The official name for Myanmar, whose dynastic history can be traced back a millennium
to the founding of Bagan (formerly Pagan) in the tenth century (AD), has undergone
three changes since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. It was known as
Burma during the colonial era until it became a sovereign nation-state on 4 January
1948. On gaining independence the country was christened the Union of Burma.
When the one-party socialist state was established in March 1974, the country became
The Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma. Finally, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC), that assumed power after a military coup on 18
September 1988 (in response to a widespread breakdown of government authority),
changed the country’s name to the Union of Myanmar on 18 June 1989.1
In a similar vein, the prevailing political system of Myanmar also changed four
times during the twentieth century. In 1948 it changed from a colonial political system
that allowed limited “home rule” to a parliamentary democracy system of majoritarian
rule that mimicked the Westminster model. After the military coup of 2 March 1962, the
country was ruled by decree under the military Revolutionary Council (RC). From
January 1974 until the coup of 18 September 1988, a one-party socialist system, under
the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) regime, that professed “democratic
centralism” was in place. Thereafter, Myanmar’s political system reverted back to one
in which the military junta holds executive and legislative powers while devolving
judicial authority to the courts of law after initially exercising martial law.
On the other hand, the legitimacy and the authority of the ruling junta have been
contested, since its inception, not only by the domestic political opposition and a2
constellation of illegal or unlawful organizations, insurgents, and expatriate groups but
also by some Western states and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well.
In terms of geopolitics, Myanmar had stayed out of most blocs and regional
groupings during the Cold War period observing strict neutrality.2
It declined the offer
to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at its inception and became
a member of the regional grouping only in July 1997