Comparing Aung San and Ho Chi Minh: The Making of a Cult of Personality
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Abstract
Both Myanmar and Vietnam gained their independence from their European colonizers through popular uprisings led by inspiring leaders. Aung San and Ho Chi Minh have since become venerated heroes and “fathers” of their respective nations; the people still raise their pictures and chant their names at public rallies or protests. However, they held vastly different ideologies and carried out their independence movements very differently. This paper examines Aung San and Ho Chi Minh’s different strategies, models of leadership, and political ideologies. It looks at how these differences influenced their enduring legacy in the nations they helped create, and explores whether they are the subjects of a cult of personality.