Frenctr Indochina, Wietnarn and lfo Chi ... ' n r
Frenctr Indochina, Wietnarn and lfo Chi l\{inh
A Brief History of the French in Indochina
' Indochina is a term for several countries, between China and Thailand (Vietnam, Cambodia, & Laos)
' The French took this region after the Franco-chinese war in 1885 n r
The Japanese
Soon after the took control during the last stages of WWII war finished, France was given her colonies back and tried to re-assert control
' However, a strong nationalist and independence movement had formed in Indochina durine the war
IIo Chi Minh
' Born Nguy6n TAt Thdnh, Ho Chi Minh embraced communism at an early age living in Europe
' In 1919, he went to the peace confernece of Versaiiles to beg for indepence for Vietnam, bul he was ignored by the major powers
' He helped formed the French communist party, then moved back to Asia and Founded the Vietnmamese
Communist Party
' Ho Chi Minh means "He Who Enlightens" n
He travelied back to Vietnam during WWII and 1ed the struggle against Japanese occupiers
Supported with money and Weapons from the USSR, Ho Chi Minh led the Vietnamese in their struggle against the French after the war
The First Indochina War
' The War lasted from 1946-1954
' The French were supported by the US who feared Vietnamese independence because they wanted to stop the spread of Communism
' The French were soundly beaten at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and retreated fhe Second Indochina War
' After the French left a civil war began between fwo groups in Vietnam
.
In the North, Ho Chi
Minh began a communist state while
South Vietnam became r democratic
The War started as the
Vietcong, South
Vietnamese communists supported by Ho Chi
Minh engaged in
Terrorist and guerrilla tactics in order to unite
North and South
' Soon a full-scaie war broke out between North and South.
The USA
during the Vietnam
War he
Black Civil Riehts Movement
o
In
1954, the United States supreme Court stated that racial segregation
in
schools was wrong (i.e. Blacks
couldn't
attend White schools) o
When Blacks tried to enter White schools, they were met
with
violence c
In 1955, a Black woman named Rosa Parks and refused to move to the back hatred
of
a segregated o bus and was arrested
This actions soon sparked massive protests and is considered the start of the Black
Civil
Rights movement o
Leaders of this movement
(Martin
Luther
King,
Malcolm
X
etc.) inspired blacks
all
over
. the nations to protest and stand up
Also, for their rights this movement protested against the Vietnam war because a unfair amount of
Blacks were sent to war and Blacks were dying for a country which denied them rights and freedoms
Counter-Culture
o
In
the 1960s, young people
all
over the US became
politically
aware and started to demand changes o
These youth, called
HIPPIES
rejected the traditions and values of their parents
in
favor of peace, rock music, and mind-altering drugs r
Also, these young people embraced new attitudes about black and women's rights and refused to accept social injustice
The
effect
of
the
Vietnam War
o
The war in Vietnam
didn't
start the 60's movements but
it
made them popular
.
People
all
over the US protested against the war and refused to
join
the army wherr drafted o
At Kent
State university a student protest against the war was fired upon by government o troops
At
the
- four students were
killed
same time, there were racial protests o
It
seemed that the US was tearing
itself
apart and riots
in
severai major cities
.
Popular pressure, more than anything forced the US out of Vietnam o
Also, the US changed its
policy
and started peaceful talks
with
the USSR for the
first time
since the end of WW2
