HIST 115 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: French Indochina, Secret Ballot
Document Summary
Twenty years later the french resumed their national expansion, the french occupied the red river valley under the pretext of protecting the interests of the. French merchant traders operating in hanoi, and in 1884 compelled the. Vietnamese emperor to recognize a french protectorate over the rest of the country. Within ten years they incorporated the tiny kingdom of laos with the whole country united into a single administrative unit called the. Indochinese union, headed by a french governor-general appointed from. The french justified their invasion of indochina on the grounds that they had a. "civilizing duty" in the region, a french version of the popular "white man"s. Burden" used by the british poet rudyard kipling to characterize the obligation of the english-speaking nations to bring civilization to the "backward" communities of asia. Like all western countries, the french had come mainly for political dominance and economic benefit to the north.
