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    The Drafting of the Constitution of the Union of Burma in 1947: Dominion Status, Indo–Burmese Relations, and the Irish Example


    Coffey, Donal (2023) The Drafting of the Constitution of the Union of Burma in 1947: Dominion Status, Indo–Burmese Relations, and the Irish Example. Law and History Review, 41 (2). pp. 253-272. ISSN 0738-2480

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    Abstract

    This paper aims to consider four elements of Burmese constitutional history between 1946 and 1948. The first section considers the negotiations between Burma and the United Kingdom and argues that the debate about whether Burma wanted Dominion status has overlooked the crucial transitional government period. The second section gives a brief overview of the drafting process, paying particular attention to the links between the Indian Constituent Assembly in Delhi and Rangoon. The third section outlines the comparative influences on the Burmese Constitution using the digital humanities and illustrates that the biggest foreign influence was the Irish Constitution of 1937. The final section looks at the Burmese political leadership after World War II along two dimensions—at a nationalist level and at an elite level—and traces some of the links between Burma and Ireland.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Drafting; Constitution; Union; Burma; 1947; Dominion Status; Indo–Burmese Relations; Irish Example;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
    Item ID: 19660
    Identification Number: 10.1017/S0738248022000487
    Depositing User: Donal Coffey
    Date Deposited: 08 Apr 2025 11:25
    Journal or Publication Title: Law and History Review
    Publisher: Cambridge University Press
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19660
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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