Vietnam: the Origins of Revolution (1885-1946)
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VIETNAM THE ORIGtN$ NdOF RExVOLUTION (18,,,.$5496 Thec Almsniv~mersity ceri~er For iqesearcH in SOCia. svsrer S,1 SO10 V ISONI AVC' NW, WASHINGTON, 0,. 20018 II *.>"' o wv,.rer .. vnt& DISCLAIMER~ : e (7m0,r ilw 11ivaore'h itt fwl!vstame (CRESIR' c' The Am~erican University operates N)M L{e')arttwr if thle Army and cotidiictg or subcontracts for social Sciene aieli 0 surpor( of Army t~t0le Vi~cwa or corvywbiv~ oh~aifred in this CREW aubcontract report are those of the authors of -~ ~nkinot be Iterprowtd an representing-the vk4wa of CRESS or the official policies r '-artmerntof the Army or the IGnited Statax'CGovernment. C-mn~nts and questitms on +bitsubcontract report are bMrIted and should be addressed ZIfPS or tof ho autbor. his4 doc ument may be destroyed when no longer meeded, ]DISTRIBUTION OP~ CRESS REPORTS CRESS reports are distributed initially to Apprq pri ate organizations on the CM2IS mostor d~w hxbutlon list, which is continualky updated. 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Prepaymnt Is required. Sipecify the AD number, title, and author. Address requests to! t,~r f Cleurlir.0bouse for Fedcrsa Scientific and Technical Information 1 S., .'oa'tnment of Commerce 1z~ 'S~iged5285 Fort RoyalVrii Road 25 TONKIN Lang Son 'Hni Haiphong<~ &GULFOF TONKIN HAINAN A 170 SOUTH CHINA SEA THAILANDDaNn GULF OF SIAM Phnom Penh COCHINCHiNA VIET NAM VIETNAM: THE ORIGINS OF REVOLUTION (1885-1946) by John T. McAlister November 1968 Th Amekintu Lbtie6y cen'ret For nesearCH in social- SvSrems 5(1 VVSCONS N AVI-NA N, WW-ASHNION 0 C 70016 PfnjatrA undw w t vx- i (~lnC- of Intwnstionui Studies Plrm n lywilz. T hit docuMent ha; toqsji appirj.eI !or public rIo f. d ale 49 di"Orbutfon Is ojniimitva THE AUTHOR John T. McAlister, Jr., is a Lecturer in International Affairs at tbh Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, where he offers courses con- cerning revolution and modernization in Viet Nam and Southeast .,,.,a. ie is also research associate at the Center of International Studies at Princeton. Before accepting his present position, Dr. McAlister served for two years as an advisor to the River Forces of the Viet Niim Navy, while on active duty in the U. S. Naval Reserve. In November 1961, he prepared a staff stud), "The Internal Security Problem, South V.ct Na ' Dx . McAlister graduated from Yale University in 1958, having started the study of Viet- namese language there in 1957. He is now fluent in both speaking and writing Vietnamese. lie received his Ph. D. from Yale in 1966. Dr. McAlister is the author of "Mountain Minorities and the Viet Minh: A Key to the Indo- china War," in Pet - Kunstadter, ed., Southeast Asian Tribes, Minritie,, and Nations, and "The Possibilities for Diplomacy in Southeast Asia," World Politics, Jamary 1967. A III .,iSTRACT At the heart of the continuing controversy in Viet Nam is a revolutionary struggle for political order and unity which remains incomplete and has consumed the vitality of the Viet- namese for more than two decades. The fundamental changes in the structure of politics which have developed in Viet Nam over the past forty years are the essence of revolution. How and why this revolution occt,,rred and the significance of the Vietnamese experience is germane to a more perceptive understanding of revolution in general. The historical anal- ysis is carried only through the final years of World War 11. Research and writing completed June 1967. i_ FOREWORD This study was conducted under a program designed to encourage university interest in bab.C research in social science fields related to the responsibilities of the 11.S. Arrmi The program is conrlucted under contract by Tlip American University's Center for Res(-:ich in ';ocial Systems (CRESS), and CRESS in turn has entered into subcontracts supporting basic research in a number of major universities h,,ring a marked interest in one or more of these research fields. The research program was formulated by CRESS in terms of broad subject areas within which research would be supported, with the scholars themseive, selecting specific topics and research design andl utilizing information in the public domain and normally available to aca1- demic and private individua!s. Under the terms of the subcontract the authors are free to publish Independently the results of such research, This report on the origins of the revolutionarY forces appearing in Vietnam was prepared at Princeton tUniD .rsitv's Center of International Studies tinder subcontract between CR3ESS and the uniiversity. Dr. McAlister's historical analysis focuses on the events Zf the 1930's and 1940's in Vie-iam to identify the origins of the revolutionary torces in% Ived. not onlY in decolonization but also Ii' the restructuring oif the \'iebnmcse social order. fits study'I contributes to a better under&!anding of the nature and scope of the dislocations and difficulties exporienced by the , -tnamese as thex' move toward rebulilding their socwtv, for participation in thc o iern wol1d. M PhIi ~A NI NOTEF 1;Iis mnanuscript is ha sc-i on &tcurnents in the FTrenf-h A rmv A rctlivestiro h<4l.I waiver o f gitive rnmenta I reg~titions- Fo 1' Mholgivix poc , d(,vumnTtS airv it I02A Imer a ihit antil they are i ft'; 'ea rs old. In -itqLi ringv the,1 r.1 Ie ,Y 'cnIt't OI U tl! IC ' CuooT :o author had to agree no t to n-e anv directI ci tatioii of them i im ~dii'ie's uit all direct ctta, ioif o theqe 'tat4e- 'las twen elmn-ated. CONTENTS The Author. .t.h.r............. ..... i Abstract .. ii I Foreword .. Acknowledgments . .. ... Prologue- Revoluticta in Viet Nam in Perspective .... ............... Chapter 1. Introduction: The Historical Context of Revolution in Viet Nam ...... 7 Revolution: A Landmark in Vietnamese Histor . ............ 7 Early Hintorn 208 B.C -220 A.D.) . .. ... 7 Middle Period '220-100 ...... ....................... .... 8 The Beginning of Institruonalism ......... ................... 9 Attack and Invasion . 10 Problems of Territorial Expansion . ............ 11 Sources of Viet Nam's Political C3sunlt . ...... Patterns of Settlement . ..... 12 StAflcance of the Village. ................... Fmctions ol ViLlages vs. ' te Autborty- . .... ... .. 13 Tay Son Rebellion . .. .. .. ... 14 Beginning of French Interests n Viet Nam 15 Contours of French 'Rule in Viet Na. .. .. ..... 16 Partitionment as a Suppressive Measure, . ..... 16 Patterns of Amlnistration . .. '7 ReIVgi onal Differences . .. .. 8 New Problems Enwrge . 19 Destnactioil of Traditional Political S,8tem ...... .. .... 2k, Chapter 2. The Colonial FAckground to the Vietnamese Revolution, i5 -1940 . 23 Tr.,of-ormatV,! c: o'"i ,ta-mene Politics . .............. 23 than 13oi Chau . .. ... .. 24 Devclopment of Political G oupa ..... 25 Signiflcance ol Secret S.xciees .. ...... 25 Early IemonAtratio s Ag-tnst French Rule . ..... .... 26 ransformation of \Vitn .r-ie "o iiety . 28 Extent of "-a1xr Force in Vrt Nam . 29 New Patter s of LaiTholU.ig . 30 , o The 'icial .ructu: o CreatedT C'i A . .,, 31 Establishment of a NewNFducatiomnal S; ste. .34 eflnesis of VitntAmese Naulonaism . 36 Formation vt Part q ,, . 37 8eC6n nnP of PoilticL :V'tin ... I Party Growth and Conflict . ..... ... .. ... 41 Communist Efforts Toward Organization .. ..... 42) Establishment of Village Soviets..... 43 Overt Communist Revolution Defeatc-d . ................. 44 Colorc..! Background to th~e Vietna~mese Revolution. ............ 45 Anti -French Revolutionary Group6.......... 45 P Crucial Years: 1940-45 .. 46 Susv islon of French Sovereignty ............ ....... 47 Summary .. ...... .............. .. ...... 47 Chapter 3. The Wartime Catalyst of Revolutionary PoLitics: The Japanesc cc-Lupation of Indochina, 1940-45....