The Vision Of Modernisation

The Vision Of Modernisation

Some intellectuals felt that Vietnamese traditions had to be strengthened to resist the domination of the west, while others felt that Vietnam had to learn from the West even while opposing foreign domination.

PHAN BOI CHAU:

Educated in the Confucian tradition, Phan Boi Chau (1867-1940) was one such nationalist. He became a or figure in the anti-colonial resistance from the time he formed the Revolutionary Society (Duy Tan Hoi) in 1903, with Prince Cuong De as the head. Phan Boi Chau met the Chinese reformer Liang Qichao (1873-1929) in Yokohama in 1905. Phan's most influential book, The History of the Loss of Vietnam was written under the strong influence and advice of Qichao. The book focuses on two connected themes, the loss of sovereignty and the severing of ties with Chinaties that bound the elites of the two countries within a shared culture. It is this double loss that Phan laments, a lament that was typical of reformers from within the traditional elite.

PHAN CHUU TRINH (1871-1926):

He was intensely hostile to the monarchy and opposed to the idea of resisting the French with the help of the court. His desire was to establish a democratic republic. Profoundly influenced by the democratic ideals of the West, he did not want a wholesale rejection of Western civilization. He accepted the French revolutionary ideal of liberty but charged the French for not abiding by the ideal. He demanded that the French set up legal and educational institutions, and develop agriculture and industries,

(a) Other Ways of Becoming Modern: Japan and China:

(i) Go East Movement: In the first decade of the twentieth century ago east movement became popular. In 1907−08 some Vietnamese nationalists students went to Japan to acquire modern education. For most of them the primary objective was to drive out the French from Vietnam, overthrow the puppet emperor and reestablish the Nguyen dynasty that had been deposed by the French. These nationalists looked for foreign arms and help. They appealed to the Japanese as fellow Asians.

(ii) Restoration Society: Most of the nationalists also wanted to establish a strong military in Vietnam On the lines of Japan which had defeated Russia in 1907. Vietnamese students established a branch of the Restoration Society in Tokyo but after 1908, the Japanese Ministry of interior clamped dawn on them. Many nationalists including Phan Boi Chau were deported and forced to seek exile in China and Thailand.

(iii) Chinese Revolution a source of inspiration: The Vietnamese nationalists were also inspired by the revolutionary movement which occurred in China. In 1911, the long established monarchy in China was overthrown by a popular movement under Sun Yat-Sen and a Republic was set up. Inspired by these developments, Vietnamese students organized the Association for the Restoration of Vietnam (Viet-Nam Quan Phuc Hoi).

The Communist Movement and Vietnamese Nationalism The Great Depression of the 1930s had a profound impact on Vietnam. The prices of rubber and rice fell, leading to rising rural debts, unemployment and rural uprisings, such as in the provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. These provinces were among the poorest, had an old radical tradition, and have been called the ‘electrical fuses’ of Vietnam – when the system was under pressure they were the first to blow. The French put these uprisings down with great severity, even using planes to bomb demonstrators. 

In February 1930, Ho Chi Minh brought together competing nationalist groups to establish the Vietnamese Communist (Vietnam Cong San Dang) Party, later renamed the Indo­Chinese Communist Party. He was inspired by the militant demonstrations of the European communist parties. In 1940 Japan occupied Vietnam, as part of its imperial drive to control Southeast Asia. So nationalists now had to fight against the Japanese as well as the French. The League for the Independence of Vietnam (Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh), which came to be known as the Vietminh, fought the Japanese occupation and recaptured Hanoi in September 1945. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was formed and Ho Chi Minh became Chairman.Finish Line & Beyond Partition of Vietnam.

The new republic faced a number of challenges. The French tried to regain control by using the emperor, Bao Dai, as their puppet. Faced with the French offensive, the Vietminh were forced to retreat to the hills. After eight years of fighting, the French were defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. The Supreme French Commander of the French armies, General Henry Navarre had declared confidently in 1953 that they would soon be victorious. But on 7 May 1954, the Vietminh annihilated and captured more than 16,000 soldiers of the French Expeditionary Corps. The entire commanding staff, including a general, 16 colonels and 1,749 officers, were taken prisoner. In the peace negotiations in Geneva that followed the French defeat, the Vietnamese were persuaded to accept the division of the country. North and south were split: Ho Chi Minh and the communists took power in the north while Bao Dai’s regime was put in power in the south. 

This division set in motion a series of events that turned Vietnam into a battlefield bringing death and destruction to its people as well as the environment. The Bao Dai regime was soon overthrown by a coup led by Ngo Dinh Diem. 

Diem built a repressive and authoritarian government. Anyone who opposed him was called a communist and was jailed and killed. Diem retained Ordinance 10, a French law that permitted Christianity but outlawed Buddhism. His dictatorial rule came to be opposed by a broad opposition united under the banner of the National Liberation Front (NLF). With the help of the Ho Chi Minh government in the north, the NLF Fought for the unification of the country.

THE ENTRY OF THE US INTO THE WAR:

Causes of the US Involvement in the War in Vietnam: The Vietnamese had to fight long struggle first against France, then against Japan and lastly against USA. Following were some of the causes for the involvement of US in Vietnam:

(i) Spread of Communism: US regarded the spread of Communism a great danger to the capitalist countries. US were ready to fight against Communism in any part of the world. So when Communism showed its head in Vietnam, she at once came forward to check it.

(ii) To support France: France faced a humiliating defeat in Vietnam. Being the champion of the capitalist countries, US wanted to crush Vietnam at all costs to save the prestige of the capitalist countries, especially France which was an ally of US in the Second World War.

(iii) Against Unification: USA was against the unification of Vietnam. The Geneva Conference had divided Vietnam into two parts: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. When the Ho Chi Minh government in North Vietnam and National Liberation Front in South Vietnam tried to unify the two parts, in violation of the Geneva Conference, US could not tolerate this. Hence, she decided to intervene in Vietnam. Within no time, she sent a large number of US soldiers with latest war equipment. This war dragged on for many years (1965-1972).

THE BRUTALITIES COMMITTED BY US IN VIETNAM:

This phase of struggle with the US was brutal. Thousands of US troops arrived equipped with heavy weapons and tanks and backed by the most powerful bombers of the time - B52s. The widespread attacks and use of chemical weapons - Napalm, Agent Orange, and phosphorous bombs - destroyed many villages and decimated jungles. Civilians died in large numbers.

Effects of US Involvement on Life with in US itself:

America had to suffer a huge loss of men and money though she caused great destruction in North Vietnam through bombardment. America lost about 75,000 soldiers in the war by 1975 A.D. It evoked strong reaction in America. Various countries of the world strongly criticized the American intervention in the internal affairs of Vietnam. As a result, America was compelled to start the withdrawal of her troops in April 1975. Saigon also surrendered after the withdrawal of American troops. In this way, the United Vietnam came into existence on April 30, 1975 A.D.