The Causes and Effects of the 1945 Vietnamese Declaration of Independence
History Essay – Causes and Consequences of the 1945 Declaration of Independence.
The 1945 Declaration of Independence of Vietnam is a key event in history, which caused and by which caused consequences that affected not only them, but other countries of the world as well. The French colonization of Vietnam was the long term cause of the 1945 Declaration of Independence because it challenged Vietnamese freedom, violating their national pride and depriving them of a cultural and national identity. France colonized Vietnam for a variety of reasons, while there were extensive economic opportunities; control over Vietnam established them and a major colonizing power in Southeast Asia. Vietnam had a wealth of natural resources that could be used for the French’s own national gain. Vietnamese labour was cheap, and the deep water harbours and inland waterways allowed these raw materials to be easily extracted and exported back to France, while allowing the distribution of manufactured goods from France. The consequences of this heavy exploitation by France resulted in land alienation, heavy taxation, and high interest rates on loans, over time this resulted in an Elitist land owning society, which would later give Ho Chi Minh his platform to gain support of the peasant masses to first, expel the French, and then later, the Americans from Vietnam. The French also imposed their own more ‘sophisticated’ European culture on the ‘inferior’ Vietnamese, this slowly took away the people’s right to their own way of life and being, historians later called it “Frenchification”, everything from Religion, Language, Education, and Values were taken away from the people of Vietnam, and replaced with the more “superior” French Culture. Though most Vietnamese were not happy with the French rule, some did not resist the conquest; in fact they welcomed them, in hope that they would bring an end to the despotic and repressive years of the Chinese dynasty rule. These hopes were
The 1945 Declaration of Independence of Vietnam is a key event in history, which caused and by which caused consequences that affected not only them, but other countries of the world as well. The French colonization of Vietnam was the long term cause of the 1945 Declaration of Independence because it challenged Vietnamese freedom, violating their national pride and depriving them of a cultural and national identity. France colonized Vietnam for a variety of reasons, while there were extensive economic opportunities; control over Vietnam established them and a major colonizing power in Southeast Asia. Vietnam had a wealth of natural resources that could be used for the French’s own national gain. Vietnamese labour was cheap, and the deep water harbours and inland waterways allowed these raw materials to be easily extracted and exported back to France, while allowing the distribution of manufactured goods from France. The consequences of this heavy exploitation by France resulted in land alienation, heavy taxation, and high interest rates on loans, over time this resulted in an Elitist land owning society, which would later give Ho Chi Minh his platform to gain support of the peasant masses to first, expel the French, and then later, the Americans from Vietnam. The French also imposed their own more ‘sophisticated’ European culture on the ‘inferior’ Vietnamese, this slowly took away the people’s right to their own way of life and being, historians later called it “Frenchification”, everything from Religion, Language, Education, and Values were taken away from the people of Vietnam, and replaced with the more “superior” French Culture. Though most Vietnamese were not happy with the French rule, some did not resist the conquest; in fact they welcomed them, in hope that they would bring an end to the despotic and repressive years of the Chinese dynasty rule. These hopes were