The Battle Of Dien Bien Phu

Before the Vietnam war, Vietnam was in a revolution because they did not want to be ruled by France. Vietnam wanted to be independent right after World War II ended in 1945. Japan had control of them, when Japan surrendered to the Allies the French never left Vietnam and claimed it as a territory(Mintz).

In the 1800’s European nations began to push imperialism on Southeast Asia in hopes of gaining profit and control. French imperialism lasted more than six decades and was driven by the demand for resources, cheap labor and raw materials. France had a particular interest in Vietnam and was alarmed when Britain started to colonize Southeast Asia. To prevent any British advancement on Vietnam, the French government forced Vietnam into accepting French protection. By 1884, France seized complete control of Vietnam and by 1858, France governed the neighboring areas in Indochina that later became Cambodia and Laos. Since France didn’t have a large military presence in Vietnam, they sent over many governors, officials and bureaucrats to rule and give

The Vietnamese victory against the French at the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 brought about dramatic changes to Indochina. These changes took place in the Geneva Conference which shortly happened after the battle of Dien Bien Phu. General Vo Nguyen Giap and Ho Chi Minh who were the Vietminh’s leader had only one goal and that was to unify Vietnam and declare independence from colonial rule but however their goals were not achieved at the end of the Geneva Conference due to a number of reasons.

Vietnam was a French colony dating back to mid 1800s. Vietnam was meant as a farming colony where they would grow things such as tobacco, tea, and coffee. The French treated their colony poorly by denying civil

Ron Travis enlisted in the United States Marine Corps when he was eighteen years old. He enlisted in 1974. Mr. Travis decided to enlist because he wanted to serve his country. While he was in bootcamp the Vietnam war ended. The Vietnam war was a fight to end communism in northern Vietnam so it would not spread to southern Vietnam. Then in 1955 president Dwight D. Eisenhower pledged his support to Diem and southern Vietnam. The Vietnam war lasted about sixteen years thousands of people lost their lives including American and Vietnamese soldiers they were either declared MIA or killed.

Even years before the war, Vietnam was a hotly disputed territory. Many countries had taken Vietnam over, and after World War II, Vietnam was in the hands of France. Obviously, the Vietnamese wanted their own country, and their long history of being a colony prompted the oppressed people to fight for

Vietnam is a southeastern Asian country that has been occupied by the French since the early 19th Century. During War War II Japanese forces invaded Vietnam. In order for the native Vietnamese to fight off both the French Colonial Administration and the invading Japanese, political leader Ho Chi Minh inspired by Soviet Communism, established the League of Independence of Vietnam. After Japan’s defeat in World War II in 1945, the Japanese withdrew their forces from Vietnam. The French educated Emperor Bao Dai was now back in control of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh saw this as an opportunity to finally gain control and almost immediately took control of the northern city of Hanoi. Ho Chin Minh declared himself as president. In hopes to regain control of Hanoi, France backed Emperor Bao and created the state of Vietnam in 1949. Although both sides wanted the same goal of uniting Vietnam, their government views were drastically different. Ho and his followers wanted the nation to be modeled after other communist countries. While Bao and his followers wanted their country to be in close ties with democratic countries in the west. These causes led to a civil war for the sole control of Vietnam.

Vietnam had a long history of being ruled by foreign powers. The outside influence many countries had on the Vietnamese government never allowed them to be in a position to decide what was best for them. Since 1847 France had claimed Vietnam as a French colony. During that time the French military had sent warships and assets to protect the interest of their Christian followers who were being challenged and defeated by the rising Vietnamese nationalist whom believed a socialist form of

The Vietnam War was the longest war in the history of the United States it lasted from 1959-1975. Billions of dollars was spent trying to win and unwinnable war. Countless of lives were lost and America failed to achieve its objective. The origins of the war stem from the Indochina wars that occurred in the late 40s and early 50s. After many years of colonial war, the Viet Minh a communist group led by Ho Chi Minh sought independence for Vietnam. The French were not reluctant to let go of their crowning jewel without a fight. The French were aided militarily by the Unites States who sought the membership of France to the NATO and were willingly to provide as much aid to ensure that they won the war and Vietnam did not fall to communism. This led to an eight year war which culminated with the defeat of the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. A cease fire was issued and peace agreements known as the Geneva Accords where drawn during the 1954 Geneva Conference. The agreement issued a temporary division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel which created a Communist North Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh and a democratic South Vietnam led by prime minister Ngo Dinh Diem. Vietnam was supposed to unify after the nationwide election of 1956 which Diem refuse to acknowledge.

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

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

European colonization and U.S. expansionism ideology was the main cause for the war that brought the Vietnamese people to the brink of annihilation. It first started with the France colonization of Vietnam after a French priest and Catholics were persecuted for inciting an uprising against the local ruler. Eventually, the French established a colony in the three countries which commonly referred to as French Indochina. The Vietnamese orchestrated several rebellions to get rid of the French, but to no avail. During the

As it was for most Western European countries, colonization for the French was about economics, “exploit[ing] the natural resources of the area and to open up new markets for the manufactured goods…”, and “to enhance national security and prestige” (Duiker, 1983 p. 28). The French saw an opportunity to get to Vietnam before the English did and many French officials wanted to jump on that chance. A large part as to why the French did not colonize Vietnam earlier was simply a result of

It can not be contradicted, agued or stated enough; the defeat of the French against its seemingly unstable and inferior colony Vietnam, had a resounding effect and importance on both North and South Vietnam. The defeat of France after the notorious Battle of Dien Bien Phu, was the key that determined the future of Vietnam, as bitterness and hostilities turned to bloodshed and death, whilst enemies and allies came forth in the very first television war. Consequences such as the growth of nationalism, the Genera conference, and the event of America entering the war, are all important factors that clearly demonstrate the importance of Vietnamese victory over the French on the 2nd of September, 1954.

The colonialism of Vietnam by the French lasted for approximately six decades. In the late of 1880s, the French had the control of the Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, commonly known as the French Indochina (Indochine Francais) (Mason 7). As such, Indochina was able to assume the status of being the lucrative colonial possessions of the French. It became the French empire, which spanned the western and northern Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific empires. The French formulated the civilizing mission as a way of justifying their imperialism in the land. Such mission existed as a form of the “white man” burden for the English. The imperialists from France made claims that they had the responsibility of colonizing the regions in Asia and Africa,