Question

“The peace negotiations in Geneva followed the division of Vietnam that set in motion a series of events that turned Vietnam into a battlefield”.Analyse the statements with arguments.

Answer 1

Hint: The colonialism in Vietnam lasted for around six decades.Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were all under French domination by the end of 1880’s .They were referred to as French Indochina.

Complete answer: The French colonialism in Vietnam was mainly focussed on cheap labour, profit and production. Just like all european colonialism,the French too justified their oppression by developing the principle of ‘civilising mission’. This mission was mostly targeted towards pointing out the backwardness of Vietnamese culture and upholding the European ideals of education and culture. These were theories which were used by all colonisers to justify their colonisation over Asia, Africa and South America. “The peace negotiations in Geneva followed the division of Vietnam that set in motion a series of events that turned Vietnam into a battlefield”. Explaining this statement means:
1. The Geneva Peace Conference forced the division of Vietnam into North and South Vietnam.Ho Chi Minh became the President of North Vietnam and Bao Dai of South Vietnam.
2. The division of the country led to transforming Vietnam into a battlefield by increasing the number of deaths and destruction of both human life,property and environment.
3.Ngo Dinh Diem took over the country and built an authoritarian government.
4.Any opposition was thought to be a Communist and was killed.

Note: The National Liberation Front led by Ho Chi Minh wanted to unify the country. Being afraid of this,the US decided to enter the war with North Vietnam in fear that they would convert the country into a Communist one. Their ally was South Vietnam. Ultimately the US had to withdraw from the war due to heavy casualties and protests and South Vietnam surrendered in 1975.