Burmese Way to Socialism: A Political Blunder or an Expensive Ticket for Peace?

On 2 March 1962, the Burmese military under General Ne Win assumed state power after a successful coup d’état against the civilian government. Soon afterwards, Ne Win announced the "Burmese Way to Socialism" (BWS) as the... [ view full abstract ]

On 2 March 1962, the Burmese military under General Ne Win assumed state power after a successful coup d’état against the civilian government. Soon afterwards, Ne Win announced the "Burmese Way to Socialism" (BWS) as the political roadmap of the military government. Major pillars of BWS were economic self-sufficiency and national reunification. Foreign presence in Burma was seen as a hindrance to BWS because Ne Win believed that Burma could not attain economic independence and political stability as long as it was relying on foreign aid. Thus Ne Win systematically eliminated any foreign influence within Burma by nationalizing foreign enterprises and limiting travel in and out of the country. Historians have generally interpreted BWS as an isolationist policy adopted by Ne Win government to preserve its dictatorial power while leading the country down a path of economic disaster. In this presentation, I will explain why the traditional narrative on BWS is biased because it neglects the fact that BWS successfully kept Burma out of the Cold War proxy wars and saved Burma from becoming another Vietnam. I will then attempt to answer the question: can BWS's excesses be justified by the peace that it brought for Burma?