Foreign History of Vietnam
Vietnamese history was dominated by foreign involvement, and Vietnam’s involvement in the Cold War was no different. Only colonised by other nations, the Vietnamese continued to fight powers for their own freedom and independence - which ultimately led to communism taking roots within their country. Originally colonised by the French in the 19th century, and once again during World War II, when the French fell to the power of the Japanese, Vietnam had always been foreign property. It was clear from the beginning, the Vietnam felt that they needed a leader who would guide them toward the freedom from foreign rule and independence they desired, and Ho Chi Minh, who had strong communist and nationalist beliefs, became a pinnacle of hope for the people of Vietnam. This is shown in a statement by Ho Chi Minh the President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1954, “All subject peoples are filled with hope by the prospect that an era of right and justice is opening for them... in the struggle of civilisation against barbarism.. if you force us into war, we will fight. The struggle will be atrocious, but the vietnamese people will suffer anything rather than renounce their freedom...” (Ho Chi Minh; cited in; Seidman B, 2006)
Interested in the history of of pre-Vietnam War? Read more about French colonisation here!
Watch the French Origins in the Vietnam War below!
For some further reading, check out this website here, for images and great information!
Not only did he offer them a solution to their problems, but a future of communism that proved a sense of independence and nationalistic freedom. By creating the Viet Minh (the League for Independence of Vietnam) it showed that Ho was willing to take foreign invasion seriously, and was inspired by the communist power that he had seen in other countries to improve his own. This is shown by The History Channel, a renowned American historical website and national TV channel, which stated, “Inspired by Chinese and Soviet communism, Ho Chi Minh formed the Viet Minh, or the League for Independence of Vietnam, to fight both Japan and the French colonial administration.” (History Channel, 2013).
Click here to find out more about the Viet Minh!
When the Japanese left Bao Dai, a French educated emperor in charge of the entirety of Vietnam in 1945, popularity continued to rise for Ho’s movement, and spurred by this support, the Viet Minh rose up and seized control of a city found in the North of Vietnam - Hanoi, which they declared as DRV property (The Democratic Republic of Vietnam) with Ho as president. France were not willing to give up on Vietnam without a fight, yet the power of strong nationalistic beliefs, and the hope of a foreign free future was incentive enough for the people of Vietnam, and with the support of the Viet Minh continued fighting until the French defeat at the decisive battle at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
"The Peace Settlement, know as the Geneva Accords, divided the country; the north under the communist Ho Chi Minh, and the South under President Ngo Dinh Diem....”
As neither country were willing to give - (the French wanted to keep their dominating presence in Vietnam, and the Vietnamese people wanted freedom under Ho Chi Minh) the Geneva Accords were created, which stated that until stability in Vietnam could be created, Vietnam would be split at the 17th parallel. The peace settlement is shown by degree qualified historians and academics, Jennifer Llewellyn, Jim Southey and Steve Thompson who all agree that, “The Peace Settlement, know as the Geneva Accords, divided the country; the north under the communist Ho Chi Minh, and the South under President Ngo Dinh Diem...” (Llewellyn, et al., 2013) This is supported by the Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference, found on the Fordham Website, by Paul Halsall, a Ph.D holder in history and university scholar. The documents state that, “The conference recognises... Vietnam is to settle military questions with a view to ending hostilities and that the military demarkation line should not... be interpreted as constituting a political or territorial boundary The conference... expresses agreement on the cessation of hostilities.” (Halsall, 1998). These accords stated that in order to decide who would become the leader of Vietnam, fair and just elections would need to be taken, though most Vietnamese would clearly be voting for Ho Chi Minh, who supported the people through his beliefs of freedom. This raised concerns in America, due to the rising levels of spreading communism.
The Goals of the Geneva Conference
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Sources
BBC News, 2013. Vietnam War: History. [Online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/05/vietnam_war/html/introduction.stm
[Accessed 30 October 2013].
Dell, D. J., 1980. The Row of Dominoes. [Online] Available at: http://www.vietnamwar.net/Eisenhower-2.htm [Accessed 31 October 2013].
Department of Veterans' Affairs, 2013. The Vietnam War. [Online] Available at: http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/vietnam-war/background.php [Accessed 29 October 2013].
Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security, 2013. Vietnam War. [Online] Available at: http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Ul-Vo/Vietnam-War.html [Accessed 24 October 2013].
Halsall, P., 2011. Modern History Sourcebook: The Tonkin Bay Resolution, 1964.[Online] Available at: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1964Tonkinbay.asp [Accessed 2 November 2013].
Herring, G. C., 2004. Oxford Juornals Organisation of American Historians. OAH Magazine, 18(5), pp. 18-21.
History Channel, 2013. Domino Theory. [Online] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/domino-theory [Accessed 31 October 2013].
History Channel, 2013. Vietnam War. [Online] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war [Accessed 23 October 2013].
Llewellyn, J., Southey, J. & Rae, J., 2013. Conflict in Vietnam. [Online] Available at: http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/ [Accessed 30 October 2013].
Seidman, B., 2006. The Significance of Dien Bien Phu. Social Science Docket, 6, pp. 55.
Simkin, J., 2013. Domino Theory. [Online] Available at: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDdomino.htm [Accessed 31 October 2013].
Dell, D. J., 1980. The Row of Dominoes. [Online] Available at: http://www.vietnamwar.net/Eisenhower-2.htm [Accessed 31 October 2013].
Department of Veterans' Affairs, 2013. The Vietnam War. [Online] Available at: http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/vietnam-war/background.php [Accessed 29 October 2013].
Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security, 2013. Vietnam War. [Online] Available at: http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Ul-Vo/Vietnam-War.html [Accessed 24 October 2013].
Halsall, P., 2011. Modern History Sourcebook: The Tonkin Bay Resolution, 1964.[Online] Available at: http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1964Tonkinbay.asp [Accessed 2 November 2013].
Herring, G. C., 2004. Oxford Juornals Organisation of American Historians. OAH Magazine, 18(5), pp. 18-21.
History Channel, 2013. Domino Theory. [Online] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/domino-theory [Accessed 31 October 2013].
History Channel, 2013. Vietnam War. [Online] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war [Accessed 23 October 2013].
Llewellyn, J., Southey, J. & Rae, J., 2013. Conflict in Vietnam. [Online] Available at: http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/ [Accessed 30 October 2013].
Seidman, B., 2006. The Significance of Dien Bien Phu. Social Science Docket, 6, pp. 55.
Simkin, J., 2013. Domino Theory. [Online] Available at: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDdomino.htm [Accessed 31 October 2013].