History 1810E
The Vietnam War
Monday March 3
Lecture 15
Outline:
I. International challenges to state-building
II. International challenges to independence
III. Consolidation of power in the North
IV. The Path to War
The August Revolution
• September 2, 1945
• These are the circumstances that brought Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh to
power
• Ho Chi Minh established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
• Declaring independence was quite easy – the problems were only beginning with
the turnover of power from the Japanese to the Vietnamese
• 2 big international challenges:
1. State-building
2. Independence
International Challenges to State-Building
• During WWII, the Vietminh emphasized the national question in all of their
policies
o They wanted to assert their independence and get rid of the French and
Japanese
o Social revolution took a backseat during the Second World War
• After the war, within the government a debate arose about whether to proceed
cautiously (moderate reform, maintain their coalition and support of non-
communist elements, gradually change the Vietnamese social makeup), or to
proceed quickly (act now, radical transformation of Vietnam’s social order)
• There were all sorts of political views in Vietnam and beyond the Communists,
there was debate over how Vietnam should move forward after achieving
independence from the French
• Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh had considerable prestige after helping alleviate
the famine and help with the Japanese (but they didn’t have authority)
o The Vietminh had base areas in the northern areas of Vietnam, but they
only moved into the cities in the fall (August and September of 1945) and
didn’t have a lot of support there
• The Montagnards (hill tribes) posed a challenge to the Vietminh
o When the French were in control, they gave the Montagnards autonomy
(left them alone) and they didn’t want to surrender their autonomy to the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
• August Revolution in Saigon o There were many groups claiming authority in the south of Vietnam (the
DemocratithRepublic of Vietnam was not the majority)
o In the 15 century, the Vietnamese started moving south into southern
Vietnam, colonizing territory (taking over territory much like what the
Americans did going westward in the 19 century)
o It was only in the early part of the 19 century that southern Vietnam
became part of the country
o The people in southern Vietnam were more individualistic and spread out
(the north was overpopulated and had tight-knit communities)
o The southern people were more independent in their thinking (many
voices and political division regarding how Vietnam should move on)
o There were 2 main religious groups:
The Cao Dai (a religious group)
• Drew on Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism
The Hoa Hao
These two groups had their own identities and didn’t have
allegiance to the Communists
o Cochinchina was tied to the local economy
There were Vietnamese elite who benefitted from the French
imperial presence
While the Communists wanted to redistribute the wealth, that
wouldn’t be beneficial for the elites
o The leader of the Vietminh was not a member of the Communist party –
the Communists had a strong voice, but they weren’t a dominant force in
the south
o Politically and economically, southern Vietnam was fractured
The French didn’t do anything to help the economy – they exploited
Vietnam
The rice and rubber (two main agrarian sectors) were geared
towards exportation (the money wasn’t going into Vietnam)
The taxes went to maintaining the Colonial apparatus (prisons, not
helping the economy)
They were affected by the Second World War (the rice and rubber
went to fuel the Japanese war machines)
By the time of independence, there was fear that another famine
could occur given the state of the economy
International Challenges to Independence
• After WWII, the French immediately wanted to reclaim their territory. Why?
1) They wanted to restore their power status after the humiliation of WWII
The French had surrendered to the Nazis
It was the third time since 1871 that a German power invaded
France
2) France was devastated after WWII
Their economy was shattered and they had to rebuild In order to rebuild, the French government felt they needed raw
materials, resources, and a protected market to sell these materials
(colonies like Indochina and North Africa offered this opportunity)
3) There was an obligation to the French Colonial
Indochina was considered French soil, and they didn’t want to
surrender it
They wouldn’t abandon the French Colonial living in Cochinchina
• The problem was that at the end of WWII, the French weren’t in a position to
reclaim their territory themselves.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
o The United States was emerging
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