Aung San

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Lore & Background

Aung San was born in Natmauk, Magway District, on 13 February 1915 during the British Raj, the youngest of nine siblings. He received his primary education at a Buddhist monastic school in Natmauk, then moved to Yenangyaung in grade 4 because his eldest brother, Ba Win, had become principal of the high school there. He rarely spoke before the age of eight; as a teenager, he often spent hours reading and thinking alone, oblivious to those around him. At Rangoon University in 1933, he quickly became a student leader, was elected to the executive committee of the Rangoon University Students' Union (RUSU), and served as editor of its magazine Oway. In February 1936, he was expelled along with U Nu for refusing to reveal the name of the author of an article called 'Hell Hound at Large,' which criticized a senior university official. The expulsion led to the three-month long Second University Students' Strike, after which the authorities reinstated him. During the strike, his name and image were published in daily newspapers, making him known nationwide as a nationalist revolutionary. He later co-founded the All Burma Student Union in 1937 and served as its general secretary. In October 1938, Aung San left his law classes and entered national politics, joining the Dobama Asiayone ('We Burmans Association') and acting as its general secretary until August 1940. He helped organize countrywide strikes known as the ME 1300 Revolution. On 23 January 1939, police raided the Dobama headquarters at Shwedagon Pagoda, arrested Aung San, and held him in prison for fifteen days on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the government, but the charges were dropped. In August 1939, he became a founding member and the first Secretary General of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), though he quit shortly afterwards due to vehement disagreements with the rest of the party leadership. He also co-founded the People's Revolutionary Party (later the Burma Socialist Party) with the primary goal of Burmese independence. During World War II, he fled Burma to China to solicit foreign support, later served as minister of war in the Japan-backed State of Burma led by Dr. Ba Maw, then switched sides and merged his forces with the Allies to fight against the Japanese. After the war, he negotiated Burmese independence from Britain in the Aung San-Attlee agreement. He served as the 5th Premier of the British Crown Colony of Burma from 1946 to 1947, led his party, the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, to victory in the 1947 Burmese general election, but he and most of his cabinet were assassinated shortly before the country became independent.

Reader's Guide

Aung San's significance lies in his central role in Burma's transition from British colonial rule to independence. He founded or was closely associated with many political groups, including the Thakin Society (which he joined in 1938 and served as general secretary), the Communist Party of Burma (founded in 1939), and the People's Revolutionary Party. He served as premier during the critical post-war period and negotiated the Aung San-Attlee agreement, which set the stage for independence. His assassination on 19 July 1947, along with most of his cabinet, occurred just six months before independence was realized. He is revered as the 'Father of the Nation,' 'Father of Independence,' and 'Father of the Tatmadaw.' His daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, is a stateswoman, politician, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as Burma's State Counsellor and its 20th (and first female) Minister of Foreign Affairs until the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The source notes that Aung San was a lifelong anti-imperialist, studied socialism as a student, and explored various schools of political thought, but also that he had vehement disagreements with the CPB leadership, was criticized by peers for poor public relations skills or perceived arrogance, never drank alcohol, and abstained from romantic relationships.

Did You Know?

• Aung San rarely spoke before the age of eight.
• He was expelled from Rangoon University in February 1936 along with U Nu for refusing to reveal the author of an article called 'Hell Hound at Large,' sparking a three-month student strike.
• He was arrested on 23 January 1939 and held in prison for fifteen days on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the government, but the charges were dropped.
• Aung San helped found the Communist Party of Burma in August 1939 and served as its first Secretary General, but quit shortly after due to vehement disagreements with the rest of the party leadership.
• He never drank alcohol and abstained from romantic relationships.