U Nu
Who was U Nu?
Burma's first Prime Minister after independence who led the country from 1948-1962 and championed Buddhist socialism and non-alignment during the Cold War.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on U Nu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
U Nu, born on May 25, 1907, in Wakema, Burma, was a leader, writer, and Buddhist thinker who became Burma's first Prime Minister after independence. He studied at the University of Yangon and Basic Education High School No. 2 Dagon, developing his political beliefs during the nationalist movement against British rule. During his student years at Rangoon University, he joined the independence movement and formed strong partnerships with other nationalists, including Aung San, who played a key role in Burma's independence.
Nu became well-known nationally through his involvement in the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, which led Burma’s fight for self-governance. After Burma gained independence in January 1948, Nu became Prime Minister under the 1947 Constitution, following the assassination of Aung San and much of his cabinet in 1947. His early government faced huge challenges: the country was wrecked by World War II, ethnic insurgencies threatened unity, and communist rebellions unsettled the countryside. Despite these issues, Nu worked to build democratic institutions and pursued land reforms, expanded education, and advocated for public health.
Nu was deeply committed to Buddhism and aimed to incorporate Buddhist principles into national governance, sometimes called Buddhist socialism. He supported building pagodas and the Sixth Buddhist Council in Rangoon from 1954–1956 and managed to declare Buddhism the state religion in 1961, which increased tensions with non-Buddhist minorities. In foreign affairs, he maintained strict neutrality, refusing to side with either the US-led Western bloc or the Soviet Union, and was an early supporter of the Non-Aligned Movement.
His first term as Prime Minister ended in 1958 when internal disputes within the AFPFL led him to temporarily transfer power to General Ne Win and a caretaker military government. Nu returned to office after the 1960 elections with strong support, but his second term was cut short in March 1962 due to a military coup by General Ne Win. Nu was placed under house arrest for several years before being allowed to go into exile, where he continued to oppose military rule and support democratic governance.
After years abroad, Nu returned to Burma in 1980 after a general amnesty and spent his later years involved in religious activities and writing. He passed away in Yangon on February 14, 1995, leaving behind a mixed legacy as a democratic idealist with notable achievements alongside significant political and sectarian challenges.
Before Fame
U Nu grew up in Wakema, a town in the Irrawaddy Delta region of British Burma, at a time when colonial rule affected almost every part of public life. His education eventually took him to the University of Yangon, then called Rangoon University, a hub for Burmese nationalism in the 1930s. It was there he got involved in student politics and met the leaders who would guide Burma to independence.
His political awakening intensified with the 1936 Rangoon University strike, which he joined alongside Aung San. Both were expelled for their roles in the protest, an event that made Nu known as a dedicated nationalist. During this time, he also took up writing and later worked as a teacher and civil servant, experiences that gave him a deeper understanding of Burmese society before he took on formal political roles.
Key Achievements
- Served as Burma's first Prime Minister following independence in 1948, guiding the country through its earliest years of self-governance
- Played a leading role in the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, the primary organization that secured Burma's independence from British colonial rule
- Hosted the Sixth Buddhist Council in Rangoon from 1954 to 1956, elevating Burma's standing in the broader Buddhist world
- Championed a foreign policy of non-alignment during the Cold War, making Burma one of the earliest advocates of neutrality between the superpowers
- Implemented land redistribution and expanded education and healthcare access during his administrations in efforts to modernize and unify post-war Burma
Did You Know?
- 01.U Nu hosted the Sixth Buddhist Council in Rangoon between 1954 and 1956, gathering monks from across the Buddhist world to recite and verify the Pali Canon, an event modeled on ancient councils held in the centuries following the Buddha's death.
- 02.He was expelled from Rangoon University in 1936 alongside Aung San for publishing an article in the student magazine criticizing a university official, an act that accelerated both men's paths into full-time political activism.
- 03.Nu was a prolific writer and playwright; he wrote plays and prose works in Burmese throughout his life, viewing literature as a vehicle for national consciousness and moral instruction.
- 04.After going into exile following the 1962 coup, Nu attempted to organize armed resistance against Ne Win's government from Thailand in the early 1970s, forming a resistance coalition before eventually abandoning the effort.
- 05.His decision to enshrine Buddhism as the state religion in 1961 contributed directly to a constitutional crisis and fueled separatist sentiment among Kachin and other predominantly Christian and animist minority groups.