An incomparable introduction to Burma's political and economic history written by one of the premier economic historians of Southeast Asia.

Ian Brown is a research professor in the economic history of Southeast Asia at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. He has published extensively on the modern economic history of Southeast Asia, initially focusing on Thailand but, since the early 1990s, turning his attention to Burma.

Introduction; 1. The economy at the beginning of the twentieth century; 2. Strains in the late colonial economy; 3. War and independence; 4. In pursuit of socialism; 5. Toward the market: the economy from 1988; Conclusion: themes and threads; Bibliography; Index.