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=French Imperialism in Vietnam!= French Imperialism in Vietnam really seemed to benefit nobody in the grand scheme of things other than the private French companies who were able to capitalize on the colonies it withheld. In this wiki, we will show you the reasons of French Imperialism in Vietnam, the attitudes that supported it, key figures, Imperialism in the modern world, and the consequences of French Imperialism in Vietnam.

Before the French invaded, Vietnam was an agricultural society that valued hard work, loyalty, and above all, family. French imperialistic forces were in Vietnam from the 1860s to 1954 in order to establish their own sense of colonialism, and exploit the country for its raw materials and cheap labour in order to gain profit. Vietnam at the time was being led by Ho Chi Minh, a popular nationalist and communist, who, along with the people of Vietnam, was not willing to surrender to the hardships and exploitation the French colonialists had forced upon them.
 * Vietnam During the 1800’s**

Ho Chi Minh was the prime minister and president of Vietnam during its French colonialism who led the Vietnamese independence movement starting in 1941. He was a very nationalistic and communist leader, who encouraged the people of Vietnam to resist the rule of the French. He was very inspiring and popular amongst his country for his views of freedom. Ho Chi Minh led many local surprise military raids against the French, as he was determined to achieve his goal of national independence he had been trying to obtain for over 25 years. Finally, after many small attacks, Ho Chi Minh created the League of the Independence of Vietnam, (also known as the Vietminh) which became the main fighting force.
 * Ho Chi Minh**

Ho Chi Minh - http://galizacig.org/imxact/2005/05/ho_chi_minh590.jpg

As time passed by, more and more countries felt obligated to pick sides. China and the USSR showed their support for Vietnam, while the USA supported France, as a way to contain the spread of communism in South East Asia. Although the French occupied Vietnam for nearly a century, the main battle went on from 1946 to 1954. It was the the French-Viet Minh War, also known as the 1st Vietnam War. The war ended in 1954 when French forces were surrounded by the League at Dien Bien Phu, and were forced to surrender.
 * Dien Bien Phu and International Response**

French Forces gearing up for the battle at Dien Bien Phu - http://calitreview.com/images/dien_bien_phu.jpg

Once under the French rule, the people of Vietnam felt exploited, annoyed, and powerless. Although there was new agriculture and industry brought to their country, they were dealing with press censorship, taxation, and forced hard labour. Most were extremely opposed to being a colony of France, and many citizens showed their hostility with public protests. In 1926, when a highly respected anti-French nationalist died, a Vietnamese newspaper editor praised him in an article and was arrested by French forces. This led to students speaking out by striking, and soon bank and postal employees joined in. The French punished them by arresting several hundred students and expelled them from their colleges/universities. The French were trying to show the Vietnamese that they would not stand any uprisings against their imperialism, and that they were there to stay. However, the Vietnamese did not give up easily, and many joined the League for the Independence of Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh (see above.)
 * Local Response to Imperialism**

Although France had been in Vietnam from the 1860s to 1954, there weren’t obvious effects on the country, apart from architecture, the railway, and baguettes. The most obvious impact by the French was the fact that they had basically stripped Vietnam of its natural resources. It would be expected that there would be hostility from the Vietnamese directed at the French, but there were no negative feelings towards the French-named cities, towns, streets, and municipal buildings. They did rename them, and removed French statues and monuments, but didn’t burn or destroy any public buildings, chateaus, etc. In fact, many are still standing today, and are used as tourist attractions. Sources: [] http://www.haivenu-vietnam.com/vietnam-history-colonialism.htm
 * After the French**


 * What attitudes supported French Imperialism?**

The French ruled in Vietnam from the mid-19th century to 1954. The Vietnamese people saw the French as colonial tyrants. There were a number of Vietnamese revolts, but the French were able to pacify them. The United States supported France in Vietnam, based mainly on France's startegy of stopping revolution in Asia, especially China. By 1954 The States were paying for 80% of the French war costs.

Today Imperialism is a lot different. There isn’t much of it that you will see, the French had put lots of power into being one to claim Vietnam. If you compare that to the U.S now, its completely different. The USA does not think much of territorial control like they did back in the 1900s. Now the USA focuses more on Imperialism by relying on local surrogates and economic compulsion. The Dominant view of Imperialism today is that it does not exist. Now a regular student is able to go into another country and attend a university there. The way Imperialism would be defined today, would be if there was a settle agreement on the landowner to give the land to the country that is asking for it. However, there are still some examples of Imperialism today. For example, one could argue that a main reason US went into Iraq was to exploit their oil resources, which would be a more mild version of imperialism today. Oil Field in Iraq - http://z.about.com/d/uspolitics/1/0/Q/G/iraq_oil_fields_2681516.jpg
 * Imperialism Today**


 * Consequences of French imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century**

As the French entered Vietnam to begin their reign of imperialism, they were probably expecting some setbacks in the process. Little did they know of the long-term outcomes of their actions. Not only did their imperialism reign in Vietnam destroy the Vietnamese nation, it completely violated many humans rights codes, took away the national identity of the Vietnamese, started a war in Vietnam, and all the while became a hassle for the French.

Although French imperialism allowed France to capitalize on the resources of the African people, such as taking over their agricultural land, the French commercial operations were only benefiting the private French companies. The revenue the French colonies were generating were not paying the cost of administration and upkeep. So, in turn, the average French taxpayer ended up paying more taxes to support these colonies. ([])

http://reviewer.today.com/files/2008/06/taxes_1.jpg

The French also were strong believers in assimilation. They believed that the color of one’s skin should not matter as long as they are Frenchmen. The people of France should all be one. However, by trying to enforce these rules they did not think of the possibilities that these colonies may lead in a different direction in the future than what the French had laid out for them. By relaxing and letting up a bit on authority, it gave the colonies room little by little to become more and more independent and pave their own futures. They invented a new colonial system of education, which were created by the French, but were very different than the teachings in metropolitan France. The French were becoming too close to the natives of the colonies, thus allowing those natives to begin disputes over the way the government was being run. ([])

Under French rule, Vietnam’s illiteracy skyrocketed by 80 percent, meaning long-term there were many more uneducated people in Vietnam than before imperialism. Half the peasants living in Vietnam had no land and the others could only maintained tiny lots. Many people in Vietnam died under working conditions and were not given proper burials. ([])

http://images-0.redbubble.net/img/art/size:large/view:main/14961-37-manual-labour.jpg

As the French entered Vietnam, a French-Vietnamese class was developed. These people believed they were much superior to the other natives of the regions. Mineral productions were increased, but the industry and hydroelectric powers remained undeveloped under French rule. The Viets had less civil liberties and economic opportunities, although it was in their own land, unlike Laos and Cambodia. Vietnamese government was actually only an image, as it was under French power. The French could do whatever they want without consulting any courts. They had absolute power over the Viets. French law overpowered Vietnamese law, and the French began to collect taxes, control politics, and the economy and justice systems. Confucianism was rejected after the Monarchy fell. The loss of the Vietnamese monarchy meant the rejection of their national identity. There was extreme poverty and an unbalanced social structure. The Vietnamese were also prohibited to travel outside their colonies without identity papers. All of these factors took away the civil rights of the Vietnamese living under French Rule. ([])

The nationalist groups that were formed to start a guerilla war against the French in Vietnam were not only a huge source of bloodshed, but they also prompted the US to get involved. Because of this, Diem was able to sneak into power and begin his reign of terror on Southern Vietnam. The reason he was able to do so was because the US at the time believed in pro-American rulers and allowed him to take office, rather than allowing Vietnam to hold a fair election. Although, when Diem was put in power, he wasn’t the puppet America exactly expected him to be. He ended up rejecting a lot of America’s suggestions, and although they tried to overthrow him, eventually they decided America had no choice but to support him. In October of 1955, South Vietnamese people had a choice of having Bo Dai (The former emperor of Vietnam) or Diem for the leadership of the country. When they went to vote, Diem’s agents were waiting there telling people to dispose of Bo Dai’s ballots. Those who refused were tracked down and beaten by Diem’s agents.

Diem and Eisenhower - http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/ViewingAmerica/roundtables/roundtable8/images/diem.jpg

Diem refused the general Vietnamese election of 1956 and started imprisoning his opponents. In total, over 100,000 people were put in prison camps, and even children were not excluded. So, in 1959, 1,200 of Diem’s government officials were murdered. In 1963, the monks of Vietnam had decided to celebrate the 2527th birthday of Buddha, but the celebrations were broken apart by Diem’s police. Diem was not very religiously tolerant, as he was a catholic and usually only promoted Catholic’s to important roles. So some monks volunteered to publically sacrifice their lives in an attempt to gain compassion from Diem’s government, but as they went down, a government official of Diem’s was quoted as saying “Let them burn, and we shall clap our hands”. As a result of this, the US, who had previously had the CIA protecting Diem, decided to no longer protect him, and in November of 1963, Diem was overthrown by a Military coup and assassinated. ([])

It also separated the nation, as to this day the effects of civil war and anarchy are felt in Vietnam. As the French decided to fight for Indo-china, they severed a lot of their ties with other European countries and tension rose amongst the high powers who were also looking to take over Indo-china (which was another word for Vietnam). This created fear and insecurity in the French nation and many people wanted out of Vietnam before the nation had to pay the price for their actions.

So, in conclusion, French Imperialism in Vietnam separated a nation and reaped Vietnam of it's national identities. Many Vietnamese people were exploited and not given fair civil rights and were treated in ways that in the modern world today would call for much panic.