French Imperialism In Vietnam

First, communication – the French influence is readily observable in the Vietnamese communication patterns and use of language (Lewis, R. D.). “Facial expression is much more evident than in [other countries], and some body languages reminiscent of the French is to be seen. Emotional factors can be used in argument. Good education and a high rate of literacy lends people confidence in communication. The literary tradition is strong particularly in poetry (Lewis, R. D.).” Next, behavior at meetings and negotiations – “in essence the style is a combination of French rationality and Vietnamese tenacity. Though basically courteous, negotiations are cautious and give little away. Bureaucracy is, however, still tortuous and corrupt, according to most standards (Lewis, R. D.).” Third, the French introduced many materialistic things such as “Western values of individual freedom and sexual quality, which undermined the traditional Vietnamese social system. In urban areas, Western patterns of social behavior became increasingly common, especially among educated and wealthy Vietnamese attended French schools, read French books, replaced traditional attire with Western-style clothing, and drank French wines instead of the traditional wine distilled from rice. Adolescents began to resist the tradition of arranged marriages, and women chafed under social mores that demanded obedience

The French were highly involved with Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) due to the abundant harvesting riches that were favorable with their own economy. Historically, Vietnam first established the communist party through the influence of China after their conversion into a Communist country in 1949. Ho Chi Min, a nationalist leader, had

Peasants were living in poverty caused by high rent payment, high taxes and debt to moneylenders. The building of canals, roads, railway lines and port facilities as well as the administration of Indochina were funded by heavy labour of the Vietnamese resources and working-class peasants.

The French colonization of Vietnam was the long term cause of the 1945 Declaration of Independence because it challenged Vietnamese freedom, violating their national pride and depriving them of a cultural and national identity. France colonized Vietnam for a variety of reasons, while there were extensive economic opportunities; control over Vietnam established them and a major colonizing power in Southeast Asia. Vietnam had a wealth of natural resources that

Mining companies used them to ship raw materials to factories over long distances quickly. Manufactures distributed their finished product by rail to points throughout the country. The rails became highly profitable businesses for their owners. (www.theusaonline.com)

This quote I found from an online article explains what kids went through during this harsh time. It almost sounds like they were slaves by how low they were getting paid. Most of us have never even heard of kids working late at nights doing jobs that today no one can possibly do because they have been replaced with machines from the dangers they carry. Children worked some of the most dangerous factory jobs that existed and they didn’t by choice. They had no choice but to work because either their family was poor or they were orphans.

France’s colonialism had many impacts on Vietnam’s culture and tradition, such as the languages and beliefs. France affected Vietnam’s language by adding the French language, and that benefited them by improving the

For centuries Vietnam had been under Chinese rule. The Vietnamese people were an oppressed society and were exploited by the Chinese. Forced labour was brought upon the Vietnamese people, and there were many tyrannical Chinese governers along with constant demands of tribute for the Chinese rulers. There had been many revolts by

To a degree, the French did bring some commercial and economic activity to Vietnam in the form of rubber and agricultural production and developed architecture in the cities like harbors, roads, schools and sewage removal. They also developed a system for delivering fresh water. However, the French did not do this to benefit the Vietnamese, rather, they did it to make money, educate the workforce and develop a successful

The Vietnamese uprising was the perfect opportunity for the French to prove that they still held world influence and were capable of maintaining power after a terrible loss during WWII (Bachman, Feb. 13). The French rejected the Vietnamese call for independence and the first Indo-China war began. Democratic liberty in Vietnam was not something that the French would give easily. The French needed to retain their colonies, or else they would lose tremendous capital. France had used the exploitation of workers in factories and farms to their economic advantage and if they were to suddenly lose their stronghold in Southern Asia, they believed that there would be no way of remaining a leading European

After 1848, France was making a Vietnam a colony which making a huge difference in social life of Vietnam, giving them some benefits and many negatives. one of the more noticeable of which was education. Lead to the university of Hanoi was opened by colonists in 1902, and became an important national center of learning . But all these good benefits made Vietnam forget France was making profits from making Vietnam a colony of France. France transformed Vietnam’s economy into a proto-capitalist system, based on land ownership, increased production, but low wages for the Vietnamese(TAE HO YOON, ANTHONY KONKOV 2013). Vietnamese are no longer worked to provide benefits to themselves, they are now work to benefits their French overlords. But in 1882 While France

Vietnam endured many trials and tribulations throughout its history. For thousands of years, Vietnam had to struggle under the rule of others, mainly under China and France's influence. In the beginning, France originally came to the country so the French wouldn't be seen as weak compared to other European countries, which meant they needed to expand their colonies for their own economic gains and preventing Britain from doing the same. At the time when Vietnam had just gone through a civil war, France saw an opportunity to invade the country and colonize.

However, France was too focused on using Vietnamese land and resources to improve the state of France. France claimed that they were motivated in colonising Vietnam as a part of their ‘mission civilisatrice’, or ‘civilising mission’, but this is doubtful as they were mainly focused on increasing and using vietnamese resources over making life easier for the Vietnamese. Therefore, the French imperialism in Vietnam had a very negative effect on the individuals living in Vietnam, particularly the lower class which made up over 75% of the population. Despite all of the political, economic and social support the French could have potentially provided to Vietnam, they were too focused on their own needs to direct their attentions in the areas where the country most required

In extension to the unpaid labor, the French also burdened the Vietnamese with extensive taxation. This included the taxation of wages and a poll tax on adult males. The French also monopolized the local commodities that were used by the locals. Traditionally, the Vietnamese would collect their own commodities in the field, but as of the turn of the nineteen-hundreds, the people had to purchases their materials, and commodities instead of collecting them, which burdened their income and lifestyle.

Colonisation and the French Rule had a dramatic effect on Vietnamese way of life. Conflict significantly increased in Vietnam due to the arm resistance lasting for twenty years. Indochina was taken over by France during the time period when the European power was rushing to seize colonies within Africa, Asia and the Pacific for their raw materials and markets for industries. Vietnam became profitable for the French due to the exploiting of Vietnam’s people and their natural resources. Resources such as tea, rice and rubber plantations were established in the south and opened up sand mining factories in the north. The Vietnamese traditional lifestyle was disrupted and peasants were being forced to pay high taxes, which then pushed majority into poverty. Land was also taken from peasants and given to the new French settlers and the wealthy Vietnamese who cooperated with the French ruling. The enormous number of peasant left to work in the