Military rule in Myanmar

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Military rule in Myanmar (also known as Burma) lasted from 1962 to 2011 and resumed in 2021. Myanmar gained its independence from the British Empire in 1948 under the Burma Independence Army, as a democratic nation. The first military rule began in 1958 and direct military rule started when Ne Win captured power through a coup d'état in 1962. Burma became a military dictatorship (Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma) under the Burma Socialist Programme Party that lasted for 26 years, under the claim to save the country from disintegration. During this period there was some democratic landscape in the form of giving rights to the citizen to elect and to stand for election. [1]

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For most of its independent years, the sovereign state has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and its myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world's longest-running ongoing civil wars. It's also known as one of the most brutal nations of all time for its mass human rights violation. During this time, the United Nations and several other organizations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country. [2]

Introduction

Myanmar, the largest country in Mainland Southeast Asia, is located at the meeting point of South and Southeast Asia. It is bordered by five nations: China, Laos, Thailand, India and Bangladesh. Myanmar gained its independence on 4 January 1948 from the United Kingdom under the leadership of General Aung San of the National Army. [3]

In July 1947, Aung San was assassinated by rivals under the leadership of U Saw, but achieved independence in January 1948 under U Nu. Since its struggle for independence, the armed forces known as the ‘Tatmadaw’ played an important role in gaining independence and it was under the Burmese Independence Army that Myanmar got its independence. The Army in Myanmar had gained respect in independent Myanmar at the initial stage and perceived as protector of the country. The military claims itself as the founder of the Union of Burma, and the main force that held the country together during the civil war and also claimed that it has prevented the country from disintegrating. [3]

After independence was achieved, a constitutional government was formed and U Nu was nominated as the first Prime Minister of Independent Myanmar. However, the newly formed civilian government under U Nu failed to maintain the unity of the country, facing domestic problems, ethnic issues, insurgency, corruption, mismanagement, and the ethnic insurgencies which took up arms against each other. In 1958, a split within the AFPFL threatened to provoke a coup by field officers. In order to settle the situation, U Nu invited the military to form a caretaker government. [3]

In 1958–60, the caretaker government under General Ne Win was formed. The caretaker government initially appeared to be interested in building a competent state. It reduced corruption, improved bureaucratic efficiency, and managed to deal with the pocket armies. The military junta announced to hold an election in 1960. [3]

After the election in 1960, U Nu's party formed a civilian government. But the civilian government under U Nu could not solve and improve the situation, and rather threatened the national integration of the country, leading to the coup on March 2, 1962, under General Ne Win. The main reasons for the coup were a mix of political infighting, policy gridlock, multiple insurgencies on a massive scale, and a declining economy. After the coup, the military government arrested members of the government, suspended the constitution, and appointed a Union Revolutionary Council (RC) to govern Myanmar by decree. [3]

1962 to 2011

The coup on 2 March 1962 led to the end of democratic form of government and the beginning of direct military rule in Myanmar up to 1974. During the period of military rule under General Ne Win, the country was shaped into one-party socialist state under the army led party called as Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) until 1988. And the year from 1962 to 1988, can be marked as the era of Ne Win. The period from 1962 to 1988 can be divided into two phases. The first phase is the period of direct military rule from 1962 to 1974 and Constitutional Dictatorship phase from 1974 to 1988. [3]

In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved, following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed.

Since 2021

In February 2021, the Tatmadaw detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other government leaders. They then proceeded to take control of the government, and instituted a one-year state of emergency, with Burma's Commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing, as the leader of the country, serving as the Chairman of the State Administration Council, who has taken on a new title as Prime Minister of a newly formed caretaker government.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Myanmar</span> Political system of Myanmar

Myanmar operates de jure as a unitary assembly-independent presidential republic under its 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's military took over the government in a coup, causing ongoing anti-coup protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatmadaw</span> Armed forces of Myanmar

The Tatmadaw is the military of Myanmar. It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include the Myanmar Police Force, the Border Guard Forces, the Myanmar Coast Guard, and the People's Militia Units. Since independence in 1948, the Tatmadaw has faced significant ethnic insurgencies, especially in Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Kayah, and Shan states. General Ne Win took control of the country in a 1962 coup d'état, attempting to build an autarkic society called the Burmese Way to Socialism. Following the violent repression of nationwide protests in 1988, the military agreed to free elections in 1990, but ignored the resulting victory of the National League for Democracy and imprisoned its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The 1990s also saw the escalation of the conflict involving Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State due to RSO attacks on the Tatmadaw forces, which saw the Rohingya minority facing oppression and, starting in 2017, genocide, under the rule of democratically elected president Aung San Suu Kyi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ne Win</span> Dictator of Burma from 1962 to 1988

Ne Win was a Burmese politician and military commander who served as Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma from 1962 to 1981. Ne Win was Burma's military dictator during the Socialist Burma period of 1962 to 1988.

The history of Myanmar covers the period from the time of first-known human settlements 13,000 years ago to the present day. The earliest inhabitants of recorded history were a Tibeto-Burman-speaking people who established the Pyu city-states ranged as far south as Pyay and adopted Theravada Buddhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Nu</span> 1st Prime Minister of Burma

Nu, commonly known as U Nu and also by the honorific name Thakin Nu, was a leading Burmese statesman and nationalist politician. He was the first Prime Minister of Burma under the provisions of the 1947 Constitution of the Union of Burma, from 4 January 1948 to 12 June 1956, again from 28 February 1957 to 28 October 1958, and finally from 4 April 1960 to 2 March 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League</span> Political party in Burma

The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) was the dominant political alliance in Burma from 1945 to 1958. It consisted of political parties and mass and class organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Dragon King</span> 1978 military operation in Arakan, Burma (present-day Rakhine State, Myanmar)

Operation Dragon King, officially known as Operation Nagamin in English, was a military operation carried in 1978 out by the Tatmadaw and immigration officials in northern Arakan, Burma, during the socialist rule of Ne Win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ba Swe</span> Second prime minister of Burma

Ba Swe was the second Prime Minister of Burma. He was a leading Burmese politician during the decade after the country gained its independence from Britain in 1948. He held the position of prime minister from 12 June 1956 to 28 February 1957. When Ba Swe became prime minister, Time magazine reported the news in an article titled: 'The Day of the Tiger' based on his nickname 'Big Tiger' since his university days in the 1930s as a student leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burmese Way to Socialism</span> State ideology of Burma from 1962 to 1988

The Burmese Way to Socialism, also known as the Burmese Road to Socialism, was the state ideology of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, the socialist state governed by the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) from 1962 to 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Burma (1962–1988)</span>

Burma (Myanmar) was under the military dictatorship of Ne Win from 1962 to 1988. Ne Win and his allies in the Tatmadaw overthrew the democratically elected government of Prime Minister U Nu in a coup d'état on 2 March 1962. A day later, the coupists established the Revolutionary Council of the Union of Burma as the country's unelected governing body. In April 1962, the Revolutionary Council introduced the Burmese Way to Socialism and declared it Burma's state ideology. The Revolutionary Council then founded the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) as the country's vanguard party on 4 July 1962. In 1974, Ne Win introduced a new constitution and replaced the Revolutionary Council with a "people's assembly" consisting solely of BSPP members. The country's official name was also changed from the Union of Burma to the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8888 Uprising</span> 1988 pro-democracy protests in Burma (Myanmar) that were violently suppressed by the military

The 8888 Uprising, also known as the People Power Uprising and the 1988 Uprising, was a series of nationwide protests, marches, and riots in Burma that peaked in August 1988. Key events occurred on 8 August 1988 and therefore it is commonly known as the "8888 Uprising". The protests began as a student movement and were organised largely by university students at the Rangoon Arts and Sciences University and the Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aung Gyi</span> General and coup-leader

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Burma (1948–1962)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myanmar conflict</span> Ongoing insurgencies in Myanmar

Insurgencies have been ongoing in Myanmar since 1948, the year the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom. The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw, for self-determination. Despite numerous ceasefires and the creation of autonomous self-administered zones in 2008, many armed groups continue to call for independence, increased autonomy, or the federalisation of the country. The conflict is the world's longest ongoing civil war, having spanned more than seven decades.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of Burma</span> Banned political party in Myanmar (Burma)

The Communist Party of Burma (CPB), also known as the Burma Communist Party (BCP), is a clandestine communist party in Myanmar (Burma). It is the oldest existing political party in the country.

The 1962 Burmese coup d'état marked the beginning of one-party rule in Burma (Myanmar) and the political dominance of the military in Burmese politics. In the 2 March 1962 coup, the military replaced the civilian AFPFL-government headed by Prime Minister U Nu, along with the Union Revolutionary Council Chaired by General Ne Win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist insurgency in Burma</span> Armed conflict in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1989

The communist insurgency in Burma was waged primarily by the Communist Party of Burma and the Communist Party (Burma) from 1948 to 1989. The conflict ended when the CPB, severely weakened by an internal mutiny, disbanded its armed wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Myanmar relations</span> Bilateral relations

Israel–Myanmar relations refers to the bilateral relations between Israel and Myanmar, established in 1953. Myanmar was one of the first countries in Asia to recognize Israel's independence and establish diplomatic ties with the state. Today, the countries cooperate in the fields of agriculture, health and education. Israel has an embassy in Yangon, and Myanmar has an embassy in Tel Aviv. Myanmar joins Singapore as one of two Southeast Asian States that do not recognize the State of Palestine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ne Win's First Cabinet</span>

The Caretaker Government of Ne Win was formed in 1958 after Ne Win, then Chief of Staff, took over state power from U Nu, then Prime Minister. This is the first caretaker government in Burmese history. After the 1960 election, power was restored to U Nu.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Myanmar country profile". BBC. 3 September 2018.
  2. ↑ "Burma". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
    "Myanmar Human Rights". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
    "World Report 2012: Burma". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marco Bünte. "Institutionalising Military Rule in Burma/Myanmar: External and Internal Factors".

Sources

  • Tom Kramer, "Ending 50 years of military rule? Prospects for peace, democracy and development in Burma", Norwegian Peace Building Research Center, NOREF Report, (2012)
  • Chew, Ernest. "The Withdrawal of the Last British Residency from Upper Burma in 1879." Journal of Southeast Asian History 10.2 (1969): 253–78. Jstor. Web. 1 March 2010.
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