Aung San

Aung San (13 February 1915 - 19 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist, and revolutionary. He played an important role in Myanmar's fight for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goal was achieved. Aung San is widely regarded as the founder of modern-day Myanmar and the Tatmadaw (the country's armed forces), and is known as the "Father of the Nation," "Father of Independence," and "Father of the Tatmadaw."

Aung San was dedicated to ending British colonial rule in Burma and founded or was closely associated with many Burmese political groups and movements, as well as exploring various schools of political thought throughout his life. He had been an anti-imperialist his entire life and had studied socialism as a student. He was elected to the executive committee of the Rangoon University Students' Union and served as the editor of its newspaper during his first year of university. In 1938, he became a member of the Thakin Society and served as its general secretary. He also assisted in the formation of the Communist Party of Burma in 1939, but left soon after due to sharp disagreements with the rest of the party's leadership. He later co-founded the People's Revolutionary Party (later known as the Burma Socialist Party), with the primary goal of achieving Burmese independence from the British.

Aung San fled Burma shortly before the outbreak of World War II and went to China to seek foreign support for Burmese independence. During the Japanese occupation of Burma, he was the minister of war in Dr. Ba Maw's Japan-backed State of Burma. As the tide began to turn against Japan, he switched sides and joined forces with the Allies to fight the Japanese. In the Aung San-Attlee agreement signed after World War II, he negotiated Burmese independence from Britain. From 1946 to 1947, he was the fifth Premier of the British Crown Colony of Burma. In the 1947 Burmese general election, he led his party, the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, to victory, but he and most of his cabinet were assassinated shortly before the country gained independence.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Aung San's daughter, is a stateswoman, politician, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. She served as Burma's State Counsellor and the country's 20th (and first female) Minister of Foreign Affairs in Win Myint's Cabinet until the 2021 Myanmar coup