Aung San

Aung San
အောင်ဆန်း
Aung San c. 1940s
Deputy Chairman of the Governor´s Executive Council; Counsellor for Defence of British Burma
In office
28 September 1946 – 19 July 1947
Preceded bySir John Wise
Succeeded byOffice abolished
U Nu as Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of War of the State of Burma
In office
1 August 1943 – 27 March 1945
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byOffice abolished
President of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
In office
27 March 1945 – 19 July 1947
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byU Nu
General Secretary of Communist Party of Burma
In office
15 August 1939 – 1940
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byThakin Soe
Personal details
Born
Htein Lin

(1915-02-13)13 February 1915
Natmauk, Magwe, British Raj
Died19 July 1947 (1947-07-20) (aged 32)
Rangoon, British Burma
Manner of deathAssassination
Resting placeMartyrs' Mausoleum, Myanmar
Political party
Spouse
(m. 1942)
Children4, including Aung San Oo and Aung San Suu Kyi
Relatives
Alma materRangoon University
OccupationPolitician, soldier
Known forHis work towards Burmese independence and the establishment of the Tatmadaw
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
RankMajor general (highest rank in military at that time)

Aung San (Burmese: ဗိုလ်ချုပ် အောင်ဆန်း; MLCTS: aung hcan:, pronounced [àʊɰ̃ sʰáɰ̃]; 13 February 1915 – 19 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goal was realized. Aung San is considered the founder of modern-day Myanmar and the Tatmadaw (the country's armed forces), and is commonly referred to by the titles "Father of the Nation", "Father of Independence", and "Father of the Tatmadaw".

Devoted to ending British Colonial rule in Burma, Aung San founded or was closely associated with many Burmese political groups and movements and explored various schools of political thought throughout his life. He was a life-long anti-imperialist and studied socialism as a student. In his first year of university he was elected to the executive committee of the Rangoon University Students' Union and served as the editor of its newspaper. He joined the Thakin Society in 1938 and served as its general secretary. He also helped establish the Communist Party of Burma in 1939 but quit shortly afterwards due to vehement disagreements with the rest of the party leadership. He subsequently co-founded the People's Revolutionary Party (later the Burma Socialist Party) with the primary goal of Burmese independence from the British.

Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Aung San fled Burma and went to China to solicit foreign support for Burmese independence. During the Japanese occupation of Burma, he served as the minister of war in the Japan-backed State of Burma led by Dr. Ba Maw. As the tide turned against Japan, he switched sides and merged his forces with the Allies to fight against the Japanese. After World War II, 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. He 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.

Aung San's daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, is a stateswoman, politician, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She was Burma's State Counsellor and its 20th (and first female) Minister of Foreign Affairs in Win Myint's Cabinet until the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.


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