Editing Burma Socialist Programme Party

{{Evil Organization
|Box title    = Evil Organization
|Image    = Burma_Socialist_Programme_Party.png
|size   = 
|fullname = Burma Socialist Programme Party
|alias = BSPP
|origin = Burma
|foundation = July 4, 1962
|dissolution = 
|headquarters = Rangoon, Burma
|commanders = [[Ne Win]] (1962 - 1988)<br>[[Sein Lwin]] (1988)
|agents = 
|skills = 
|goals = Retain Socialist rule over Burma (successful until 1988)
|crimes = Mass [[murder]]<br>Human rights violations<br>[[Torture]]<br>[[Authoritarianism]]<br>[[Censorship]]<br>[[War crimes]]<br>[[Xenophobia]]<br>[[Ethnic cleansing]]
|type of villain = Authoritarian Political Party
}}The '''Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP)''' was Burma's ruling party for a majority of the [[Cold War]]. They were in power from 1962 to 1988 and were the sole legal party from 1964 to 1988. Party chairman [[Ne Win]] overthrew the country's democratically elected government in a ''coup d'état'' on 2 March 1962. 

For the next 26 years, the BSPP governed Burma under a totalitarian [[military dictatorship]], until mass protests in 1988 pressured party officials to adopt a multi-party system.
==History==
The BSPP was established on 4 July 1962, after the declaration of the "Burmese Way to Socialism" (BWS) by the Union Revolutionary Council (URC) on 30 April 1962. The BWS set out the political and economic ideology of the URC which had taken over power in the military coup of 2 March 1962.

The BSPP advocated a programme of the "Burmese Way to Socialism" which, according to Ne Win, incorporated elements of Buddhism, humanism, and Marxism. The programme was described by some scholars as anti-Western and isolationist.

On 23 March 1964, the URC issued a decree entitled "The Law Protecting National Unity" whereby all political parties except the BSPP were abolished and their assets appropriated. This was repealed on the day the [[State Peace and Development Council]] junta seized power in the military coup of 18 September 1988.

The now-defunct 1974 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma constitutionalised the BSPP's leading role in Burmese politics. Article 11 of the 1974 Constitution stated that, "The State shall adopt a single party system. The Burma Socialist Programme Party is the single political party and it shall lead the State". This provision merely formalised what was already a ''fait accompli''—a one-party state—since March 1964.

All government servants from all sectors including doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists, managers from the nationalized industries and businesses as well as civil administrators were compelled to undergo a three-month political indoctrination and basic military training at the Hpaunggyi Central People's Services Training School, accommodated in military barracks, starting in the early 1970s. 

The phrase "socialist consciousness" became a pun for socialist friend or connection that one must have to get anything or anywhere. The [[Military Intelligence Service]] (MIS) and its army of informers served the function of the [[secret police]] to sniff out and extinguish any political dissent.

In 1971 BSPP was opened up for mass membership as "a people's party". During the 1960s, there were three types of membership in the BSPP. The first type or tier was that of a "friend of the party" (ပါတီမိတ်ဆွေ). The second type or tier was that of an "alternate or provisional membership" (အရန်ပါတီဝင်, lending itself to mockery as အရမ်း means "reckless") and the third type was that of a "fully-fledged" party member (တင်းပြည့်ပါတီဝင်). Under the party rules of the time once a person became a "full party member", unless there were extraordinary reasons such as those of ill-health one could not "resign from the party". A full party member could only be dismissed from the party. 

The BSPP continued to be dominated by the military, and in 1972 more than half of its 73,369 full members was still made up of army or police personnel; Dr. Maung Maung was notably the only civilian in the higher echelons of the party.

In November 1977 a purge of the BSPP including those on the Central Committee took place. This schism in the BSPP was seen as a power-struggle or in-fighting between the military faction and the ex-communist faction (mainly consisting of some ex-communist rebels who had surrendered to the government, joined and risen in the ranks of the BSPP hierarchy and their sympathisers) in the BSPP. Among the thousands that were purged from the party were leftists or communist sympathizers.

An Extraordinary Congress of the BSPP was held from 23 to 26 July 1988. In his inaugural speech on 23 July 1988, party chairman Ne Win stunned the nation when he, "taking indirect responsibility for the sad and bloody events of March and June 1988" (whereby many students and civilians in largely peaceful protests against the BSPP regime were shot and killed by the Military Police Lone Htein) tendered his resignation as party chairman. Ne Win also announced that four of his colleagues vice-chairman and State President San Yu, General Secretary Aye Ko, Joint-General Secretary Sein Lwin and Member of the Central Executive Committee Tun Tin, also a Deputy Prime Minister, had expressed their desire to resign. Referring to the student-led demonstrations against the government in March and June 1988 Ne Win stated that these events indicated that some people "don't like the government and the Party that led the government". He also proposed that a nationwide referendum be held in late September 1988 to determine whether the people preferred the one-party system or wished to shift to a multi-party system.

On 10 September 1988 in yet another hastily reconvened Congress, the BSPP decided to hold multi-party elections and the next day the Pyithu Hluttaw passed a resolution to hold multi-party elections "not earlier than 45 days and not later than 90 days". However massive demonstrations in Rangoon and the rest of the country continued, demanding for the resignation of the BSPP government led by Dr Maung Maung in favour of a neutral interim government to supervise multi-party elections. On 18 September 1988 the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC or na wa ta), led by the army Chief of Staff General [[Saw Maung]] (d. July 1997) took over after crushing the failed 8888 Uprising of 8 August 1988.
[[Category:Modern Villains]]
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