Abstract

This book is concerned with three major thesis:the revitalization of the national indentity among the Frontier Peoples of Burma and their nationalist movement；main factors driving the minorities to merge with Burmans to form a federal union；the role of the British government in dealing with the Burma proper and the minorities.

The book consists of three tranches:

The first tranche deals with the background of the frontier peoples geographically and historically on a descriptive basis.A concise analysis follows as to the colonization after the British pacification (1824—1897)，the institutional reforms of the colonial administration in the first half of 20th century(1897—1945).(https://www.daowen.com)

The second tranche stresses on the revitalization of political identity among the frontier peoples.It is enunciated in three phases:1.The burgeoning and uprising of the ethnic political organizations and nationalists movements after the Second World War (1945—1947).2.Intertwining ethnic relationships:the Panglong Conference (1947).3.Constitution in the presence of competitive ethnicity and the Constituent Assembly(1947).The 1947　Constitution is born out of chaos and then followed by the inevitable independence of Burma in 1948.

The third tranche makes，in the case of Burma，commentary on a few debatable issues in Burma’s history prior to independence.It asserts the characteristic of nationalism and its derivatives as one of main factors affecting the political development in Burma’s independence.1.The frontier area peoples and Burmans:two types of their nationalism.2.Aung San’s thought and strategetic policy on ethnic groups.3.The vicissitudes of Britain’s colonial policy on the frontier peoples.Also the narration is parelleled with the policy of“Divide and Rule”，its aftermath，and especially the colonists’ attitude toward Burma’s independence.The author draws a conclusion by presenting the following standpoint:A completely new relationship should be fostered between the Burmese government and the frontier peoples on basis of mutual understanding，respect of individuality，ethnic equality，and co-prosperity.

Keywords:The Burma Proper；The Frontier Area Peoples；Nationalism；The British Government；The Right of Secession