8888 Uprising - August 8, 1988

On this day in 1988, massive strikes and protests broke out around Myanmar in opposition to the government. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class. It's a production of I
Heart Radio. Hi everyone, welcome to this Day in History Class,
where we uncover the remnants of history every day. Today
is August eight, nineteen. The day was August eighth, nineteen

(00:25):
eight in Me and mar then known as Burma. Nationwide
strikes and protests sparked weeks of more protests that ended
in September with a violent crackdown. The day's events became
known as the eight eight eight uprisings. In nineteen sixty two,

(00:46):
General nay Win seized power in the military coup. For
more than a decade following the coup, the country was
under martial law. The government's ideology was the so called
Burmese way to socialism, and it turned a strong economy
into a weak one. It increased the country's isolation, and

(01:06):
it sent people into poverty. Corruption and police brutality were
also big issues under the regime. In nineteen eight seven,
the government declared several large denominations of me and marth
currency worthless, and a lot of people lost their savings.
Civil unrest was escalating in opposition to the government and

(01:28):
its repressive policies. Students, disaffected soldiers, workers and Buddhist monks
began staging demonstrations. Police often responded to the protests with force,
as was the case on March sixteenth, nineteen eighty eight,
when riot police attacked students, killing dozens and arresting hundreds

(01:50):
of people in an incident that became known as Red Bridge.
The government then closed all schools and universities, which were
later reopened. End On July, nay Win resigned as head
of the Burma Socialist Program Party after months of growing protests.

(02:10):
He promised a move toward multiparty democracy, but he appointed
Saying Louen as his successor. Lewen, a general known as
the Butcher of Rangoon, declared martial law. Newspapers were openly
anti government. Neighborhoods set up defenses against the army, and
movement towards a massive general strike gained scheme. A general

(02:34):
strike was planned for August eight, reportedly because the date
was auspicious. On that day, hundreds of thousands of people
participated in general strikes around the country. The protests were
initially peaceful, but as they spread, the army was ordered
to shoot to kill. Still, people continued to gather for protests.

(02:56):
Lewin resigned on August twelve, a week leader Dr Moong
Mang replaced him as president. Owned San Succhi, now known
as a politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner, gave her
first major public speech at a rally on August and Rangoon.
As the demonstrations continued, so did the violence. On September,

(03:20):
General Sawmong led a coup and a junta called the
State Law and Order Restoration Council or s l O
r C took over. As the government ruled with terror
and killed many demonstrators. Many people fled to the borders
or to Thailand, or went into exile. The s l
o r C allowed political parties to register, and the

(03:43):
National League for Democracy emerged with Succhi as the general secretary,
but she and other n l D members were rounded
up and she was put on house arrest, which she
remained on on and off until. Throughout all the nineteen
eighty nine demonstrations, thousands of protesters have been arrested or killed,

(04:06):
though officials estimated the death toll at only three d
and fifty people. An election was held in and the
National League for Democracy won most of the seats in
the government, but the s l O r C refused
to recognize those results and continued to rule. Some people

(04:27):
took up arms and planned to overthrow the junta, but
military rule and political and ethnic conflict continued in the
following years. I'm Eve Stepcoat and hopefully you know a
little more about history today than you did yesterday. We
love it if you left us a comment on Twitter,
Instagram or Facebook. At t d i h C podcast,

(04:53):
thanks again for listening, and I hope you come back
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