On August 8, 1988 — a date chosen for its numerological power — university students sparked an uprising against the military dictatorship. They had been living under military rule their entire lives. And they had had enough. The uprising ultimately failed, but it planted the seeds of democracy. It was the moment Aung San Suu Kyi first appeared on the political scene, and became the icon of the democracy movement.

Today on the podcast: we take you back to the summer of 1988, a moment in Burma when change seemed possible.

Young demonstrators in Rangoon, August 1988. Photo: Gaye Paterson

Many protestors wore armbands showing a peacock, a symbol of Burmese struggle and independence. Photo: Gaye Paterson

Democracy demonstrators wave the Burmese flag in August of 1988. Photo: Gaye Paterson

Demonstrators piled on buses in downtown Rangoon, August 1988. Photo: Gaye Paterson

Demonstrators tried to convince soldiers to leave their posts and join the uprising. Photo: Gaye Paterson

Army veteran Myo Myint spent 15 years in prison for his work trying to convince soldiers to join the uprising. Photo: Nic Dunlop

Demonstrators marching through Rangoon in 1988. Photo: Gaye Paterson

Demonstrators march along a downtown Rangoon street in August of 1988. Photo: Gaye Paterson

The peacock as a symbol of Burmese resistance dates back to the anti-colonial movement of the 1930s. Photo: Gaye Paterson

In 1988, activist newspapers appeared where their had previously only been government propaganda. Photo: Gaye Paterson

As the demonstrations grew, more Buddhist monks joined the peoples' ranks. Photo: Gaye Paterson

1988 student leader Moethee Zun at his apartment in Queens, New York in 2013. Photo: Bruce Wallace

1988 student leader Htay Kywe outside of the 88 Generation Students Group offices in Yangon in 2013. Photo: Bruce Wallace