counter spells. The military also sought to justify its coup d’état to international audiences by, in this instance, using democratic claims. And it sowed chaos and violence in Myanmar’s cities to demonstrate that the junta alone could protect society from anarchists and rabble rousers. At the core of these strategies was a broader argument justifying autocratic rule: that only the military could protect the unity of the Buddhist Bamar nation and that Min Aung Hlaing was the apotheosis of society and the state. A NEW GENERATION CONFRONTS MYANMAR’S MILITARY RULERS The SAC junta’s political and rhetorical strategies were mismatched to the movements and discourses that quickly formed on the ground. Two days after the coup, a massive civil disobedience movement, referred to in Myanmar as the CDM, was initiated by medical workers in 110 hospitals and health departments in 50 townships.19 Waves of strikes and street demonstrations followed, with participation by workers and trade unionists in a broad range of sectors: firefighters, private bank employees, garment workers, teachers, and municipal and Union government staff.20 Walkouts by railway workers involved virtually all employees. The military-controlled Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise and Myanmar National Airlines were shut down, as were mines belonging to the armed forces. Consumers boycotted the military’s retail businesses. The military responded by declaring most of the country’s labour organizations illegal on 26 February, and by arresting and killing labour leaders21 and evicting railroad employees from government housing. Kevin Lin, “Myanmar Workers and Unions on the Front Lines in Fight Against Coup”, Labor Notes, 26 February 2021, https://labornotes.org/2021/02/myanmarworkers-and-unions-front-lines-fight-against-coup (accessed 5 April 2021). 19 For a broad-based CDM, see Tharaphi Than, “Resistance to Military Regime in Myanmar Mounts as Nurses, Bankers Join Protesters Despite Bloody Crackdown”, The Conversation, 15 March 2021, https://theconversation.com/ resistance-to-military-regime-in-myanmar-mounts-as-nurses-bankers-joinprotests-despite-bloody-crackdown-155452 (accessed 12 April 2021). 20 21 Ibid. 7 21-J07648 01 Trends_2021-7.indd 7 28/4/21 9:34 AM