Revolução silenciosa: o socialismo no Laos
In 2025, the socialist revolution in Laos will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Despite
having a rich and exemplary history of resistance to colonialism and combating
inequality, the socialist movement in Laos, the Pathet Lao, which gave rise to the Lao
People's Revolutionary Party (currently in power), inspires little international interest.
What is generally known about Laos often boils down to its suffering during the 1960s
and 1970s when it became the most bombed country in history at the hands of the
United States during the Vietnam War, or in the case of Laos, the 'secret war'.
However, its history extends far beyond this episode, and this work seeks to explore
the legacy and identity of Laos, which in recent decades has been rebuilding its state
structure to overcome the secular difficulties faced by the country's multiethnic society,
shedding the title of the poorest country in Asia, and developing a globally integrated
economy that supports the long-awaited development. Despite the enormous existing
barriers, this development seems closer than ever.