Burmese Way to Socialism

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This article is part of the History of Myanmar series

Early history of Burma
Pyu City-states (100 BC-840 AD)
Mon Kingdoms (9th-11th, 13th-16th, 18th c.)
Pagan Kingdom (849-1287) first Burmese empire
Ava (c. 1364-1555)
Pegu (to 1752)
Toungoo Dynasty (1486-1752) second Burmese empire
Konbaung Dynasty (1753-1885) third Burmese empire
War with Britain (1824-1852)
British Arakan (after 1824)
British Tenasserim (1824-1852)
British Lower Burma (1852-1886)
British Upper Burma (1885-1886)
British rule in Burma (1886-1948)
Nationalist Movement in Burma (after 1886)
Aung San
Japanese occupation of Burma (1942-1945)
Post-Independence Burma, 1947-1962 (1947-1962)
Military era (1962-1989)
8888 Uprising (1988)
Military era II (1989-present)
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The Burmese Way to Socialism is the name of the ideology of Burmese ruler, Ne Win, who ruled the country from 1962 to 1988. It included mainstream socialist ideals like the nationalisation of industries. However, it also encouraged more unorthodox views. These included a severe isolationism, expulsion of foreigners, discouragement of tourists, closing off of the economy, repression of minorities, and a police state. Ne Win's ideology also encouraged "bona fide" religion to make the people more selfless. In practice this meant encouraging or forcing a state-sanctioned form of Buddhism, although initially it claimed to favour religion generally rather than any specific religion. In practice Ne Win also relied on numerology in his system, but this was not officially part of it.

Opinions are mixed as to the resulting effects of the implementation of this ideology. After his attempt to make the currency base 9, the military revolted. This caused the authoritarian "Burmese Way to Socialism" to be replaced by a new authoritarian system.