Although political upheavals and mass killings in the Socialist
Republic of Burma (Myanmar) have received a great deal of
international attention, scholars and journalists until now have
failed to identify the unique underlying factors that produced this
situation and helped to maintain military dictatorship under Ne
Win's successors. Mya Maung looks into the deeper sources of
Burmese behavior, focusing on the ancient tradition of sacred
despotic rule, the undermining of social and cultural life during
the British colonial period, and the impact of conflicting cultural
realities on a Communist military elite whose attempts to reinstate
absolute authority compounded their gross mismanagement of economic
development.
Maung presents an overview of the contradictions and biases
expressed by writers--both foreign and Burmese--who have attempted
to understand the Burmese and their country's recent history. He
next describes a traditional society in which authoritarian rule
existed side by side with a marked degree of social freedom and
egalitarianism. Maung discusses the far-reaching impact of
colonialism, the transition to independence, the Socialist military
takeover, and the progressive repression and economic failures that
led ultimately to economic collapse. Maung concludes with an
examination of Burma's potential for utilizing its resources
effectively and developing a stable economy in the transition to
capitalism. Based on field research, hundreds of interviews, and
Maung's firsthand knowledge of Burmese culture, this analysis
contributes a balanced perspective and new information crucial to
our understanding of a society that has been largely closed to
outsiders for more than two decades.
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