Ho Chi Minh Imperialism In Vietnam

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Recommended: History of nationalism

The rise of nationalism in Vietnam was a response to French colonialism, as their imperial mindset motivated the Vietnamese to become stronger and coordinate to unify the nation. The North Vietnamese president, Ho Chi Minh, was inspired by the Wilsonian principle of self-determination. He established the Vietminh (League for the Independence of Vietnam) to remove the French and achieve independence. Some accepted this, while others opposed the terror and equity of communism, specifically the South which led to the division of Vietnam. The Americans viewed Ho Chi Minh as a communist so they supported the South of Vietnam, while China and Russia supported the communist North.
The ideology, French colonialism played a substantial role in the struggle …show more content…

When Ho Chi Minh declared independence in Hanoi on September 2, 1945, Bui Tin perceived him as “a symbol of heroism for the people,”, his perspective can be deemed as reliable due to his proximity to the events of the August Revolution. This highlights Ho Chi Minh’s success in gaining support from the Vietnamese and his diplomacies with China and Russia as it shows he was a key figure towards independence. However, the struggle for independence is implicated in October 1945, with the French refusal to the declaration. Ho Chi Minh attempted to negotiate but the French launched an attack on the Port of Haiphong in November 1946 which was the catalyst to the Indochinese war (1946-1954). By the end of 1945, approximately 20% of the Vietnamese died from famine caused by the Japanese and led to short-lived independence. Perspective needs to be taken into consideration when looking at Ho Chi Minh’s ideologies in his letter to Truman, as it supposes that he could have had genuine relations with the US, but the US had a long hate with China and Russia as they were both communists. It is arguable that Ho Chi Minh’s request for help may have been his political agenda to gain international support. Nationalism was at the heart of it, to fight the French they needed nationalism so the Vietminh seized bases in Laos and Cambodia for liberation. This is underpinned by source A as Ho Chi Minh’s long-term goals were working together and building up a strong union, inclusive of all people. It depicts his strive for negotiation as opposed to war, however, the audience needs to be considered as he may have said these things to manipulate people and contain his plans. These notions are supported by his own words: “win small gains by communism, large gains by nationalism” which emphasise the importance of nationalism in the freeing of the

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