Shwedagon’s political history

Religious sites have a long standing tradition in Myanmar as safe meeting spaces for political reformists. Over the years, the pagoda has been the stage for political movements in various situations. The picture shows the Student's Stone, engraved with the names of the 11 students who participated in the 1920 protests against the British colonial government. The stone is situated in the southwest of the grounds, exactly where the students met at that time to plan their strike. This protest was directed against the University Act, which was considered discriminatory and elitist, especially by the Burmese students. The strike expanded into a national movement, at the end of which the British were forced to make concessions. Until today, the first day of this protest is celebrated as Myanmar's national holiday.

In addition to other student movements, the Shwedagon Pagoda was also the site of the "1300 Revolution" in 1938. This was triggered by the British oil company Burmah Oil Company laying off numerous workers and resisting salary raises. The workers moved from Thanlyin Township on the edge of the capital to the pagoda, where they united with agricultural workers. For 18 months, thousands of workers there went on strike, which is remembered as the longest revolt during the colonial period, although the British government was eventually able to persuade them to resume work through partly violent measures.