AHC: Prevent Burmese Dictatorship

Given that I'm doing an essay on the Burmese elections next week, I have felt like inquiring to the following: Is there any way that the Burmese Road to Socialism could've been prevented (in the height of the Cold War), and that an increasingly democratic republic would have continued on to the present time? Or was anti-imperialist socialism too enticing for too many Burmese at the time?
 
Given that I'm doing an essay on the Burmese elections next week, I have felt like inquiring to the following: Is there any way that the Burmese Road to Socialism could've been prevented (in the height of the Cold War), and that an increasingly democratic republic would have continued on to the present time? Or was anti-imperialist socialism too enticing for too many Burmese at the time?

The problem was that Burmese nationalism was exclusivist, and excluded the various minority groups in the country, leading to secessionist movements...
Under these circumstances, dictatorship would be considered preferable to democracy...
 
I'd say the easiest way is not splitting them off from India in 1937. However, I was never entirely clear on why that happened in the first place, so I can't say how to prevent it.
 
I'd say the easiest way is not splitting them off from India in 1937. However, I was never entirely clear on why that happened in the first place, so I can't say how to prevent it.

During colonial times, industry and the civil service were dominated by Indians. Rangoon was actually half Indian in the 1930s. This provoked a lot of resentment from the native Burmese, and most nationalist groups were agitating for separation by the mid-20th Century.

By and large, Burmese, Indians, and the British viewed native Burmese and Indians as separate groups. There were some political factions in Burma that favored continuing the union with India - the "Anti-Separationists" - but they wanted autonomy and a right to opt for independence later.

Moreover, many of their supporters wanted to continue the union with the rest of India only because they feared the British would separate them, give India independence, and hold on to Burma. As a result, many wanted to remain part of India until independence.
 
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