Chapter 2 THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDO CHINA 1. How did the French form the Indochina? 1) French troops landed in Vietnam in 1858 and by the mid-1880s they had established a firm grip over the northern region. 2) The French assumed control of Tonkin and Anaam after the Franco-Chinese war and, in1887, French Indo-China was formed. 2. How did the French begin the colonization process in Indochina? 1) The French began the colonization process by building canals and draining lands in the Mekong delta to increase cultivation. 2) The vast system of irrigation works – canals and earthworks – built mainly with forced labour, increased rice production and allowed the export of rice to the international market. 3) Infrastructure projects started to help transport goods for trade, move soldiers and 4) control the entire region. 5) Construction of a trans-Indo-China rail network that would link the northern and southern parts of Vietnam and China was begun. This final link with Yunan in China was completed by 1910. The second line was also built, linking Vietnam to Siam (as Thailand was then called) 3 What were the two broad opinions on the question of medium of instruction in Vietnam? 1) Some policymakers emphasized the need to use the French language as the medium of instruction. By learning the language, they felt, the French culture and civilization can be introduced. 2) This would help create an ‘Asiatic France solidly tied to European France’. The 3) educated people in Vietnam would respect French sentiments and ideals, see the 4) superiority of French culture, and work for the French. 5) Others were opposed to French being the only medium of instruction. They suggested that Vietnamese be taught in lower classes and French in the higher classes. The few who learnt French and acquired French culture were to be rewarded with French citizenship. 4 Write a short note on the educational system introduced by the French in Vietnam. 1) Only the Vietnamese elite – comprising a small fraction of the population – could enroll in the schools, and only a few among those admitted ultimately passed the schoolleaving examination. 2) This was largely because of a deliberate policy of failing students, 3) particularly in the final year, so that they could not qualify for the better-paid jobs. 4) Usually, two-thirds of the students fail. In 1925, in a population of 17 million, there were less than 400, who passed the examination. 5) School textbooks glorified the French and justified colonial rule. The Vietnamese were represented as primitive and backward, capable of manual labour but not of intellectual reflection; they could work in the fields but not rule themselves; they were ‘skilled copyists’ but not creative. School children were told that only French rule could ensure peace in Vietnam:
5 . Describe the ideas behind the Tonkin Free School. To what extent was it a typical example of colonial ideas in Vietnam? 1) The Tonkin Free School was started in 1907 to provide a Western style education. 2) This education included classes in science, and hygiene. 3) To be ‘modern’ it was not enough to learn science and Western ideas: to be modern the Vietnamese had to look modern. 4) The school encouraged the adoption of Western styles such as having a short haircut. For the Vietnamese this meant a major break with their own identity since they traditionally kept long hair. 6 How did Vietnamese schools become an important place for political and cultural battles? 1) Teachers and students did not blindly follow the curriculum. Sometimes there was open opposition, at other times there was silent resistance. 2) In 1926 a major protest erupted in the Saigon Native Girls School. A Vietnamese girl sitting in one of the front seats was asked to move to the back of the class and allow a local French student to occupy the front bench. When she refused, the principal expelled her. When angry students protested, they too were expelled, leading to a further spread of open protests. 3) Elsewhere, students fought against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent the Vietnamese from qualifying for white-collar jobs. They were inspired by patriotic feelings and the conviction that it was the duty of the educated to fight for the benefit of society. 4) By the 1920s, students were forming various political parties, such as the Party of Young Annan, and publishing nationalist journals such as the ‘Annanese Student’. Schools thus became an important place for political and cultural battles. 5) The French sought to strengthen their rule in Vietnam through the control of education.They tried to change the values, norms and perceptions of the people, to make them believe in the superiority of French civilization and the inferiority of the Vietnamese. 6) Vietnamese intellectuals, on the other hand, feared that Vietnam was losing not just control over its territory but its very identity. Its own culture and customs were being devalued and the people were developing a master-slave mentality. The battle against French colonial education became part of the larger battle against colonialism and for independence 7 Why did the battle against the French colonial education become part of the larger battle against colonialism and for independence? 1) The French sought to strengthen their rule in Vietnam through the control of education. 2) They tried to change the values, norms and perceptions of the people, to make them 3) believe in the superiority of French civilization and the inferiority of the Vietnamese. 4) Vietnamese intellectuals, on the other hand, feared that Vietnam was losing not just control over its territory but its very identity. Its own culture and customs were being devalued and the people were developing a master-slave mentality. 5) The battle against French colonial education became part of the larger battle against colonialism and for independence
8. How did the establishment of the modern city of Hanoi lead to the spread of bubonic plague in Vietnam? 1) The French part of Hanoi was built as a beautiful and clean city with wide avenues and a well-laid-out sewer system. 2) The waste from the old city drained straight out into the river or, during heavy rains or floods, overflowed into the streets. 3) Thus what was installed to create a hygienic environment in the French city became the cause of the plague. The large sewers in the modern part of the city, were an ideal and protected breeding ground for rats. 4) The sewers also served as a great transport system, allowing the rats to move around the city without any problem. 5) Rats began to enter the homes of the French through the sewage pipes. 9 Why did the measures adopted to prevent plague become ineffective in Vietnam? OR How did the rat hunt in Vietnam give an opportunity to the people to protest against the colonial rule 1) The French hired Vietnamese workers and paid them for each rat they caught. 2) Rats began to be caught in thousands. 3) Those who did the dirty work of entering sewers found that if they came together they could earn a big amount. 4) They also discovered innovative ways to profit from this situation. 5) The bounty was paid when a tail was given as proof that a rat had been killed. 6) So the rat-catchers cut the tails and released the rats, so that the process could be repeated, over and over again. 7) Some people, in fact, began raising rats to earn a bounty. 10. What was the role of religious groups in the development of anti-colonial feeling in Vietnam? 1) Vietnam’s religious beliefs were a mixture of Buddhism, Confucianism and local practices. Christianity was introduced by French missionaries. From the eighteenth century, many religious movements were hostile to the Western presence in Vietnam. 2) An early movement against French control and the spread of Christianity was the Scholars Revolt in 1868. This revolt was led by officials at the imperial court angered by the spread of Catholicism and French power. They led a general uprising in Ngu An and Ha Tien provinces where over a thousand Catholics were killed. 3) Catholic missionaries had been active in winning converts since the early seventeenth century, and by the middle of the eighteenth century had converted some 300,000. The French crushed the movement but this uprising served to inspire other patriots to rise up against them. 4) There were many popular religions in Vietnam that were spread by people who claimed to have seen a vision of God. Some of these religious movements supported the French, but others inspired movements against colonial rule. 5) One such movement was the Hoa Hao. It began in 1939 and gained great popularity in the fertile Mekong delta area. It drew on religious ideas popular in anti-French uprisings of the nineteenth century. 6) The French tried to suppress the movement inspired by Huynh Phu So. They declared him mad, called him the Mad Bonze, and put him in a mental asylum.
11. What were the different visions of modernization in Vietnam? 1) Some intellectuals felt that Vietnamese traditions had to be strengthened to resist the domination of the West, while others felt that Vietnam had to learn from the West even while opposing foreign domination. These differing visions led to complex debates, which could not be easily resolved. 2) Phan Boi Chau, a nationalist, became a major figure in the anti-colonial resistance from the time he formed the Revolutionary Society (Duy Tan Hoi) in 1903, with Prince Cuong De as the head. He believed that Vietnamese traditions had to be strengthened to resist the domination of the West and develop a common culture with that of China. 3) Phan Chau Tinh , another nationalist, was intensely hostile to the monarchy and opposed to the idea of resisting the French with the help of the court. His desire was to establish a democratic republic. 4) Profoundly influenced by the democratic ideals of the West, he did not want a wholesale rejection of Western civilization. 5) He accepted the French revolutionary ideal of liberty but charged the French for not abiding by the ideal. He demanded that the French set up legal and educational institutions, and develop agriculture and industries, in Vietnam. 12. What ides did Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh share in common? What did they differ on ? 1) Both of them wanted modernization of Vietnam. Phan Boi Chau felt that Vietnamese 2) traditions had to be strengthened to resist the domination of the West, while Phan Chu 3) Tinh felt that Vietnam had to learn from the West even while opposing foreign domination.
13. Explain the ‘Go East Movement’. What was the primary objective of the ‘Go East Movement’? What was the result? OR How did the development in Japan inspire Vietnamese Nationalists? 1) In 1907-08 some 300 Vietnamese students went to Japan to acquire modern education. For many of them the primary objective was to drive out the French from Vietnam, overthrow the puppet emperor and to re-establish the Nguyen dynasty that had been deposed by the French. 2) These nationalists looked for foreign arms and help. They appealed to the Japanese as fellow Asians. Japan had modernized itself and had resisted colonization by the West.Besides, its victory over Russia in 1907 proved its military capabilities. 3) Vietnamese students established a branch of the Restoration Society in Tokyo but after 1908, the Japanese Ministry of Interior clamped down on them. Many, including Phan Boi Chau, were deported and forced to seek exile in China and Thailand. 14
How did China inspire Vietnamese nationalists? 1) In 1911, the long established monarchy in China was overthrown by a popular movement under Sun Yat-Sen, and a republic was set up.
2) Inspired by these developments, Vietnamese students organized the Association for the Restoration of Vietnam (Viet-Nam Quan Phuc Hoi). Now the nature of the anti-French independence movement changed. 3) The objective was no longer to set up a constitutional monarchy but a democratic republic. 15 . Why were the provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh called the ‘electrical fuses’ of Vietnam ? Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces were among the poorest, had an old radical tradition, and have been called the ‘electrical fuses’ of Vietnam – because when the (economic) system was under pressure they were the first to blow. They were the first to affect by the Great Depression of the 1930s. 16 ) What were the challenges faced by the new republic in Vietnam? 1) The new republic faced a number of challenges. The French tried to regain control by using the emperor, Bao Dai, as their puppet. Faced with the French offensive, the Vietminh was forced to retreat to the hills. 2) After eight years of fighting, the French were defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. In the peace negotiations in Geneva that followed the French defeat, the Vietnamese were persuaded to accept the division of the country. 3) North and south Vietnam were formed.Ho Chi Minh and the communists took power in the north while Bao Dai’s a capitalist regime was put in power in the south. 17 ). What were the consequences of the partition of Vietnam in to two countries? 1) The division turned Vietnam into a battlefield bringing death and destruction to its people as well as the environment. 2) The Bao Dai regime was overthrown by a coup led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem built a repressive and authoritarian government. 3) Anyone who opposed him was called a communist and was jailed and killed. 4) Diem retained Ordinance 10, a French law that permitted Christianity but outlawed Buddhism. 5) His dictatorial rule came to be opposed by a broad opposition united under the banner of the National Liberation Front (NLF). 18). Why did the U.S.A interfere in the Vietnam War? 1) North Vietnam, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh , followed a socialist Government. South Vietnam under the leadership of Bao Dai followed a capitalist Government formed with the help of U.S.A.. 2) When North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam for unification under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh and NLF , USA interfered to give support to South Vietnam. 3) USA did not want South Vietnam to become socialist and thus the expansion of socialism. 19) How did the entry of USA war mark a new phase in the Vietnam War? 1) US entry into the war marked a new phase that proved costly to the Vietnamese as well as to the Americans. 2) From 1965 to 1972, over 3,403,100 US services personnel served in Vietnam (7,484 were women).
3) Even though the US had advanced technology and good medical supplies, casualties were high. About 47,244 died in battle and 303,704 were wounded. 4) Thousands of US troops arrived equipped with heavy weapons and tanks and backed by the most powerful bombers of the time – B52s. 5) The wide spread attacks and use of chemical weapons – Napalm, Agent Orange, and phosphorous bombs – destroyed many villages and decimated jungles. Civilians died in large numbers. 20. What was the effect, of U.S involvement in the Vietnam War, in the United States? 1) The effect of the war was felt within the US as well. 2) Many were critical of the government for getting involved in a war that they saw as indefensible. When the youth were drafted for the war, the anger spread. 3) Compulsory service in the armed forces, however, could be waived for university graduates. 4) This meant that many of those sent to fight did not belong to the privileged elite but were minorities and children of working-class families. 21. How did the nationalists draw women in to the struggle in Vietnam? 1) As the nationalist movement grew, the status of women came to be questioned and a new image of womanhood emerged. Writers and political thinkers began idealizing women who rebelled against social norms. 2) In the 1930s, a famous novel by Nhat Linh caused a scandal because it showed a woman leaving a forced marriage and marrying someone of her choice, someone who was involved in nationalist politics. This rebellion against social conventions marked the arrival of the new woman in Vietnamese society. 3) Rebel women of the past were similarly celebrated. In 1913, the nationalist Phan Boi Chau wrote a play based on the lives of the Trung sisters who had fought against Chinese domination in 39-43 CE. In this play, he depicted these sisters as patriots fighting to save the Vietnamese nation from the Chinese. 4) Nationalists popularized image of another rebel leader Trieu Au, who lived in third century CE. to inspire people to action. 5) In the 1960s, photographs in magazines and journals showed women as brave fighters. There were pictures of women militia shooting down planes. They were portrayed as young, brave and dedicated. 6) Stories were written to show how happy they felt when they joined the army and could carry a rifle. Some stories spoke of their incredible bravery in singlehandedly killing the enemy – Nguyen Thi Xuan, for instance, was reputed to have shot down a jet with just twenty bullets. 7) Women were represented not only as warriors but also as workers: they were shown with a rifle in one hand and a hammer in the other. Whether young or old, women began to be depicted as selflessly working and fighting to save the country. As casualties in the war increased in the 1960s, women were urged to join the struggle in larger numbers.
22. What were the features of Vietnam War? 1) This was a war that has been called the first television war. Battle scenes were shown on the daily news programmes. 2) Many became disillusioned with what the US was doing and writers such as Mary
3) McCarthy, and actors like Jane Fonda even visited North Vietnam and praised their heroic defence of the country. 4) The scholar Noam Chomsky called the war ‘the greatest threat to peace, to national self-determination, and to international cooperation’. 5) This was the war that led to worldwide condemnation after the Spanish Civil War. TEXT BOOK SOLUTIONS
Write a note on: (a) What was meant by the ‘civilising mission’ of the colonisers 1. The “civilising mission” of the colonisers was an imperial disguise for controlling colonies. European powers assumed that their civilisation was the most advanced, and that it was their humanitarian concern to spread it around the world, even if this was done by force. 2. Europeans became the self-professed carriers of light to the colonies, rejecting the latter’s inherent traditions, religions and cultures as outdated. Also, education was viewed as a “civilising” tool, but fearing retaliation, the colonisers—the French in Vietnam, the British in India, did not want to give full access to the colonised people to Western education. 3. They were aware that Western education might instill democratic ideals and a desire for independence. Hence, the “civilising mission” was marred by double standards and sheer hypocrisy. b) Huynh Phu So 1. Huynh Phu So was a revolutionary leader who started an anti-French movement known as the Hoa Hoa. 2. He was declared the “Mad Bonze” and put in a mental asylum by the French. He performed miracles and helped the poor; condemning unnecessary expenses, gambling, intoxication and the sale of child brides. 3. Interestingly, he was declared sane in 1941, but was exiled to Laos after the doctor treating him also became his follower. Explain the following: (a) Only one-third of the students in Vietnam would pass the school-leaving examinations. 1. The French colonial administration followed a deliberate policy of failing students in their final year examinations so that they could not qualify for better-paid jobs. 2. Only the wealthy Vietnamese could afford enrolment in these expensive schools,
3. and to add to that, very few would pass the school-leaving examinations. (b) The French began building canals and draining lands in the Mekong delta. 1. The French began building canals and draining lands in the Mekong delta for increased cultivation. 2. This was done under a garb to “civilise” Vietnam on a European model 3. But it was actually an economic idea meant to increase rice production and subsequent export of rice to the international market. (c) The government made the Saigon Native Girls School take back the students it had expelled. 1. When the French principal of the Saigon Native Girls School expelled the students protesting another student's expulsion, there was widespread demonstration. 2. Considering the gravity of the situation, the government decided to control the intensity of the protests by providing an outlet—making the school take back the students. (d) Rats were most common in the modern, newly built areas of Hanoi. 1. The modern and apparently hygienic sewage system provided ideal breeding grounds for rodents apart from being a good transport system as well, for the rats. 2. Sewage from the old city was drained out into the river or overflowed in the streets during heavy rains. 3. The large sewers now became a protected breeding and living space for rats. Hanoi, despite its “modernity”, became the chief cause of the plague in 1903 Describe the ideas behind the Tonkin Free School. To what extent was it a typical example of colonial ideas in Vietnam? 1. The ideas behind the Tonkin Free School were predominantly based on policies of westernisation. Students were taught science, hygiene and French, and were encouraged to adopt Western styles of dressing. 2. This school was a typical example of colonial ideas in Vietnam on account of the aforementioned. 3. It rejected traditional Vietnamese education and lifestyle, and promoted western ideals and living. What was Phan Chu Trinh’s objective for Vietnam? How were his ideas different from those of Phan Boi Chau?
1. Phan Chu Trinh’s objective for Vietnam was to make it a democratic republic, along the western ideals of liberty. 2. He accused the French of not following their own national ideals, and demanded for the setting up of legal and educational institutions alongside the development of agriculture and industries. 3. Unlike Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh was extremely opposed to the monarchy. Hence, their ideas had at their roots this fundamental difference. With reference to what you have read in this chapter, discuss the influence of China on Vietnam’s culture and life. 1. The influence of China on Vietnam’s culture and life was multifarious before the French colonised Vietnam. 2. Even when the latter gained independence in 1945, the rulers maintained the use of Chinese governance systems and culture. 3. The elites were vastly influenced by Chinese culture and life, as has been elucidated in Phan Boi Chau’s book “The History of the Loss of Vietnam”. 4. Chinese language and Confucianism were followed by the upper classes in Vietnam. 5. In 1911, when the Chinese Republic was set up, Vietnamese students followed suit in organising the Association for the Restoration of Vietnam. Vietnamese men also kept their hair long—a Chinese tradition. What was the role of religious groups in the development of anti-colonial feeling in Vietnam? 1. Religious groups played a very significant role in the development of anticolonial feeling in Vietnam. 2. Vietnam’s religious beliefs were a mix of Buddhism, Confucianism and local customs. Christianity looked down upon their reverence for the supernatural. In 1868, the Scholars’ Revolt protested against the tyrannical spread of Christianity, and though the movement was defeated, it inspired others to follow suit. 3. The Hoa Hoa movement in 1939 drew upon popular religious ideas of the nineteenth century, and its leader Huynh Phu So was a famous entity. 4. These groups were not in tandem with political parties which tended to look down upon their activities with discomfort. 5. Nevertheless, religious movements were successful in arousing antiimperialist tendencies in the Vietnamese people. Explain the causes of the US involvement in the war in Vietnam. What effect did this involvement have on life within the US itself?
1. The US got involved in the war in Vietnam because it feared that a communist government would come to power in Vietnam after the National Liberation Front formed a coalition with the Ho Chi Minh government in the north, against Ngo Dinh Diem’s regime. 2. US policy-planners feared a spread of communism to other countries in the area. 3. This involvement in the Vietnam war affected life within the US itself because of widespread public dissent. 4. Only university graduates were exempt from compulsory service in the army and this caused even more anger amongst the minorities and working-class families. What was the role of women in the anti-imperial struggle in Vietnam? Compare this with the role of women in the nationalist struggle in India. 1. Women played a crucial role in the anti-imperial struggle in Vietnam. 2. Women who rebelled against social conventions were idealised and rebel women of the past were likewise celebrated. 3. Trieu Au was a popular figure in nationalist tales. 4. In the 1960s, women were represented as brave soldiers and workers. 5. They assisted in nursing wounded soldiers, constructing underground tunnels and fighting the enemy. Interestingly, between 1965 and 1975, 70-80% of the youth working on the Ho Chi Minh trail were women.
1858 1887 1931 PAUL BERNARD COLONS 1907 1903 1868 1939 PHAN BOI CHAU LIANG QICHAO THE HISTORY OF THE LOSS OF
FRENCH TROOPS LANDED IN VIETNAM CONTROL OF TOKIN AND ANAAM AFTER THE FRANCO-CHINESE WAR VIETNAM BECOMES THE THIRD LARGEST EXPORTER OF RICE IN THE WORLD. INFLUENTIAL WRITER FRENCH CITIZENS LIVING IN VIETNAM TONKIN FREE SCHOOL STARTED TO IMPART WESTERN EDUCATION BUBONIC PLAGUE HITS MODERN PART OF HANOI SCHOLARS REVOLT HOA HAO MOVEMENT BY HUYNH PHU SO EDUCATED IN CONFUCIAN TRADITION,MAJOR FIGURE IN ANTICOLONIAL RESISTANCE,FORMED THE REVOLUTINARY SOCIETY (DUY TAN HOI) WITH PRINCE CUONG DE AS HEAD CHINESE REFORMER BOOK BY PHAN BOI CHAU
VIETNAM PHAN CHU TRINH 1907 1911 ELECTRICAL FUSES 1930 1940 1954 NORTH VIETNAM SOUTH VIETNAM TRUNG SISTERS 30 APRIL 1975
HOSTILE TO MONARCHY, WANTED A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC JAPAN’S VICTORY OVER RUSSIA MONARCHY OVERTHROWN IN CHINA BY A POPULAR MOVEMENT UNDER SUN YAT SEN NGHE AN AND HA TINH HO CHI MINH ESTABLISHED VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PARTY, JAPAN OCCUPIED VIETNAM FRENCH WERE DEFEATED AT DIEN BIEN PHU HO CHI MINH BAO DAI( SUPPORTED BY US) FOUGHT AGAINST CHINESE DOMINATION UNIFICATION OF GERMANY READ THE TEXT BOOK THOROUGHLY
