Ho Chi Minh – His Ideas & Impacts

1. Nationalism: an Independent Vietnam

What's so bad about being ruled by others?

(a) You're powerless

• Puppet emperor Bao Dai ruled in name only
  
• You can't express political ideas or form political parties
  
• You can't hold important positions and get less pay for the same work
  

(b) You're exploited

• France profited from resources like rice and rubber
  
• High taxes on salt, opium, alcohol
  
  • 70% of the peasants (80% of population) became landless due to taxes and debt
    

(c) Your freedom is restricted

• No travelling without identity papers
  

(d) Your well-being is neglected

• 1 doctor for every 38,000 people!
  
• No education
  

2. Communism

(a) Capitalism

• Wealthy people own land and industry
  
• Exploit workers (less pay, more profit)
  

(b) Socialism

• Workers angry about inequality
  
• Rise up and overthrow bosses
  
• Strong government to stop bosses from taking over again
  

(c) Communism

• Gradually, classes disappear.
  
• Ideal society- everyone works and obtains equal share of benefits
  
• Progressive rather than poll tax
  
• Confiscating land from rich to give to poor
  

3. First Indochina War: Outcomes

(a) How?

• France surrendered to Japan- Vietnam passed from France to Japan.
  
• Japan surrendered.Before France came back, Ho Chi Minh took the opportunity (political vacuum) to declare Vietnam independent.
  
• Built an army of supporters known as the Vietminh (1941). Under General Giap, they began a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese
  
• France was L! They fought (name for war: First Indo-China War).
  
• Eventually, Vietnam won
  

(b) Positive outcomes

• Independence
  

(c) Negative

• Deaths
  
• Fighting, executions, assassinations- 400,000 died
  
• Socio-economic effects: grief, loss of income
  

  
   

• Split
  
• North, Communists under Ho Chi Minh
  
• South, anti-communist regime headed by Ngo Dinh Diem backed by the US
  

4. After gaining Independence…

(a) Land Reform

• Land taken from greedy landlords (French, traitors) and distributed to landless
  
• Death of about 50,000 people
  
• Thousands tried & executed - Many innocent victims who were accused by others to avoid accusations themselves
  
• IN THE END: Improvement in agriculture
  

(b) Economic Reform

• Monopolies on salt, alcohol, opium abolished
  
• Poll tax replaced with progressive/income tax
  

(c) Education Reform

• Massive literacy campaign
  

  WHAT?
  

• Know how to read within a year
  
• Read, write, calculate
  
• Vietnamese language rather than French
  

  
   

  WHO?
  

• Everyone including women, peasants, workers, fishermen (illiteracy rate over 90%)
  

  
   

  WHY?
  

• Spread message to fight colonial masters
  
• More aware of rights & responsibilities when independent
  
• To cultivate Leaders
  
• For Economic development
  

  # Knowledge & skills for better jobs
  

  # Better lives
  

  
   

  HOW?
  

• Night classes
  
• Free national language classes for all
  
• Free school until age 13
  
• Compulsory basic education
  
• More schools built, University of Hanoi re-opened in 1954
  
• Anti-illiteracy and patriotism
  
• Unified national education system
  
• Revision of curriculum