Vietnam had been governed as a French colony since 1883, although French missionaries and traders had been active in Indochina since the seventeenth century. By 1900 it seemed as if Vietnam was destined (doomed?) to be a permanent fixture in France’s empire. Fifty-four years later, little longer than a generation, the French were forced to pack their bags and leave Vietnam to be governed by the Vietnamese people. France’s departure, however, was only the beginning of an ordeal for the Vietnamese that would last another twenty years and claim millions of lives. Vietnam’s struggle for independence began in earnest with events half a planet away. In a strange historical twist, Vietnam owed its independence almost as mush to Adolph Hitler as it did to Ho Chi Minh.
France’s crushing defeat at the hands of the Germans in 1940 removed all hope for French imperialists seeking to hold on to Indochina. The fall of Paris to the German army had two consequences that precluded a French return to power. First, it meant that the French could not spare the men or material to continue battling Vietnamese nationalists, as they were needed in the losing effort against Hitler. Second, right-wing French politicians struck a deal with the Nazis and were allowed to govern France, becoming the infamous Vichy government. In effect, the creation of the Vichy government meant France was henceforth allied with the Axis powers, including Japan. Seeking to build its own Asian empire, at the expense of the European colonial powers, Japan’s army quickly spread from its base in occupied China down into Vietnam. The Japanese occupation was far more brutal than that of the French, and any resistance was ruthlessly suppressed. Aiding the Japanese occupation was the Vichy colonial administration, which vainly sought to maintain French business interests and influence in Vietnam. The fact that the French actively aided and abetted the Japanese rape of Vietnam destroyed what little credibility remained of France’s claim to be a benefactor of the Vietnamese people; for most Vietnamese, Vichy support for the Japanese was unforgivable. After witnessing such a betrayal, it became clear to Vietnamese nationalists that France would do anything to hold on to its colony, and that to kick the French out once and for all, they most likely have to have to wage open warfare against their colonial overlords. Before doing so, however, they had to bide their time and build their strength.
On 15 August 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the United States and World War Two came to an end. Two weeks later, Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese nationalist army, the Vietminh, occupied Hanoi in the north of Vietnam, declaring Vietnamese independence shortly afterwards. In the south of Vietnam, Japanese forces surrendered to Great Britain, and control of the south was promptly returned to the French. Despite Ho’s declaration of Vietnamese independence, French colonial authorities set about re-establishing control over Vietnam, despite the very real occupation of Hanoi by the Vietminh. France would soon discover that a return to the prewar status quo was out of the question as far as the Vietnamese nationalist were concerned, although it would take a few years of political maneuvering between Ho and the French before open warfare broke out. When fighting finally broke out in 1950, it began twenty-five years of near ceaseless strife and brutality for the Vietnamese people and their would-be occupiers. How did the United States become involved in France’s struggle to maintain its empire? To understand that, one must examine the changing geopolitical circumstances of Asia in the period 1949-1954.
Next Chapter: The fall of the French Fortress at Dien Bien Phu and the beginning of the American phase.
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