In 1948, Myanmar formally gained its independence. U Nu became the first Prime Minister of the new state. But the state quickly began to disintegrate as hill tribes, communists, Muslims and Mons all revolted.
A civil war between Karen and the Burmese army kept smoldering until in 1951, the government under U Nu succeeds in gaining some appearance of control over the country by military means.
By 1958 internal conflicts within the government caused PM U Nu to order the Minister of Defense and Chief of the General Staff for the army, General Ne Win, to create a temporary military government.
In 1962, Ne Win and a group of Generals seize political power in a coup d'état. Numerous politicians and delegates of the ethnic minorities were arrested. All parliamentary institutions were dissolved and replaced by a 'revolutionary council' consisting of 17 members.
The military government then published a communiqué entitled The Burmese Way To Socialism in which Myanmar is prescribed a cocktail of Marxism and Buddhism as state philosophy.
In 1972 Ne Win and 20 of his followers from the Burmese army resign from their military posts and formed a civilian government.
On January 3, 1974, the country was re-christened 'Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma' and a new constitution was validated. The Burma Socialist Program Party, formerly founded by Ne Win, was admitted as the sole political party. Party Chief Ne Win took the newly created post of Head of the state council and became President.
In 1981 Ne Win resigned as the President of State, but remained at the head of the Burma Socialist Program Party ... and he remains the man pulling the strings from the background.
In 1988 the name 'Myanmar' was officially recognized as the countries new name in replacement of Burma.
In July 1997, Myanmar was admitted to full membership of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).