Vietnam Colonial Period: 1883WWII, 19461954

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Vietnam Colonial Period 1883-WWII, 1946-1954
2
French Conquest

• 1883- French consolidate rule
• 1887- Laos and Cambodia brought into Indochina
• Map shows size of French Indochina in 1900

3
Colonial Rule

• 40,000 French troops and merchants and
  administrators in VN
• Many revolts- local elections abolished
• 1911- Vietnamese government in exile formed in
  China
• 1918-1919- Ho Chi Minh attended Versailes Peace
  Conference helps found French Communist Party

4
Ho Chi Minh

• Nguyen Tat Thanh
• 1930- Moscow-trained revolutionary established
  the Indochinese Communist Party
• One of the most important communist leaders of
  the 20th c.

5
Colonial Rule and Resistance

• 1920s- Attempts at reform, independence groups
  form
• Nationalist Party formed
• 1930s- NP led independence revolt that was
  eventually crushed
• 1930- Indochina Communist Party formed (Ho, Giap
  etc.), ICP driven underground

6
Colonial Rule and Resistance in WWII

• 1940- Japan invades Indochina (mainly VN)
• Viet Minh formed- fought simultaneously against
  Japan and the French
• December 1941- Japan invades all of southern Asia
  and the Philippines
• 2 million Vietnamese died in WWII

7
The Drive for Independence

• 1943- attempt to cooperate with French U.S.-OSS
  aids (Office of Strategic Services
• August 1945- Japan surrenders
• Viet Minh congress meets

• Cedes independence to Laos and Cambodia and
  invites them into federation of Indochina
• September 2- Declaration of Independence from
  France