sphere
Economy
GDP	$2.36B
Credit Rating	Good
Market Type	Dirigisme

The Union of Burma is a Japanese client state in Southeast Asia. They are a member of the Co-Prosperity Sphere. They are bordered by the Government of Free India to the west; the Republic of Thailand and Kingdom of Laos to the east.

Formerly part of the British Raj, Burma would find itself independent after a simultaneous Japanese invasion as well as the dissolution of the British Raj in 1943.

History

World War II

Some Burmese nationalists saw the outbreak of World War II as an opportunity to extort concessions from the British in exchange for support in the war effort. Other Burmese, such as the Thakin movement, opposed Burma's participation in the war under any circumstances. Aung San with other Thakins founded the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in August 1939. Aung San also co-founded the People's Revolutionary Party (PRP), renamed the Socialist Party after World War II. He was also instrumental in founding the Freedom Bloc by forging an alliance of Dobama Asiayone, ABSU, politically active monks and Ba Maw's Poor Man's Party.

After Dobama Asiayone called for a national uprising, an arrest warrant was issued for many of the organisation's leaders including Aung San, who escaped to China. Aung San's intention was to make contact with the Chinese Communists but he was detected by the Japanese authorities who offered him support by forming a secret intelligence unit called the Minami Kikan, headed by Colonel Suzuki with the objective of closing the Burma Road and supporting a national uprising.

Aung San briefly returned to Burma to enlist twenty-nine young men who went to Japan with him to receive military training on Hainan, China, and they came to be known as the "Thirty Comrades". When the Japanese occupied Bangkok in December 1941, Aung San announced the formation of the Burma Independence Army (BIA) in anticipation of the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942.

For Japan's military leadership, the conquest of Burma was a vital strategic objective upon the opening of hostilities with Britain and the United States. Occupation of Burma would interrupt a critical supply link to China. Also, the Japanese knew that rubber was one of the few militarily vital resources in which the United States was not self-sufficient. It was thought critical that the Allies be denied access to Southeast Asian rubber supplies if they were ever to accept peace terms favourable to Japan.

Collaboration with the Japanese.

The BIA formed a provisional government in some areas of the country in the spring of 1942, but there were differences within the Japanese leadership over the future of Burma. While Colonel Suzuki encouraged the Thirty Comrades to form a provisional government, the Japanese military leadership had never formally accepted such a plan. Eventually, the Japanese Army turned to Ba Maw to form a government.

During the war in 1942, the BIA had grown in an uncontrolled manner, and in many districts officials and even criminals appointed themselves to the BIA. It was reorganised as the Burma Defence Army (BDA) under the Japanese but still headed by Aung San. While the BIA had been an irregular force, the BDA was recruited by selection and trained as a conventional army by Japanese instructors.

Ba Maw was afterwards declared head of state, and his cabinet included both Aung San as War Minister and the Communist leader Thakin Than Tun as Minister of Land and Agriculture as well as the Socialist leaders Thakins Nu and Mya. When the Japanese declared Burma, in theory, independent in 1943, the Burma Defence Army (BDA) was renamed the Burma National Army (BNA).

It soon became apparent that Japanese promises of independence were merely a sham and that Ba Maw was deceived. As the war continued, the Japanese declared Burma a fully sovereign state on 1 August 1943, but this was just another façade, with the Japanese planning to use the state as a client state instead.

Japan's conquest of Burma would prove to be a burden on the puppet government, as communist and minority uprisings continue to plague the country. The people are not impressed by the lack of progress in rooting them out, which could threaten the legitimacy of the entire government.

After suspending the 1953 Constitution, the collaborationist regime promised to restore it once national security was achieved. This vow never came to fruition and the people are becoming increasingly impatient over being kept in the dark. Although Aung San's administration proclaims to be revolutionary and the rightful government of Burma, in reality however his administration barely controls anything beyond six miles of the capital city of Rangoon.

National Spirits

The Union of Burma starts with the following National Spirits

Name	In Game Description	Effects
Suspension of the 1953 Constitution	Should the Constitution be suspended for longer than necessary, a Popular Reaction will spark against Aung San. The 1953 Constitution was supposed to be a new beginning for Burma, a pluralist constitution where freedom of worship, freedom of language and regional self-government was to be respected. The years following its promulgation however, has been nothing but a spit in the face of the values penned on its parchment - with the Tatmadaw seizing power over regional assemblies in the name of national security, and the very suspension of representative democracy itself. Leaders in Yangon constantly deflect the cries of the people by proclaiming its restoration when the nation is secure. The only question is, when?	Political Power Gain: -15% Stability: +10.00% Division Attack: +5.0%
An Union in Perputual Conflict	Should the Insurgents in the Northeast be not dealt with in a timely manner, more will see the failures of the Union and reject its authority. Ever since the Thais and the Chinese descended upon the valleys of Shan State from the Northeast, our country has seen nothing but conflict. When the Communist and the Karen traitors took up arms against the homeland, the only thing that it brought about was more strife and misery. Our troops in the trenches far beyond Mandalay write of home, but they could only dream of it - and day by day, more and more unpatroitic elements garner steam, a coming storm against the dark days already upon our Nation.	Division Speed: -10.00% Factory Output: -10.00% Training Time: -7.00%
The Fading Star of the Father	Should Aung San's legitimacy drop too low, the Tatmadaw will take drastic measures to protect the Bogyoke and the nation. Our legendary Bogyoke had been a true and tested fighter of the nation, one who would give his whole heart and life to the safety of the Union and our people. However, some believe he is being targeted and threatened by corrupt, derelict and treasonous elements - elements which seek to destroy what he has sacrificed and fought for his whole life. Should a conspiracy be exposed, the rats which seek to challenge the legitimacy of his rule will be flused out: with extreme prejudice.	Army Experience Gain: -5.0% Division Organization: -5.0% War Support: -3.00%
A Government of Six Miles	Aung San's government, though revolutionary, do not control much beyond the six miles surrounding the City of Rangoon. Religious authorities, landholders, and other opponents of the regime conspire to halt the state's influence beyond a nominal area. However, Aung San is not content to wait the status quo out. In the halls of the Presidential Palace, the DAA draws for itself a radical reconstruction plan. Aung San believes that this will be the answer to many of Burma's woes. Others, however, are not so sure.	Construction Speed: +5.00% Research Speed: +7.00% Civilian Factory Repair Speed: +15.00%