The 1950s at Home and Abroad

In the 1950s, Burma was still suffering the devastating impacts of World War Two, with a destroyed infrastructure and hard-to-revive- economy. Additionally, the country was having to deal with its own political precarity and a civil war that had begun within months of becoming independent from Britain. Uncertainty also prevailed beyond Burma's borders: there was the recent revolution in neighbouring China and the onset of the Cold War globally.

Despite all this, the 1950s was a time of hope. For a short while, Burma would have a fairly democratic government, open society, and free media. Burmese leaders also had a vision for the country's place in the world and worked hard to establish its new identity outside the Commonwealth. This section examines how new independent Burma was impacted by events both at home and abroad.