Chapter II Early Control Tactics of the Burmese Military State, 1948-2008 Maintaining power and control have long been primary concerns of the Burmese military, especially during and immediately following periods of social and political unrest or change. Burma’s most prominent political party at the time of independence was the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League (AFPFL). Following the assassination of party leader General Aung San, the AFPFL quickly began to experience internal disagreements, and in 1958 fractured into two separate entities. Up to this point, Burma had experienced a brief period of parliamentary democracy, primarily due to continued British influence post-independence. Resulting from the turmoil of the AFPFL’s split, and a motion of non-confidence, then-prominent military general Ne Win was asked to act as interim prime minister and head a “Caretaker Government” that would restore order and solidarity. From a Caretaker Government to the People’s Revolution During the two-year interim government led by Ne Win, the long-lasting strategy for state-military hegemony first becomes apparent. Charged with cleaning up the city, Colonel Tun Sein was appointed mayor of Rangoon by Ne Win. Unlike the previous government, which was reluctant to clear out slum areas due to the large number of potential voters living there, Ne Win’s government wasted no time in strategically reshaping the aesthetics of the city (Seekins, 2011). Satellite towns were established