9781422285992

The Vietnam War

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Soviet Union battled for influence across the globe. They sought to enlist other countries as allies or, at the very least, to discourage other countries from siding with their adversary. The superpowers’ confrontation played out in various arenas—military, economic, diplomatic, and even cultural. The American system of liberal democracy emphasized individual rights and freedoms. These included political rights (such as the right to vote or run for public office) and civil rights (such as freedom of speech, the right to assemble peaceably, and freedom of the press). Americans were free to own businesses, run them the way they wanted to, and acquire all the personal wealth they could—a system called capitalism. The Soviet system was underpinned by a theory called communism . It held that capitalism inevitably led to the exploitation of workers. Communists encouraged workers to revolt against their governments. They promised that under communism, everyone would be treated equal- ly and each person would receive what he or she needed. The state would own factories and other places of work. It would run the economy not for the profit of individuals but for the benefit of all. communism— a political and economic system that champions the elimination of private property, promotes the common ownership of goods, and typically insists that the Communist Party has sole authority to govern. ideology— a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of a political theory, such as democracy or communism. in absentia— a Latin termmeaning “in the absence.” This is a legal term that refers to the conviction and sentencing of a person who is not present at the trial. nationalism— the desire by a people who share a language and culture to gain a politically independent state of their own. Vietminh— a contraction of Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh , meaning “League for Vietnamese Independence.” This political organization was formed to fight for Vietnamese independence. WORDS TO UNDERSTAND IN THIS CHAPTER