A Brief History

The country of Myanmar has had a tumultuous history.  For decades the country was ruled by the British government and was known worldwide as Burma.  As in many examples of Colonialism (when one country or nation controls another for economic gain), the British rule was not kind to the local populace.  The country was ruled for over 100 years, from 1824 to 1948.  During that time, Burma produced 75 percent of the world's teak and the southern portions of the country became one of the largest rice exporting regions.  All the natural resources of the country were exploited with very little compensation for the native people.

Image Source: https://www.mapsland.com/maps/asia/burma/large-detailed-political-and-administrative-map-of-burma-(myanmar)-with-roads-railroads-and-major-cities-1991.jpg

One would hope that with the end of British colonialism in 1948, when the nation became and independent republic named the Union of Burma, that the exploited country would be able to recover.  However, independence would only last for 24 years, when in 1962 the military led a coup d'état - which led to the country being under either direct or indirect control of the military ever since.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_rule_in_Burma#From_the_Japanese_surrender_to_Aung_San's_assassination

http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Myanmar/sub5_5a/entry-3007.html#chapter-4