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French colonisation of Vietnam - Coggle Diagram
French colonisation of Vietnam
Background
Confucianism was strongly infused into Vietnamese society
Under Emperor Gia Long, Vietnam had a fairly centralised administration.
Vietnam was split into Tonkin in the north and Cochin-China in the south connected by Annam
Vietnam was well organised and strong under Emperor Gia Long
Many ministers or the Supreme council assisted Emperor Gia Long
French missionaries were spreading Catholicism
Emperor Minh Mang wanted to check the spread of Catholicism
The persecution peaked under Emperor Tu Duc
The French now used the excuse of protecting the Catholic missionaries to intervene in Vietnam
Banned the entry of Catholic missionaries into Vietnam
Execution of thousands of missionaries and demolition of their churches
French was unable to penetrate defences in Annam
Sent a fleet of 70 ships to fortify Saigon
As Emperor Tu Duc's army was burdened by the rebellions in northern Vietnam, they ere not able to hold up against the attacks on the south and had to make peace.
Reasons for French colonial rule
Political
Ambitions of Jules Dupre
The aim of the French navy was to establish France as a global power
Determined to use their warships to gain colonies
In 1873 the Imperial court in Hue resisted European trade in northern Vietnam
Jules Dupre ignored official French policy and exerted military force
Desire to increase French prestige
The British, who were their main rivals were expanding their colonial empire in Southeast Asia.
Burma had come under the British sphere of influence and French were concerned that they would gain access to China through Burma
Germans were looking for new lands to colonise and were rumoured to want to colonise northern Vietnam
Needed to stop them from gaining power
Economic
Need for new trading bases
Wanted a trading base to redirect China's trade to Saigon
Could not do so as rapids in the upper parts of the Mekong River hindered entry
Opted to use the red river to enter Yunnan
Wanted a trading base in Hanoi in Tonkin
Need for raw materials
France needed raw materials to supply its growing industry
Vietnam had mineral resources like iron, tin, zinc and phosphate
Desired the coal mines in Hon Gai in northern Vietnam
Coal was needed to fuel the ships
Need for new markets
France was hit by an economic depression in
1873
, resulting in profits plunging and exports stagnating
Urgently needed to find new markets for its products
Social
Desire to civilise Vietnam
French officials subscribed to new political philosophies such as Social Darwinism
France was an 'enlightened civilisation' and had a duty to conquer inferior societies
Had to 'free' them from the tyranny and ignorance of despotism
Desire to spread the Catholic faith
Wanted to bring civilisation to the locals
Internal instability and chaos
After the collapse of the Taiping Rebellion, Chinese refugees fled to northern Vietnam and formed mercenary armies like the black flags
Black flags operated as bandits, harassing trading vessels for taxes
French officials feared that this disorder would cause them to lose Northern Vietnam to other countries
The two
'men on the spot'
, Jules Dupre and Francis Garnier decided to intervene in Northern Vietnam
How did the locals respond?
Collaboration
Some Vietnamese elites sincerely believed in the value of French reforms
The educated Vietnamese saw collaboration as a way to attain positions in court.
Emperor also submitted to the French and thus the people were willing to collaborate with them
Resistance
Nationalist resistance movements
Traditionalists
Aim was to restore real power to the emperor
One such movement was the Can Vuong movement led by former court officials and scholars
Although it was unsuccessful, it laid the groundwork for other resistance movements
Modernists
Did not initially reject by eventually became anti-colonial
Hoped to change Vietnam through modernisation
Wanted to establish a French-styled republic in Vietnam
French rule was too oppressive and proposals for political reforms were rejected
This authoritarian rule convinced the Vietnamese that collaboration would not be rewarded
Became convinced that drastic action has to be taken to secure Vietnam's independence
Phan Boi Chau established the pro-monarchy group known as the Restoration Society based in Japan
However, the Japanese gov wanted to establish itself as an imperial power and thus wanted to maintain a good relationship with France
Chau's goals changed and he wanted to remove the monarchy and establish a republic
He renamed the org as the Revival city and was ready to resort to the use of arms
1 more item...
Impact on Vietnam
Political
Transfer of power from the local rules to the French
The French created a centralised administration dominated by Frenchmen
The Vietnam ruling class lost their power and were replaced by French administrators and people who were loyal to the French
This led to a new class of elites which benefited from French rule and exploited the peasants for their own good.
This is exemplified by the recruitment of forced labour in mines and rubber plantations where the workers were void of any protection from further exploitation.
Economic impacts
Development of cash economy
Previously, coins similar to that of China's were used in Vietnam.
In 1885, the Vietnamese piastre and coins were issued throughout Vietnam
This helped stabalise the currency and facilitate trade and investment. This displaced the barter trade economy,
The poorer local people did not have enough excess produce to sell for cash
Importance of rice as a cash crop
Previously, rice was only grown on the subsistence level
Became the pillar of Vietnam's economy during colonial rule as the demand was rising
Vietnamese peasants migrated north to cultivate rice as between the 1880s and late 1930s, the volume of exports rose by 5 times.
By the 1920s, rice was their leading export, accounting for two-thirds of its total exports.
The government enforced that no other crop should be cultivated
The economy was dangerously dependent on rice
During the GD, falling prices and less demand brought Vietnam close to economic ruin
Even when they were short on rice, the French decided to continue exporting it.
Introduction of private property
The French introduced private land ownership to encourage the production of cash crops for export.
The French made large tracts of land public domain and the Wealthy Vietnamese and French companies also received large pieces of land
By 1939, there were 225,000 landowners in Cochin-China, compared to over a million landless peasants.
3 out of 4 peasants households were landless
Economic domination
In 1938, 53% of trade was with the French empire compared to 28% with its neighbours
95% of western investments in Vietnam were French and Indochina became their richest colony which could support their high standard of living
Benefited only the French colonial masters and rich Vietnamese.
Social impact
Large-scale migration
French encouraged internal migration to the south to work in new plantations
Many northerners migrated southwards to act as contract labourers and from 1880s to 1930s, Cochin-China's population increased by 3 times
The French also encouraged Vietnamese to move westwards to Laos and Cambodia as these countries were unwilling to go beyond subsistence farming
the Vietnamese worked as clerks and rubber tappers
By 1940, 5% of the population in Cambodia was Vietnamese.
Deterioration in standards of living
Peasants who needed a loan would lease their land to Chinese money-lenders
They charged high interest rates of 60 to 100 percent a year
When the peasants could not repay, they had to sell their crops at a fixed price or give up their land
The French acquired a monopoly over the trade of consumer goods
The French taxed them heavily and the Vietnamese suffered and felt the burden of these taxes heavily
Villages were required to buy designated amounts of goods or they would be punished
Increased opium's prominence as it yielded huge profits for the French
Opium accounted for one third of French colonial revenue and many Vietnamese were addicted to it,
Creation of a Western-educated elite
A French-style education was established and was available to only the upper classes
By 1939, only 15% of children went to school and 80% of the population was illiterate.
Increased the chasm between the elites and others