Furthermore in the movie ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ we see the power of The West, being America, against the East, Russia, in a power struggle of politics. The Soviets feared capitalism and U.S. feared communism. America became involved a war, not of their making and on another continent, to prevent North Vietnam from taking over the South with communism. We see American soldiers in the jungle because of their country’s main world policy of preventing the spread of communism by any means necessary. As we see the main character shows laughter through pain, we recognize this as one of America’s most tragic times. The power and will of each government outweigh the destruction seen on the ground where soldiers will be scared for life. We wonder why America would spend so much money and use their military power on a war that was not theirs and put these poor soldiers through hell. Of course, the reasons are that The United States entered the war to prevent takeover and as part of their wider strategy of containment. Within this war, we recognize the superpowers of these two countries America and Russia as they lead rival groups of countries in the world, which represent different social and economic systems. They had the money and power to do it. America at that time (and pretty much in today’s world) perceived themselves as the protectors of the globe from any threat to them.

Continuing our theme of power, the third film ‘Les Miserables’ although set after the French Revolution, for the purposes of this essay we can define a period around and after the revolution as the insurrection in France. We are still drawn into a time of change that had the power of the people and the power of the kings and nobles. We recognise a time when new ideas about the power of the people start to take hold. The influence of the Enlightenment which celebrated science and reason over faith and religion can not be overestimated.  We know that political power in France was concentrated in very few hands. Sovereignty was no longer to rest with the monarch as a Divine Right, an appointment from God but rather with the people. Popular sovereignty now rested with the people and the idea of a Nation-State was conceived. In the movie, we are moved by the general destitution of people. France had the largest population in Europe and could not feed itself adequately. The French Revolution spawned the idea that everyone should be entitled to some principal rights. The French people were oppressed. The power of the French people has been shown throughout the world where support to revolutions that assert the right to self-determination.

To conclude, we see in all the films and aspects from them as history in the making. Why does the ‘French cause’ matter now?  There are still some governments that lack the support of a majority of their people and still use the power of terrorism to control their citizens. Places like Myanmar and North Korea live under a cloud or tyranny. Burma is a poor country, but the military regime is rich enough to expand its armed forces while news from impoverished North Korea tells you about their new weapon technologies. These countries ignore the past and seem to not learn from the experience of others. It is true that the past causes the present, and so the future. Henry VIII’s break from Rome had enormous consequences on English history not only in making it possible for the transformation of England into a powerful nation but also in the seizing of economic and political power from the Church. England now enjoys a secular state. America too has changed. The Vietnam War ended American innocence. It is recognized that no foreign war can succeed without that large domestic support. America’s democratic economy is the strongest in the world. It is a light that has seen many countries push towards democracy. Communism is finished. So, history helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be. Many people have suffered because of change. Hopefully, from this, the world will learn.

.