Why is Aung San Suu Kyi regarded as a great figure in the fight for democracy?

Aung San Suu Kyi was the daughter of Aung San, the father of modern day Burma. She was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non violence. In 1988, she addressed a rally of half a million people in front of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, and called for a democratic government. Aung San Suu Kyi founded the National League for Democracy in the same year. The military government put her under house arrest in July, 1989. She secured a landslide wins in the 1990 general election, while in jail. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. With the prize money of 1.3 million dollars, she set up a health and education trust for the Burmese people. She worked for democracy and freedom in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest on November 13, 2010.