In the decades preceding independence, independence parties were in search of a name for the new country to be born, which would be made up not only of Burmese-speaking people, but also of many minorities. In the 1920s, some favoured the name "Myanma", which had been the name applied to the old Burmese kingdom subjugated by the British in the 19th century. In the 1930s, the left-wing independence parties favoured the name "Bama", as they thought this name was more inclusive of minorities than "Myanma".