Impact of the ColdWar on Vietnam
Vietnam:
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1. US fear of the domino effect as a result of US’s political fear/tension of
communism spreading led to the US intervention, cancelation of fair
elections and implementation of oppressive gov, and its damage in
organising a stable vietnam gov. during the war. Leading to death and
suffering of millions of vietnamese
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The cold war set the fundamental element which led to the creation
of oppressive governmental institutions, yet after the war the
nation saw little political reforms and followed common one party
state consequences (political oppression, minority control,
censorships, etc…) I would argue Cold War tensions on politics were
limited to only the start of Vietnam was the two states - specifically
the oppression and control from the dictatorial south.
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View: The Cold War Tensions influenced the governments of
Vietnam, but after the vietnamese war, the said influence
deteriorated as the nation followed a common dictatorial
consequence of one party states → a consequence which is expected
even without external influence .
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Vietnam was an initiation resulted from local forces, and its post
Cold War intervention period had seen political consequences
desired and implemented by the locals. Karl Hack and Geoff Wade
argue that the '" Southeast Asian Cold War' was constituted by local
forces drawing on outside actors for their own ideological and
material purposes, more than by great powers seeking local allies
and proxy theatres of conflict .... "
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2. The economic dependency or/and limitation created as a result of
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Soviet dependency of vietnam for aid → being binded to the soviet
bloc. Forcing Vietnam to be tied to USSR
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Leading the US to implement international economic embargoes,
limiting any other trade with non-communists nations
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The US’s desire to deprive communist nations from growth and
USSR’s desire to control communist nations → a desire created as a
result of trying to battle/confront the other superpower’s economic
gain/growth → led to economic stagnation.
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Furthermore the war destroyed farmable land, infrastructure and
displaced people → quite a number of crucial young workable
citizens were either dead or unable to continue working → limiting
the working force
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This declined economic growth and the soviet influence
manipulated vietnam's economic policies.
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View:, the economic battle of the superpowers, and the tensions
which followed, had impact on controlling and limiting Vietnamese
Potential → and the post soviet union economy in vietnam saw a
huge rise in economic growth, as soviet control was gone and US
loosened its anti-soviet-influenced-communist-nations, and trade
exhibitions such as bilateral trade agreement between US and
vietnam were enacted → showing that the tension between the
superpowers limited vietnamese potential.
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3. Cultural changes from US interventionism was quite prevalent;
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The American presence encouraged the pursuit of " art for art's
sake" in Saigon by providing buyers for paintings. Which further
limited any art being created with political influence in the south.
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Being able to express art without requiring the artist to
choose sides. Western-bloc embassies were instrumental in
stimulating Saigon's modernists, who adopted European
techniques, rather than those of American abstract
expressionism, in order to represent the fragile and vulnerable
beauty of the South (Cultures at War The Cold War and
Cultural Expression in Southeast Asia)
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These south nationalistic artists continued their artistic
expression after the end of the war, ​" adapted with a kind of
chameleon-like facility" to the demand for socialist realist art.
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The Expressionists in the North, such as the communist
Vietnamese poet Tr'an O'an, modelled their art and expression over
Soviet and Russian influence. All were committed to the collective
effort to build a strong, new nation, but also to " the inner quest for
subjective truth" and the freedom of the individual. There was this
view of the need to create a liberated and socialist identity within
the cultural creation of the North - to free the nation from western
imperialism and historic colonialism influence. Recreate/create the
lost and new vietnamese identities. Ideas which were largely
influenced by the Soviet Influence and their messaging of stopping
the imperialism of the US and bringing back Vietnam to Vietnam.
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The North expressed freedom and liberation, while the south
expressed physical beauty and abstract reconstruction of
Vietnamese culture. Both were influenced by the superpowers and
the ideological tensions between them, as both nations tried to
influence how culture was expressed → Such a division was
fundamental in creating the modern Vietnamese cultural identity
→ A free stated, abstract, and usually non-traditional views on
culture emerged in the youth.
Context:
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After the end of the second world war, there was an international
movement to decolonise. Some nations were able to gain independence and
peace, while the others were plunged to civil war.
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After occupied forces, France and USA, left Vietnam - 1954 -, Vietnam fell
into a civil war which lasted 20 years. The nation was divided into North
Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, and a south created and influenced by the
French.
Domino effect:
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The US feared that a domino effect would assume itself in south east asia.
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This led to US support of the elitist oppressive dictatorial
government of Ngo Dinh Diem → Diem cancelled the elections
which were meant to take place, as subjected by the 1954 Geneva
Conference, because they thought the communist would win.
Limiting political freedom in both south and north Vietnam
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The US acted on the assumption that Ho Chi Minh was another
communist idealist, influenced by the USS - US fear from soviet-us
ideological tensions.
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Furthermore, US’s direct involvement in the war led to war that killed
almost 1 in 7 Vietnamese civilians. Such a death toll led to a decrease in
workable and able citizens who can support the growth of the economy
after the war.
Economic effects.
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The destruction of farmable land and infrastructure as a result of the
Vietnam war led to the loss of a major sector of the agrarian Vietnamese
economy.
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This led Vietnam to depend on foreign aid, specifically from the USSR, as
a means to grow and continue economic development. However, this tied
Vietnam to the USSR's economy and as such USSR’s communist bloc restraining the nation to pursue its own economic interests.
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Furthermore, the US started to implement international embargos on the
communist nation of Vietnam, which further limited any non-soviet
dependent economic endeavours.
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US limitation and USSR desire to influence a new non-capitalist nation
(tension induced phenomena from both nations) led to an economically
restricted nation. Such a statement can be backed by how after all of the
USSR and the US losing on Vietnam trade limitations, the country saw
huge economic spikes.
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From the book, “The end of the Soviet regime in Russia did not exactly
benefit Vietnam but it did give the country new markets where the public
had more disposable income and more purchasing power. Additionally, it
opened vietnam to tourism from the West, which benefited the country as
well”
Soviet Influence:
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Contrary to other countries, the Soviet Union had little influence and
contribution to the war. They only supported the nation with weaponry,
and only with about 3k soldiers (compared to the US’s 3 million). The
USSR wanted to strain the US without risking confronting the US
directly. However, because of this relationship, and the decline of
sino-vietnam relationship, Vietnam became increasingly dependent on the
USSR.
‘Vietnamese were not fighting for communism, they were fighting for Vietnam.’.