Ba Maw

Ba Maw
source
Name	Ba Maw
Office	Prime Minister of Burma
Term start	1942
Term end	1945
Predecessor	Office established
Successor	Office abolished
Office2	Head of State of Burma
Term start2	1943
Term end2	1945
Predecessor2	Office established
Successor2	Office abolished
Birth date	8 February 1893
Birth place	Maubin, British Burma
Death date	29 May 1977 (aged 84)
Death place	Yangon, Burma
Party	Sinyetha Party, Dobama Asiayone
Alma mater	University of Calcutta, University of Cambridge, University of Bordeaux
Profession	Lawyer, Politician

Ba Maw. He was a prominent Burmese political figure who served as the first Prime Minister of Burma under British rule and later as the Head of State during the Japanese occupation of Burma in World War II. A complex and controversial leader, his career was defined by fierce nationalism, opposition to British rule in Burma, and a fraught collaboration with the Empire of Japan in pursuit of independence.

Early life and education

Ba Maw was born in Maubin District, the son of a well-known lawyer. He pursued higher education with distinction, earning a degree from the University of Calcutta before traveling to England for further study. He was called to the bar from Gray's Inn after studies at the University of Cambridge, becoming one of the first Burmese to achieve this qualification. He later earned a doctorate in literature from the University of Bordeaux in France, showcasing his intellectual breadth. His early career was in law and education, where he developed a reputation as a brilliant and eloquent advocate.

Political career

His political career began in the 1930s, fueled by his defense of the peasant leader Saya San following the Saya San Rebellion. He entered the Legislative Council of Burma and quickly became a leading voice against colonial rule. In 1937, he helped form the Sinyetha Party and was elected as the first Prime Minister of Burma under the new Government of Burma Act 1935, which granted limited autonomy. His administration, however, was unstable and faced opposition from both the British Raj and rival factions like the Dobama Asiayone. He was eventually forced out of office in 1939, after which his politics grew more radical and anti-British.

Role during World War II

Following the outbreak of World War II and the rapid Japanese invasion of Burma, Ba Maw chose to collaborate with the Imperial Japanese Army. He was appointed chairman of the Burma Executive Administration in 1942 and became Prime Minister of Burma under Japanese auspices. In 1943, Japan granted nominal independence to Burma, and Ba Maw was declared its Head of State, adopting the title Naingandaw Adipadi. His regime, the State of Burma, was a member of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and declared war on the Allies. While he secured the release of nationalist leaders like Aung San from prison, his government was largely a puppet administration, with real power held by the Japanese military and the Kenpeitai.

Post-war life and death

After the Japanese surrender and the Allied advance on Burma, Ba Maw was arrested by the returning British Army in 1945. He was held in Sugamo Prison in Tokyo as a suspected war criminal but was never formally tried. Released in 1946, he returned to a Burma moving swiftly toward full independence under the leadership of his former subordinate, Aung San, and the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League. Politically marginalized, he was briefly imprisoned again by the post-independence government of U Nu. He spent his later years writing his memoirs, *Breakthrough in Burma*, and lived in relative obscurity until his death in Yangon in 1977.

Legacy

Ba Maw remains a contentious figure in Burmese history. He is recognized for his early nationalist fervor and his role in the struggle against British colonialism. However, his legacy is overwhelmingly shadowed by his wartime collaboration with Japan, which is often viewed as a pragmatic but deeply flawed strategy. His administration provided a platform for a generation of Burmese nationalists, including Aung San and the Thirty Comrades, to gain political and military experience. Modern assessments often place him as a tragic and complex patriot whose desperate pursuit of independence led him into a fateful alliance with a brutal occupying power.

Category:1893 births Category:1977 deaths Category:Prime Ministers of Burma Category:Burmese collaborators with Imperial Japan