The Vietnamese conflict which gradually evolved after WW2 came about through Vietnamese nationalism born of European colonialism and the emergence of American hegemony. European born imperialism transformed and aggravated Vietnamese nationalism which spurred on and enflamed the on-going conflict between South and North Vietnam. Vietnamese nationalism was harnessed by the leaders of resistance against colonial powers such as Ho Chi Minh. Ho’s ideology was developed from sides of Marxism due to the fact that the USA did not want to support Vietnamese independence and looked for support from the emerging Socialist powers USSR and China. This change in political stance by Ho was also brought about by the fall of China to Mao’s Communist party
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From the end of WW2, the vast empires of Europe had begun to collapse and the US saw this is as a chance to replace the Europeans. American hegemony came to dominate the globe after WW2, and therefore the US administrations throughout the 1941-1975 looked to assert their dominance around the world, especially in underdeveloped countries which boasted important natural resources. American hegemony came to replace the dwindling European world dominance; this hegemony continued throughout the period and was the main driving factor behind American involvement in Vietnam which “was rooted in hubristic power-projection” The gradual transition from European dominance into American hegemony around the globe is summarised by General Giap’s comment on US involvement in Vietnam “the aggressive war waged by French colonialist gradually became a war carried out with US dollars”. Through these “US dollars” the US sought to rebuild Asia after the devastating WW2 campaign of the Japanese in order to create powerful trading partners. The combination of the growth in Vietnamese nationalism and the encroachment of US hegemonic policies created a conflict which contrasted two different scenarios which were deeply rooted within US and Vietnamese leadership and …show more content…
American-backed French resistance against Vietnamese independence set the foundation to the future total invasion of Vietnam by the USA. The failure by the French to supress Vietnamese nationalism and talks of independence resulted in the Geneva Accords, whereby Vietnamese hopes of total autonomy were becoming reality and created a public and leadership which were adamant on achieving full independence. The Geneva Accords resulted in 2 new countries and 2 new leaderships. In the South, American-backed Ngo Dinh Diem assumed leadership which was not only unpopular with the South Vietnamese but also enflamed the Vietnamese push towards independence. Throughout Diem’s leadership, many of the South Vietnamese saw the Socialist stance of the North more appealing than the Capitalist stance of the South. As Latham states, “why was communism a better alternative? It redistributed political power unlike Diem’s repression”. Diem’s rejection of the Geneva Accords and the use of rigged elections to push himself into power further created instability within the country, encouraging the already disillusioned population to be hostile towards the South Vietnamese leadership. By 1955, the Chinese and Soviet Union had also started to become involved within the situation in Vietnam. China and
From the end of WW2, the vast empires of Europe had begun to collapse and the US saw this is as a chance to replace the Europeans. American hegemony came to dominate the globe after WW2, and therefore the US administrations throughout the 1941-1975 looked to assert their dominance around the world, especially in underdeveloped countries which boasted important natural resources. American hegemony came to replace the dwindling European world dominance; this hegemony continued throughout the period and was the main driving factor behind American involvement in Vietnam which “was rooted in hubristic power-projection” The gradual transition from European dominance into American hegemony around the globe is summarised by General Giap’s comment on US involvement in Vietnam “the aggressive war waged by French colonialist gradually became a war carried out with US dollars”. Through these “US dollars” the US sought to rebuild Asia after the devastating WW2 campaign of the Japanese in order to create powerful trading partners. The combination of the growth in Vietnamese nationalism and the encroachment of US hegemonic policies created a conflict which contrasted two different scenarios which were deeply rooted within US and Vietnamese leadership and …show more content…
American-backed French resistance against Vietnamese independence set the foundation to the future total invasion of Vietnam by the USA. The failure by the French to supress Vietnamese nationalism and talks of independence resulted in the Geneva Accords, whereby Vietnamese hopes of total autonomy were becoming reality and created a public and leadership which were adamant on achieving full independence. The Geneva Accords resulted in 2 new countries and 2 new leaderships. In the South, American-backed Ngo Dinh Diem assumed leadership which was not only unpopular with the South Vietnamese but also enflamed the Vietnamese push towards independence. Throughout Diem’s leadership, many of the South Vietnamese saw the Socialist stance of the North more appealing than the Capitalist stance of the South. As Latham states, “why was communism a better alternative? It redistributed political power unlike Diem’s repression”. Diem’s rejection of the Geneva Accords and the use of rigged elections to push himself into power further created instability within the country, encouraging the already disillusioned population to be hostile towards the South Vietnamese leadership. By 1955, the Chinese and Soviet Union had also started to become involved within the situation in Vietnam. China and