U Ne Win, or Shu Maung, (born May 24, 1911, Paungdale, Burma—died Dec. 5, 2002, Yangôn, Myanmar), Leader of Burma (Myanmar) from 1962 to 1988. He became involved in the Burmese independence movement in the mid-1930s. During World War II he initially served in the Japanese-sponsored army but later helped organize underground resistance to the Japanese. In 1962 he ousted the elected prime minister U Nu; his subsequent regime combined military dictatorship with a socialist economic program. Burma became isolated and impoverished under Ne Win, and he resigned in 1988. He continued to exercise power behind the scenes, however, until shortly before his death.
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