Short answers, pulled from the story.
Theravada Buddhism arrived in what is now Myanmar around the 3rd century CE through trade networks connecting South India and Southeast Asia. Gold plates containing fragments of the Pali Tipitaka from the 5th century found in Maunggan prove this early transmission. Chinese records from the same era describe a Kingdom of Liu-Yang where several thousand sramanas worshipped the Buddha.
King Anawrahta converted to Theravada Buddhism and conquered the Mon city of Thaton to acquire sacred scriptures and orthodox monks. He banished Ari priests who practiced animal sacrifices and drank liquor while continuing to support traditional nat worship within Buddhist temples. His reign saw the construction of the Shwezigon Pagoda and the Shwesandaw Pagoda as acts of royal merit-making.
U Ottama argued that British rule obstructed Buddhist practice and promoted Gandhian tactics including boycotts and tax avoidance. He was arrested multiple times and eventually died in jail, becoming a martyr for the independence movement. Many monks participated in nationalist struggles despite senior monastic leaders warning against political involvement.
The All Burma Monks' Alliance organized day-to-day affairs like trash collection and traffic direction while the military re-established control. U Gambira led the All Burma Monks' Alliance after many activists fled abroad following the violent suppression. State propaganda showed military leaders visiting monasteries and donating to monks yet thousands remained suspicious of these displays.
Ledi Sayadaw lived from 1846 to 1923 and became an influential figure promoting widespread meditation practice among both monastics and laypeople. His writings included meditation manuals and the Paramattha Sankhip, a Burmese verse translation of the Abhidhammatthasañgaha. These movements transformed meditation from an elite monastic practice into a mass lay activity accessible to millions of Burmese citizens.