Can Lao Party
Encyclopedia
The Cần lao Nhân vị Cách Mạng Ðảng, or Personalist Labor Revolutionary Party, was a secret party formed to support the Ngô Đình Diệm regime in South Vietnam
, and largely operated by his brother, Ngô Đình Nhu
. It was ostensibly based on the French-Catholic theology of personalism
, blended with other Eastern and Western philosophies.
However, most observers regarded the party as simply an institution of control, with little effort made to formulate or disseminate an ideology. Instead of unifying the people against the Việt Cộng, it alienated them due to Diệm's corruption, bigotry and favoritism. Upon the overthrow of the Diệm regime in a US-backed 1963 coup, the Cần Lao collapsed.
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, and largely operated by his brother, Ngô Đình Nhu
Ngo Dinh Nhu
Ngô Ðình Nhu was the younger brother and chief political advisor of South Vietnam's first president, Ngô Ðình Diệm. Nhu was widely regarded as the architect of the Ngô family's nepotistic and autocratic rule over South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963...
. It was ostensibly based on the French-Catholic theology of personalism
Personalism
Personalism is a philosophical school of thought searching to describe the uniqueness of a human person in the world of nature, specifically in relation to animals...
, blended with other Eastern and Western philosophies.
However, most observers regarded the party as simply an institution of control, with little effort made to formulate or disseminate an ideology. Instead of unifying the people against the Việt Cộng, it alienated them due to Diệm's corruption, bigotry and favoritism. Upon the overthrow of the Diệm regime in a US-backed 1963 coup, the Cần Lao collapsed.