The Defeat of France by The Vietnamese and Its Impact

The defeat of France in 1954 by the Vietminh created many social, political and economic issues within the now divided Vietnam. The division was due to the Geneva Conference, which divided Vietnam into the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV: North) and the State of Vietnam (South).[1] Politically, the North, who supported communism under Ho Chi Minh, were politically opposed by the anti-communist South, backed by America, for unifying Vietnam under communist rule. Economically, the American support for the South transformed the economy, and the North experienced some major development to their economy such as land reforms and the modernisation of their army, which were heavily reliant on their alliance with Russia and China. Social factors included migration of Vietnamese people to either South or North after the division. In particular the South created some social problems for the Buddhists, and the North’s land reforms saw people being killed and general discomfort in the area. The military developments within Vietnam from 1954 to 1964 play a role in all the aspects: political, economic and social.

The political events within South Vietnam were heavily based around America’s involvement and support. For example the Prime Minister of South Vietnam was Ngo Dinh Diem, elected in 1954. Diem was a known as a talented politician, passionate Vietnamese nationalist, a Catholic and an anti communist. These traits along with his links to the United States made him an ideal Prime Minister to satisfy both the United States’ and his own political wants for Vietnam.[2] Diem’s initial political aim was to secure his Prime Ministership over other contenders, his to main rivals being Cao Dai with two million members and an army of twenty thousand, and Hoa Hao with one-and-a-half million members and an army of fifteen thousand. Diem was able to keep his position with use of bribery and military offensives.[3]Diem’s rule was not fully reliable; Diem promoted his family members to key positions and started relying heavily on one of his brothers for advice.[4] This lack of political ability was caused by Diem’s rushed recruitment needs due to various conspiracies against him, for example the French general Nguyen Van Hinh who still had presence within South Vietnam and publicly conspired against Diem. Historian Anthony James Joes states that “Since General Hinh was not the only high-ranking Vietnamese who would conspire against Diem, the prime minister had to try to fill civil offices and military commands with men who were trustworthy as well as competent”.[5]