Pathet Lao

This article is about the political movement. For the country, see Laos.
Pathet Lao
LeadersPrince Souphanouvong
Kaysone Phomvihane
Nouhak Phoumsavanh
Dates of operation1949/1950 – 2 December 1975
HeadquartersVientiane
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism
Left-wing nationalism
Pro-Vietnam
AlliesState allies:

Non-state allies:

OpponentsState opponents:

Non-state opponents:

Battles and warsFirst Indochina War
Vietnam War Communist insurgency in Thailand
Preceded by
Lao Issara
Succeeded by
Lao People's Army
Part of a series on the
History of Laos
Muang city-states era
Muang Sua 698–1353
Lan Xang era
Lan Xang 1353–1707
Regional kingdoms era
Kingdom of Vientiane 1707–1828
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang 1707–1893
Muang Phuan 1707–1899
Kingdom of Champasak 1713–1904
Colonial era
Lao rebellion 1826–1828
Haw wars 1865–1890
Franco-Siamese crisis 1893
French Protectorate of Laos 1893–1953
Franco-Thai War 1940–1941
Japanese puppet state 1945
Free Lao Movement (Lao Issara) 1945–1949
Independent era
Kingdom of Laos 1946–1975
Laotian Civil War 1953–1975
North Vietnamese invasion of Laos 1958–1959
Anti-Communist Insurgency 1975–2007
Lao People's Democratic Republic 1975–1991
Laos after Soviet dominance 1991–present
See also
This article contains Lao text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Lao script.

The Pathet Lao (Lao: ປະເທດລາວ, romanized: Pa thēt Lāo, lit. 'Lao Nation'[1]), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group ultimately gained control over the entire country of Laos in 1975, after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated and dependent on Vietnamese communists and North Vietnam since their foundation, with the group being established after advice from Hanoi to create a Laotian counterpart of the Viet Minh later Viet Cong. During the civil war, it was effectively organised, equipped and even led by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). They fought against the anti-communist forces in the Vietnam War. Eventually, the term became the generic name for Laotian communists. Under orders from Mao Zedong, the People's Liberation Army provided 115,000 guns, 920,000 grenades and 170 million bullets, and trained more than 700 of its military officers.[2]

  1. ^ Andrea Matles Savada, ed. (1994). "The Pathet Lao". Laos: A Country Study. GPO for the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2011. .... The basic stance of this front's propaganda was the united struggle against the French without reference to political parties or ideology. Illustrative of this stance was the use henceforth of the name Pathet Lao (Lao Nation).
  2. ^ Brazinsky, Gregg A. (2017) Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War, p. 249, The University of North Carolina Press