Vietnam Unit 1 - The struggle against France for independence 1945-1949 Flashcards
1
Q
Background of First Indochina war
A
- December 1946 - August 1954
- Viet Minh battled French for Vietnam
- France had missionaries in Vietnam in 1600s to spread Christianity and traded in the 1700s
- Napoleon III - invaded Vietnam
- 1864 - France annex part of Vietnam - Cochinchina
- French take south Vietnam - 1867
- French win Sino-French war 1884-85
- French Indochina established October 17th, 1887
2
Q
French ruling in Vietnam
A
- Ruled with power
- Officials often French and could be replaced for French-supporters
- France used Vietnam for raw materials
- 1930 - 100,000 Vietnamese working in industry to maximize industrial output
- Agricultural land sold to French or Vietnamese collaborators
- 1939 - no more than 15% of all school-age children received any kind of schooling - 80% was illiterate - rare medical care, 2 physicians for every 100,000 Vietnamese
3
Q
Rising Nationalism in Vietnam
A
- Phan Boi Chau started nationalist movement
- Protest movements - 1908 - demonstrators condemned to death or exiled
- 1930 - new radical figure of Ho Chi Minh
- Minh forms Indochinese Communist Party
- 1941 - Viet Minh formed - alliance of Communist Party and nationalist groups
- August 1945 - Viet Minh seize Hanoi without opposition
- Emperor Bao Dai abdicates and declares loyalty to Democratic Republic of Vietnam
4
Q
French response to the seize of Hanoi - 1945
A
- President Charles de Gaulle wants to secure empire
- Invades and takes control of Saigon with British aid - September 23rd 1945
- 1946 - Vietnam split into communist north and non-communist south
- 1946 Meeting with North and South doesn’t work
- December 1946 - war breaks out
5
Q
Haiphong Incident & Operation Lea
A
- November 23rd 1946 - French ship - Suffren- bombardes parts of Haiphong - 6000 killed - Viet Minh withdraw from city
- December 1946 - Haiphong under complete French military occupation
- December 12th - Ho Chi Minh makes a plea for peace but Giap wants to take over Haiphong
- 1947 - Operation Lea - air forces and infantry used to assault Viet Minh - 9000 Viet Minh killed but French retreat from counter-attack
- 1949 - French reinstall emperor Bao Dan and make a new state recognized by them, USA and UK
- Viet Minh reject the government
6
Q
Communist China’s influence
A
- 1949 - Chinese revolution- Communist People’s Republic of China
- China gave resources and time to help Viet Minh against France
- Viet Minh send Huang Van Hoan to China to strengthen ties
- 1950 - PRC and USSR formally recognize Democratic Republic of Vietnam
- Backed by Chinese - general Giap forms 5 infantry divisions and began attacking isolated French military bases
- Chinese Military Advisory Group (CMOG) help organize formal army with Viet Minh
- PRC send General Chen Gang to Vietnam
- April - September 1950 - Chinese give 14,000 guns, 1,700 machine guns, 150 cannons, 2,800 tons of grain and medicine and communication equipment to Vietnamese
7
Q
Vietnamese response to the French
A
- Viet Minh take Dong The - September 1950
- French evacuate Cao Bang and That Khe
- Battle of Route Coloniale 4 - French have 4800 casualties or wounded and 2000 missing or captured
- Chen departs for Korean War
- Viet Minh plan to take Tonkin Delta area
- Jean de Lattre de Tassigny forms De Lattre Line - 1200 forts, concrete blocks and obstacles to prevent Tonkin Delta
- Giap launched 3 new campaigns in Vinh Yen area
- Causes Viet Minh 6,000 deaths 8000 wounded, the in Haiphong 500-3,000 Viet Minh killed and Phat Diem - May - 10000 Viet Minh killed
8
Q
Viet Minh change in tactics
A
- Viet Minh change to small-scale mobile wars and guerrilla campaigns
- Counter-offensive begins December 1951
- Repulse French and 1952 - de Lattre falls ill and returns to France
- Vietnamese and CMOG attack 8 regiments of French strongholds - September 1952 - October 14th 1952
- December 1952 - Nghia Lo, Son la, southern Lai Chau and Western Yen Bay all liberated by Viet Minh
- 1953 - Giap sets up secure supply route with 40,000 porters
- Giap wants to go for Laos as well - Vietnamese set eyes of Dien Bien Phu
- French receive intelligence and drop 6 parachute battalions
9
Q
The search for a diplomatic solution
A
- 1946 - Ho Chi Minh asks President Truman for independence and US support
- US remains neutral until 1950 - supports French
- US feared communist victory in Vietnam
- March 1946 - Ho-Sainteny agreement - France recognize free state of Vietnam but keep troops
- 1948 - Minh forms people’s democracy concept - sends small groups of people to France and china to promote Vietnamese independence
- 1951 - French had 90,000 loses
- November 1953 - Minh offers talks with France for peace - doesn’t work
- 1954 - Geneva Conference on Indochina - both sides in the war wanted a better position before the conference
10
Q
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A
- French took Dien Bien Phu previously
- Village surrounded by hills - belief Giap couldn’t bring up artillery
- Giap spends 4 months preparing
- 250,000 civilian supporters used
- 100,000km of trenches dug out with volunteers
- Everything done on foot with porters
- Artillery camouflaged
- March 13th 1954 - Viet Minh begin military bombardment that French can’t resist
- March 14th - Giap’s forces disable airstrip and continue taking perimeter garrisons
- French airfare try to drop supplies - 62 aircrafts destroyed and 167 damaged in two months ]
- Viet Minh use trench warfare, major assaults, attacking several locations simultaneously and artillery
- Barrage so intense French Artillery commander commits suicide with grenade
- May 7th - Giap orders all-out attack with 25,000 against 3,000 French
- French surrender
- Viet Minh capture 11,000 kill 2,200 and wound 5,000
