Aung San, U Nu, and Ne Win Create a New Country (1948–1962)

This chapter describes how Aung San, U Nu, and Ne Win, the founding Prime Ministers of Burma (1946–1962), set about creating a new narrative of Burmese history which justified the emergence of the newly independent nation. They traced Burmese military exceptionalism to the age of ancient Burmese kings. And placed what became Bamar Buddhist culture at the center of history. General Ne Win was to consolidate this view within the army, which fought foreigners in the north, and rebellious highlanders. This led to a conclusion in 1962 that foreigners were to be excluded from the new Burma, while ethnic minorities were to be assimilated into the superior culture. This happened in the context of a difficult independence in which the peripheries were in revolt, and foreign militaries sought to use Burma as first a proxy during World War II, and later in the Cold War.