History often remembers the 1962 coup in Myanmar as a sudden seizure of power by a power-hungry general. However, from the failed 1948 coup to the one-party authoritarian socialist regime of the 1960s, the roots of Myanmar’s military dictatorship were grown in the soil of radical leftism and their totalitarian ideology. To understand why the military refuses to leave the political stage today, it’s important to look at the politicians who taught the generals that they were the only ones capable of leading a revolution.

Understanding Myanmar’s Politics around 1940s

The struggle for Myanmar’s independence was mainly led by AFPFL (Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League). AFPFL was a popular front that mainly consisted of two rival political groups such as “Communist Party of Burma” and the “Socialist Party of Burma,” along with a non-political entity called “Burma Independence Army.” The Communist Party of Burma was the official Marxist-Leninist party inside Burma, thus having access to the Communist International, attending its events and having relationships with other communist parties all around the world. Their opposition faction inside AFPFL was Burma Socialist Party which was a reformist social democratic party. They organized the Asian Socialist Conference and also worked closely with Socialist International.

The inter-rivalry infighting between CPB and BSP was very intense. CPB organized its proxy trade union called All Burma Trade Union Congress (ABTUC) whereas the Burma Socialist Party controlled its own proxy trade union called the Trade Union Congress (Burma). CPB agitated for a one-party authoritarian socialist state whereas the BSP defended the social democratic tradition of multi-party parliamentary politics. In July and September 1946, the ABTUC—under the leadership of communist leader Than Tun—organized a series of strikes against the AFPFL leadership. As a result, Than Tun lost his position at AFPFL over his disagreement with other factions such as Burma Independence Army led by Aung San and the Burma Socialist Party led by Kyaw Nyein. The position held by the communist leader Than Tun was replaced by Kyaw Nyein, the General Secretary of Burma Socialist Party. In 1946, the CPB was officially expelled from the AFPFL.

In January 1947, Aung San and Kyaw Nyein negotiated with the British labor government led by Clement Attlee in London regarding the independence for Burma. Aung San headed the constitutional assembly and was set to become Burma’s prime........

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