5.3.1

French Rule in Vietnam

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The End of French Rule in Vietnam

The French had colonised Vietnam in the 19th Century, but during WW2, it had been taken over by Japan. In 1945, France wanted to reclaim Vietnam as a French colony.

Imperial France

Imperial France

  • France had controlled Vietnam before WW2, but during the war it had been taken over by Japan and in 1945 France wanted Vietnam back.
  • However, French rule was opposed by the nationalist group, the Viet Minh (set up by Ho Chi Minh) who wanted Vietnamese independence.
  • The Viet Minh were strongest in the Northern part of Vietnam.
Fear of communism

Fear of communism

  • In 1949 China became communist, and the USA was scared communism would spread into Vietnam as China sent military supplies to the Viet Minh.
    • In response, the USA sent the French military supplies and advisors.
    • They were paying about 80% of France’s military costs by 1954.
French defeat

French defeat

  • In the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the French were surrounded and defeated by the Viet Minh after 55 days of fighting and left Vietnam.
  • The USA didn’t help because they didn’t want to get involved in another large scale war after WW2 and had spent a lot of money on a recent war in Korea.
Reasons the French lost

Reasons the French lost

  • The Viet Minh knew the area well and used it to their advantage to surprise the French.
  • China supported the Viet Minh with troops and supplies.
  • Local villagers helped the Viet Minh by moving supplies and spying on the French army.
Reasons the French lost cont.

Reasons the French lost cont.

  • The Viet Minh were committed and worked round the clock to defeat the French.
  • The French underestimated the Viet Minh, and the French troops did not care about France having control of Vietnam.

The Geneva Accords

The Geneva Accords on 21st July 1954 were attended by nine countries. They agreed the following.

The agreements:

The agreements:

  • Vietnam was temporarily split in two along the 17th parallel, with a demilitarised zone in the middle.
  • Elections would be held in 1956 to decide who would rule the whole of Vietnam, but no clear system was agreed.
  • No foreign military forces could set up military bases anywhere in Vietnam.
The agreements cont.:

The agreements cont.:

  • Ho Chi Minh would control a small area of the North.
  • Bao Dai would run the South, but was soon replaced by Ngo Dinh Diem- a strong anti-communist.
  • Nobody could move into the other half of the country for 300 days.
Responses to that Accords

Responses to that Accords

  • The USA and the South Vietnamese refused to agree to the demands.
  • The North was forced to accept the demands by their ally China, although they felt that they had been given a smaller area than the one they had controlled in 1945.
Jump to other topics
1

Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair?

1.1

What were the Motives and Aims at Versailles?

1.1.1The Treaty of Versailles1.1.2Roles of Wilson, Clemenceau & George
1.2

Did the Victors Get Everything They Wanted?

1.2.1The Terms: Territory1.2.2The Terms: Reparations1.2.3The Terms: Armaments1.2.4The Terms: War Guilt1.2.5The League of Nations1.2.6French Reaction1.2.7American Reaction1.2.8British Reaction1.2.9Countries Left Out of the Treaty of Versailles
1.3

What was the Impact on Germany up to 1923?

1.3.1German Reaction to the Treaty1.3.2Germany’s Allies1.3.3Economic Impacts: Ruhr & Hyperinflation1.3.4Social Impacts of the Treaty in Germany1.3.5Political Impacts of the Treaty on Germany1.3.6Reducing Reparation: The Dawes Plan
1.4

Could the Treaty be Justified at the Time?

1.4.1Positives & Negatives1.4.2Contemporary Opinions About the Treaty
2

Was the League of Nations a Success?

2.1

How did Weaknesses in the League Lead to Failure?

2.1.1The League of Nations2.1.2Structure of the League: Assembly & Council2.1.3Structure of the League: Special Commissions2.1.4Structure of the League: Permanent Court2.1.5Structure of the League: Secretariat2.1.6Financial Crisis in the World
2.2

The League’s Success in Peacekeeping

2.2.1Successes: International Borders2.2.2Successes: International Agreements2.2.3Failures: Vilna (1920)2.2.4Åland Islands 1920-212.2.5Failures: Corfu 19232.2.6Failures: Bulgaria 1925
2.3

How Important was the League's Humanitarian Work?

2.3.1Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 12.3.2Refugees, Health, Slavery, Working Conditions 2
2.4

How did the Depression Impact the League?

2.4.1The Great Depression, 19292.4.2The Manchurian Crisis, 19312.4.3Invasion of Abyssinia, 1935
3

How did Hitler's Foreign Policy Impact the War?

3.1

What were the Long-Term Consequences of Versailles

3.1.1Long-Term Consequences of Versailles
3.2

What were the Consequences of the League's Failure

3.2.1The Disarmament Conference3.2.2Collapse of the League of Nations3.2.3Tension in Europe in the 1930s3.2.4WWII & Failure of the League of Nations3.2.5Weak Nations
3.3

Was the Policy of Appeasement Justified?

3.3.1The Spanish Civil War, 1936-393.3.2The Sudetenland3.3.3Arguments for Appeasement3.3.4Arguments Against Appeasement3.3.5Reasons & Acts of Appeasement3.3.6Impact of Appeasement
3.4

How Important was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

3.4.1The Nazi-Soviet Pact3.4.2The Polish Crisis & the Outbreak of War
3.5

Why did Britain & France Declare War on Germany?

3.5.1The Guarantee for Poland and the War3.5.2Hitler’s Foreign Policy & Rearmament3.5.3Hitler's Plan3.5.4The Saar3.5.5Remilitarisation of the Rhineland3.5.6The Rome-Berlin Axis3.5.7Germany & Italy in the Spanish War3.5.8The Anti-Comintern Pact3.5.9Anschluss with Austria3.5.10The Munich Agreement3.5.11The Crisis over Czechoslovakia
4

Who was to Blame for the Cold War?

4.1

Why did the US-Soviet Alliance Break Down?

4.1.1Cold War - Definition4.1.2The Grand Alliance4.1.3The 1945 Summit Conferences4.1.4Early US-Soviet Relations4.1.5The Breakdown of the US-Soviet Alliance4.1.6Attitudes of Truman & Stalin4.1.7US & Soviet Attitudes to Peace
4.2

How did the USSR Gain Control of Eastern Europe?

4.2.1The USSR & Eastern Europe
4.3

How did the US React to Soviet Expansionism?

4.3.1The Beginning of the Cold War4.3.2The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan4.3.3East-West Boundaries4.3.4Berlin Crisis
4.4

What were the Consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

4.4.1Germany4.4.2Bizonia4.4.3Berlin Blockade4.4.4FRG & GDR4.4.5NATO4.4.6Warsaw Pact
4.5

Who was More to Blame for Starting the Cold War?

4.5.1The Responsibility for Cold War Tensions4.5.2Blame on the USRR4.5.3Blame on the US4.5.4Sharing the Blame
5

Did the US Contain the Spread of Communism?

5.1

The US and Korea, 1950-53

5.1.1The US and Korea: Background to the Crisis5.1.2The Korean War5.1.3The Course of the Korean War
5.2

The US and Cuba, 1959-62

5.2.1Build-Up to the Cuban Missile Crisis5.2.2The Cuban Missile Crisis5.2.3Consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis
5.3

The US and Vietnam, 1955-75

5.3.1French Rule in Vietnam5.3.2President Eisenhower5.3.3President Kennedy5.3.4The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 19645.3.5US Tactics5.3.6Vietcong Tactics5.3.7The Vietcong5.3.8The My Lai Massacre, 19685.3.9Vietnamisation5.3.10The Tet Offensive, 19685.3.11Attacks on Cambodia & Laos5.3.12The Bombing of North Vietnam5.3.13The Failure of Vietnamisation5.3.14The Growth of Opposition5.3.15The Draft System5.3.16The Kent State University Shootings, 19705.3.17Political Opposition5.3.18Reasons for Support 15.3.19Reasons for Support 25.3.20Political Support5.3.21Peace Negotiations5.3.22The Paris Peace Accords, 19735.3.23Economic & Human Costs 15.3.24Economic & Human Costs 25.3.25The Strengths of North Vietnam 15.3.26The Strengths of North Vietnam 25.3.27The Weaknesses of the US 15.3.28The Weaknesses of the US 25.3.29Opposition in the US5.3.30Reasons Why USA Lost
6

How was USSR's Control Over Eastern Europe?

6.1

Opposition to Control in Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.1.1Causes of Opposition6.1.2The Hungarian Uprising6.1.3Czechoslovakia, 19686.1.4Reaction to the Brezhnev Doctrine
6.2

Similarities Between Hungary & Czechoslovakia

6.2.1Hungary and Czechoslovakia 16.2.2Hungary & Czechoslovakia 2
6.3

Why was the Berlin Wall Built?

6.3.1The Berlin Wall 16.3.2The Berlin Wall 26.3.3The U2 Crisis
6.4

Solidarity in Poland & Soviet Influence

6.4.1Solidarity in Poland
6.5

Gorbachev's Responsibility

6.5.1Reagan & Gorbachev6.5.2Reagan and the ‘Second Cold War’6.5.3The Collapse of Soviet Control6.5.4The Collapse of the USSR

Practice questions on French Rule in Vietnam

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    The Viet Minh:True / false
  2. 2
    Which battle in 1954 caused France to leave Vietnam after being defeated by the Viet Minh?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    How many countries attended the Geneva Accords on 21st July 1954?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    How many days did the Geneva Accords order no one to move into the other half of Vietnam? (i.e. stay in the North or the South)Multiple choice
  5. 5
    Who refused to accept the Geneva Accords?Multiple choice
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Consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis

President Eisenhower