The Indochinese experience of the French and the Americans : nationalism and communism in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam / Arthur J. Dommen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dommen, Arthur J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nationalism--Indochina.

Nationalism.

Communism--Indochina.

Communism.

Indochina--Politics and government.

Indochina.

Indochina--Foreign relations--France.

France--Foreign relations--Indochina.

France.

Indochina--Foreign relations--United States.

United States--Foreign relations--Indochina.

United States.

France--Foreign relations--20th century.

United States--Foreign relations--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1190 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Dommen s book promises to be the definitive political history of Indochina during the Franco-American era." William M. Leary, E. Merton Coulter Professor of History, University of Georgia This magisterial study by Arthur J. Dommen sets the Indochina wars 'French and American' in perspective as no book that has come before. He summarizes the history of the peninsula from the Vietnamese War of Independence from China in 930-39 through the first French military actions in 1858, when the struggle of the peoples of Indochina with Western powers began. Dommen details the crucial episodes in the colonization of Indochina by the French and the indigenous reaction to it. The struggle for national sovereignty reached an acute state at the end of World War II, when independent governments rapidly assumed power in Vietnam and Cambodia. When the French returned, the struggle became one of open warfare, with Nationalists and Communists gripped in a contest for ascendancy in Vietnam, while the rulers of Cambodia and Laos sought to obtain independence by negotiation. The withdrawal of the French after their defeat at Dien Bien Phu brought the Indochinese face-to-face, whether as friends or as enemies, with the Americans. In spite of an armistice in 1954, the war between Hanoi and Saigon resumed as each enlisted the help of foreign allies, which led to the renewed loss of sovereignty as a result of alliances and an increasingly heavy loss of lives. Meticulous and detailed, Dommen s telling of this complicated story is always judicious. Nevertheless, many people will find his analysis of the Diem coup a disturbing account of American plotting and murder. This is an essential book for anyone who wants to understand Vietnam and the people who fought against the United States and won. "

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Introduction

Abbreviations

1. The Arrival of the French (1625-1893)

2. Dealing with the French (1893-August 30, 1945)

3. The Rise of Nationalist Feeling and the Suppression of the Nationalists (August 30, 1945-December 1946)

4. The Growth of Foreign Intervention (December 19, 1946-July 20, 1954)

5. The Crucible of Nationalism (July 20, 1954-1957)

6. The Decline of the Nationalists (1958-1960)

7. The Nationalists Struggle against Great Odds (1961-1963)

8. Americanization of the War (1964-1968)

9. The End of the Non-Communist Nationalists (1969-1973)

10. The Party Center Triumphant (1973-2000)

Epilogue

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-253-10925-6

OCLC:

70749942