The Global War 1955 – 1963: Conflict in Asia - Indo-China Under Ho Chi-Minh in the North and Diem in the South Flashcards
Outline the main events of Indo-China under Ho Chi-Minh in the North and Diem in the South
• August 1955
- Diem refuses to hold elections in 1956 to reunify Vietnam
• 1956
- North Vietnamese army puts down revolt and about 6000 are killed
• August 1956
- Ho Chi Minh issues public apology for aggressive land reform policy
• January 1959
- VWP decides to adopt revolutionary violence strategy towards Diem
• December 1960
- National Liberation Front is formed
When does Diem refuse to hold the planned 1956 elections on reunification?
- August 1955
What does Ho Chi Minh focus on following the decision to not hold national elections?
- Ho Chi Minh focuses on consolidating communist power in North Vietnam to fight for reunification of Vietnam
- This included Minh’s Vietnam Workers’ Party making land reform
Land reform
• Process
- Regime seized privately owned land and redistributed it among the rural farming population
- Landowners and landowners were publicly denounced
- Thousands executed and many more imprisoned in labour camps
- Much of advice on process had come from China
• Effects
- In 1956, the military had to put down a revolt and 6000 people were killed
- In August 1956, Ho Chi Minh issues a public apology for aggressive implementation of land reform programme
- 1 million refugees flee from North Vietnam to South
- Many victims of policy were communists with little wealth
- Full-scale collectivisation was underway and agricultural production had increased
What is collectivisation?
- The practice of combining farming units into large single units
- These would be controlled by the state and each would have production targets
How many people were executed and imprisoned in labour camps during Ho Chi Minh’s policy of land reform?
- Thousands executed
- Many more imprisoned in labour camps
When did the North Vietnamese army have to put down a revolt against land reform? How many people were killed?
- 1956
- About 6000 killed
When did Ho Chi Minh issue a public apology for his aggressive land reform policy?
- August 1956
How many refugees fled from North Vietnam to the South following Ho Chi Minh’s aggressive land reform policy?
- About 1 million
Revolutionary violence strategy
- January 1959
- At Fifteenth Plenum, of the VWP Central Committee the VWP committed to reunifying Vietnam
- This served as a declaration of war on the South
- Aimed to use military force to overthrow Diem’s regime and the ‘ruling power of the imperialist and feudalist forces’, including the US
- Emphasis on political struggle
- North supported anti-Diem groups in the South
- Led to the creation of the National Liberation Front in the South in December 1960
When did the VWP commit to a revolutionary violence strategy against Diem? At what meeting was this agreed at?
- January 1959
- Fifteenth Plenum of the VWP Central Committee
When was the NLF formed?
- December 1960
What were the characteristics of Diem’s leadership?
- Nepotistic
- Corrupt
- Repressive
- Political opponents silenced
- Divisive policies
- Focused on the preservation of his own power
Give examples of Diem’s corrupt policies
- Diem’s brother Ngo Dinh Nhu served as prime minister, and other members of his family were given lucrative posts in government
- Large amounts of US economic aid, such as those designed for agricultural improvements, were fraudulently taken by Diem’s officials and his family
- Diem created a loyal and corrupt ruling group and the support of the US
What is the name of Diem’s brother and what position was he given?
- Ngo Dinh Nhu
- Prime minister
