Social Science Class 10 Important Questions History Chapter 2 The Nationalist Movement in Indo-China

 

Social Science Class 10 Important Questions History Chapter 2 The Nationalist Movement in Indo-China

Very Short Answer Questions (VSA) 1 Mark

Question 1.
How was the maritime silk route useful for Vietnam? (2015 D)
Answer:
Vietnam was linked to maritime silk route which brought in goods, people and ideas.

Question 2.
Classify the economy on the basis of the nature of the activity. (2015)
Answer:
The economy is classified on the basis of economic activities into three sectors namely— Primary sector, Secondary sector and Tertiary sector.

Question 3.
What was the result of the peace negotiation in Geneva that followed the French defeat in Vietnam? (2016 D)
Answer:
In the peace negotiation in Geneva that followed the French defeat, the Vietnamese were persuaded to accept the division of the country. North and South were split. Ho Chi Minh and the communists took power in North. Bao Dai’s regime was put in power in South.

Question 4.
Name the writer who wrote a play based on the lives of Trung sisters. (2016 D)
Answer:
Phan Boi Chau.

Question 5.
What were the two bases of colonial economy in Vietnam? (2016 D)
Answer:
Bases of colonial economy in Vietnam:

  1. Rice cultivation
  2. Rubber plantation

Question 6.
Who were called colons in Vietnam? (2016 OD)
Answer:
French citizens living in Vietnam were known as colons.

Question 7.
What was the main aim of the Scholar Revolt of 1868? (2016 OD)
Answer:
The main aim of Scholar Revolt of 1868 was to oppose French control and expansion of Christianity.

Question 8.
Who led the ‘Scholar Revolt’ in Vietnam in 1868? (2016 0D)
Answer:
The “Scholar Revolt” in Vietnam in 1868 was led by officials at the imperial court.

Short Answer Questions (SA) 3 Marks

Question 9.
Describe infrastructural projects which were developed by the French colonisers in Vietnam. (2012 D, 2012 OD)
Answer:
Infrastructural projects which were developed by the French colonisers in Vietnam:

  1. The French built canals and drained lands in the Mekong Delta to increase cultivation. The irrigation canals helped to increase rice production and allowed the export of rice to the international market.
  2. Transport networks were laid to help transport goods for trade and move military garrisons.
  3. Information projects started in order to transport goods. The French constructed trans-Indo-China rail network to connect the northern and the southern parts of Vietnam and Yunan in China. The second line was built linking Vietnam to Siam via the Cambodian Capital of Phnom Penh.

Question 10.
Explain the views of Phan Chu Trinh as a nationalist. (2013 D)
Answer:
Phan Chu Trinh was intensely hostile to the monarchy. He wished to overthrow the monarchy and create a democratic Republic for Vietnam.

  1. He was greatly influenced by the western ideas of democracy and did not want a wholesale rejection of the western civilization.
  2. He accepted the French revolutionary ideal of liberty but charged the French for not abiding by the ideal.
  3. He demanded that the French set up legal and educational institutions, and develop agriculture and industries in Vietnam.

Question 11.
Explain any three features of the “go east movement” in Vietnam. (2011 D)
Answer:
The three features of the “go east movement” in Vietnam were:

  1. Primary objective of Vietnamese students who went to Japan to acquire modern education in 1907-08, was to drive out French from Vietnam.
  2. Their aim was to overthrow the puppet regime and re-establish the Nguyen dynasty that had been deposed by the French with the help of foreign arms.
  3. The Vietnamese nationalists asked for Japanese support to accomplish their mission as Japan had modernized itself and had resisted colonisation by West and its victory over Russia in 1907 proved its military capabilities.

Question 12.
Explain the reactions within the United States to its involvement in the Vietnam War during the 1960s. (2011 D)
Answer:
The effect of United States being involved in the Vietnam War of 1960s was also felt within United States:

  1. Many became critical of the government for getting involved in an indefensible war.
  2. Anger spread out amongst the youth because of the government’s discriminatory practise. Compulsory service in armed forces was only forced on the minorities and children of working class families and not on the privileged elites.
  3. US media and films played a major role in both, supporting and motivating the youth to participate in war, as well as criticizing the war as unreasonable.

Question 13.
Explain the role of women as warriors in Vietnam during the 1960s. (2011 OD)
Answer:
Role of women in the anti-imperial struggle in Vietnam:
(i) In the 1960s, photographs in magazines and journals showed women as brave fighters. There were pictures of women militia shooting down planes. Women were portrayed as young, brave and dedicated. Some stories spoke of their incredible bravery in single-handedly killing the enemy — Nguyen Thi Xuan, for instance, was reputed to have shot down a jet with just twenty bullets.
(ii) Women were represented not only as warriors but also as workers. They were shown with a rifle in one hand and a hammer in the other. Whether young or old, women began to be depicted as selflessly working and fighting to save the country.
(iii) Many women joined the resistance movement. They helped in nursing the wounded, constructing underground rooms and tunnels and fighting the enemy.
(iv) Along the Ho Chi Minh trail, young volunteers kept open 2195 kms of strategic roads and guarded 2500 key points. They built six airstrips, neutralized tens of thousands of bombs, transported tens of thousands of kilograms of cargo, weapons and food and shot down fifteen planes. Of the 17,000 youth who worked on the trail, 70 to 80 per cent were women.

Question 14.
Explain the contribution of Ho Chi Minh in the freedom movement of Vietnam. (2013 D)
Answer:
Ho Chi Minh was one of the greatest teachers, who fought for the freedom and unification of Vietnam.

  1. He started organizing the Communist and Nationalist movements soon after the end of the First World War.
  2. In 1930, he brought together competing nationalist groups to establish Vietnamese Communist Party. He was inspired by the militant demonstration of the European Communist Parties.
  3. In 1940, Japanese occupied Vietnam. So the nationalists now had to fight against the Japanese as well as French. A league called ‘Viet Minh’ was formed to fight with Japanese and Ho Chi Mirth became its Chairman.
  4. After the US intervention in Vietnam, he supported the NLF (National Liberation Front) with resources and army to fight against the mighty US army.
    In his honour, the capital city of Saigon is now named as Ho Chi Minh city.

Question 15.
Why was the ‘Tonkin School’ started in Vietnam? Explain any three reasons. (2013 OD)
Or
Explain any three characteristics of the ‘Tonkin free School’ in Vietnam. (2011 OD)
Answer:
The main objective of the Tonkin Free School was to provide western style education to Vietnamese. Reasons:

  1. This education included classes in Science, Hygiene and French. (These classes were held in the evening and had to be paid for separately.)
  2. It was not enough to acquire knowledge in Science and western ideas but was also important to learn to look ‘modem’.
  3. The school encouraged the adoption of western style such as having a short haircut. This was a major break for the Vietnamese identity because they traditionally kept long hair.
  4. The French tried to strengthen their rule in Vietnam through the control of education and tried to change the values, norms and perceptions of people to accept the superiority of French culture and civilization. (any three)
    Vietnamese intellectuals on the other hand feared that Vietnam was losing not just control over territory but also its identity, its own culture, customs and traditions.

Question 16.
Why did a major protest erupt in 1926 in the Saigon Native Girls School in Vietnam? Explain. (2015 D, 2014 D)
Answer:
A major protest erupted in the Saigon Native Girls School when a Vietnamese girl sitting in one of the front seats was asked to move to the back of the class and allow a local French student to occupy the front seat. The girl refused and she was expelled by the Principal (also a local French). When the angry students protested, they too were expelled. This led to further open protests. Seeing the situation getting out of control, the government forced the school to take the expelled students back.

Question 17.
How did students in Vietnam fighf against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent Vietnamese from qualifying for ‘white collar jobs’? (2014 OD)
Answer:
The students were inspired by patriotic feelings and the conviction that it was the duty of the educated to fight for the benefit of society.
This brought them into conflict with the French as well as the traditional elite since both saw their position threatened.

By the 1920s, students were forming various political parties, such as the Party of the Young Annan and publishing nationalist journals such as the Annanese Student.

Schools thus become an important place for political and cultural battles.

Question 18.
How did Paul Bernard argue in favour of economic development of Vietnam? Explain. (2015 OD)
Or
Explain the views of Paul Bernard regarding the economy of Vietnam. (2011 D)
Answer:
Paul Bernard was an influential writer and policy-maker who strongly believed that the purpose of acquiring colonies was to make profits.

  1. According to him, the development of economy will raise the standard of people and people would buy more goods. The market would consequently expand, leading to better profit for French business.
  2. According to Bernard, there were several barriers to economic growth in Vietnam, such as large population, low agricultural productivity and extensive indebtedness amongst the peasants.
  3. To reduce the poverty and increase agricultural productivity, it was necessary to carry out land reforms.
  4. Industrialisation was also essential for creating more jobs as agriculture was not likely to ensure sufficient employment opportunities.

Question 19.
Explain any three points, how school textbooks in Vietnam glorified the French and justified colonial rule? (2011 OD)
Answer:
Three points to prove that the school textbooks in Vietnam glorified the French and justified colonial
rule:

  1. The Vietnamese were represented as primitive and backward, capable of manual labour but not of intellectual reflection.
  2. Vietnamese were said to be only capable of working in the fields but not rule themselves as they were merely copyists and lacked creativity.
  3. School children were told that only French rule could ensure peace in Vietnam. The French claimed that the establishment of French rule had led to an atmosphere of security against the constant terror of pirates, so that Vietnamese peasants could live and work in peace.

Question 20.
How did nationalism emerge in Vietnam through the efforts of different sections of society to fight against the French? Analyse. (2016 D)
Nationalism in Vietnam emerged through the efforts of different sections of the society:

  1. The colonisation of Vietnam by the French brought the people of the country into conflict with the colonisers in all areas of life. Nationalist resistance developed when the French troops landed in Vietnam.
  2. Schools became an important place for cultural and political battles. Students played a major role by travelling outside Vietnam to Japan to acquire modern education. Their main aim was to seek foreign help to overthrow the puppet emperor and re-establish the Nguyen dynasty. By 1920s, students were forming various political parties such as Party of Young Annan and publishing journals such as Annanese Student to promote patriotic feelings.
  3. Teachers and students did not accept the French curriculum in schools. Teachers spread nationalism by modifying texts and criticising what was stated in the textbooks.
  4. During the nationalist movement, a new image of womanhood emerged. Political thinkers and writers began idealising women rebels of the past. Many women joined the resistance movement. They helped in nursing the wounded, constructing underground rooms and tunnels and even shot down 15 enemy fighter-planes.
  5. Religious scholars opposed the presence and spread of Christianity by French Christian missionaries.

Question 21.
“The Ho Chi Minh Trail became advantageous to Vietnamese in the war against U.S.” Support the statement with arguments. (2016 OD)
Answer:
“The Ho-Chi-Minh Trail became advantageous to Vietnamese in the war against U.S.”

  1. The trail symbolizes how the Vietnamese used their limited resources to great advantage.
  2. The trail, an immense network of footpaths and roads was used to transport men and material from North to South.
  3. It was improved in late 1950s and from 1967 about 20,000 North Vietnamese troops came south each month. The trail had support bases and hospitals along the way.
  4. Mostly supplies were carried by women porters on their backs or on their bicycles.
  5. The U.S regularly bombed this trail to disrupt supplies but efforts to destroy this important supply line by intensive bombing failed because they were rebuilt very quickly.

Question 22.
Describe any three changes that came in the life of Vietnamese after the colonisation of Vietnam by the French. (2017 D)
Answer:
The colonization of Vietnam by the French troops brought the native population in conflict with the colonisers mainly in military, economic, educational and religious fields. The French troops had landed in Vietnam in 1858 and by the mid 1880’s they had taken control of the northern region in Vietnam. In 1887, the French Indo China was formed. The French made regular efforts to colonise most of Vietnam. This brought the French in direct conflict with the Vietnamese who mourned over the loss of their liberty. The national movement thus began to develop in Vietnam—
(i) The French expanded agricultural land in Vietnam by cutting huge chunks of jungles. Rice and rubber cultivation expanded in the region. However, these agricultural farms were largely controlled by the French and a small section of the local elite group. In rural areas the landlords held tight control over the peasants and the general standard of the people declined. The pace of industrialisation was too slow. The peasants and the middle class thus began to feel the negative effects of the French rule. Indentured labour also added to the miseries of the working and the poor classes.

(ii) The Vietnamese came into conflict with the colonisers in the field of education too. The French introduced modem education in Vietnam in order to consolidate their own position. The
traditional Vietnamese education was thus discouraged. The colonial education declared the French as modern and civilized people while the Vietnamese people were painted as uncivilized who needed to be reformed. This educational policy brought the Vietnamese in conflict with the French. The Vietnamese students also wanted to compete for the ‘white collar jobs’. This brought them in conflict with the colonisers and the Vietnamese traditional elite section of the society.

(iii) The French also tried to interfere in the religious affairs of the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese practiced Buddhism, Confucianism and few local religions. Christianity was introduced by the French missionaries. This was resisted by the locals. This brought the latter in conflict with the French. Many religious movements hostile to the French thus emerged in Vietnam such as the Floa Hao movement.

Question 23.
Describe any three problems faced by the French in the sphere of education in Vietnam. (2017 OD)
Answer:
(i) The French needed an educated local labour force, but they feared that once the Vietnamese got educated, they may begin to question colonial domination.
(ii) French citizens living in Vietnam (called ‘colons’) feared that they might lose their jobs as teachers, shopkeepers, policemen to the educated Vietnamese. So they opposed the policy of giving the Vietnamese full access to French education.
(iii) Another problem faced by the French was that the elites in Vietnam were still powerfully influenced by Chinese culture. So the French carefully and systematically dismantled the traditional Vietnamese education system and established French schools for the Vietnamese.
(iv) In the battle against French colonial education, schools became an important place for political and cultural battles. Students fought against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent the Vietnamese from qualifying for white-collared jobs.
(v) There was a protest in Saigon Girls School on the issue of racial discrimination. The protest erupted when a Vietnamese girl sitting in the front row was asked to move back to allow a local French student to occupy the front seat. The girl refused and was expelled along with other students who protested. The government was forced to take the expelled students back in the school to avoid further open protests.

Thus, the battle against French colonial education became part of the larger battle against colonialism and for independence.

Long Answer Questions (LA) 5 Marks

Question 24.
Explain any five ways in which teachers and students organized resistance against the French in Vietnam. (2011 OD)
Answer:
Five ways in which teachers and students organized resistance against the French in Vietnam were:
(i) Teachers and students did not blindly follow the French curriculum. While teaching, the Vietnamese teachers quietly modified the text and criticized the text.
(ii) The Saigon Native Girls School incident led to a major protest against the French by Vietnamese students. The students who were expelled by the school authorities for protesting, were taken back because of the pressure of the open protest by students in Vietnam.
(iii) Students fought against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent the Vietnamese from qualifying for white collar jobs. By 1920s students started forming various political parties and publishing nationalist journals.
(iv) Vietnamese intellectuals including students and teachers started fighting against the French education system as it tried to change the values, norms and perceptions of people, to make them believe in the superiority of the French Civilization and the inferiority of the Vietnamese.
(v) By the 1920s, students formed various political parties, such as the party of ‘Young Annan’ and published nationalist journals such as the ‘Annanese Student’.

Question 25.
“The division of Vietnam set in motion a series of events that turned the country into a battlefield.” Support the statement. (2012 D)
Answer:
The division of Vietnam into north and south turned the country into a battlefield bringing death and destruction to its people as well as the environment.

The Bao Dai regime in the south was overthrown by a coup led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem built a repressive and authoritarian government. Anyone who opposed Diem was called a communist and jailed and killed. Diem retained ordinance 10, a French law that permitted Christianity but outlawed Buddhism. Diem’s dictatorial rule was opposed by the National Liberation Front (NLF).

Question 26.
Which were the two major problems before the French in the field of colonial education in Vietnam? How did they try to solve these problems? Explain. (2012 OD)
Answer:
The two major problems before the French in the field of colonial education in Vietnam were as follows:
(i) The French were in a dilemma whether or not to introduce French education in Vietnam, because they feared that Vietnamese may begin to question colonial domination.
(ii) The French wanted to dismantle the Chinese (Traditional) education system in Vietnam. Consequently, they had to remove Chinese as a language of instruction, but they were in a fix whether to introduce only French or Vietnamese in the lower classes and French in the higher classes.
They tried to solve the problems in the following ways:

  1. They started the ‘Tonkin Free School’ to provide a western style education. This education included classes in Science, Hygiene and French.
  2. They suggested that Vietnamese to be taught in lower classes and French in the higher classes.
  3. The few who learned French and acquired French culture were to be awarded with French citizenship.

Question 27.
How were Vietnamese nationalists inspired by Japan and China to set up a democratic republic? Explain with examples. (2013 D)
Answer:
Influence of Japan. In 1907-08, around 300 students from Vietnam went to Japan to acquire modem education.
(i) The primary objective was to drive out the French from Vietnam, overthrow the puppet emperor and reestablish the Nguyen dynasty that had been deposed by the French. For this, they needed foreign help.
(ii) Japan had modernized itself and had resisted colonisation by the West. It had defeated Russia in 1907 and proved its military strength. The Vietnamese nationalists looked for foreign arms and help and appealed to the Japanese as fellow Asians.
(iii) Vietnamese students established a branch of Restoration Society in Tokyo but, in 1908, the Japanese Ministry of Interior clamped down on them. Many, including Phan Boi Chau, were deported and forced to seek exile in China and Thailand.

Developments in China also inspired Vietnamese nationalists:
In 1911, the long established monarchy in China was overthrown by a popular movement under Sun Yat Sen, and a republic was set up. Vietnamese students organized the Association for the Restoration of Vietnam.
Now, the nature of the Anti-French independent movement changed. The objective of the Vietnamese now was to set up a democratic republic.

Question 28.
Describe any five features of the ‘Go East Movement’ (2013 OD)
Answer:

  1. In the first decade of the 20th century, a ‘Go East Movement’ became popular. In 1907-08, around 300 students from Vietnam went to Japan to acquire modern education.
  2. The primary objective was to drive out the French from Vietnam, overthrow the puppet emperor and reestablish the Nguyen dynasty that had been deposed by the French. For this, they needed foreign help.
  3. Japan had modernized itself and had resisted colonization by the West. It had defeated Russia in 1907 and proved its military strength. The Vietnamese nationalists looked for foreign arms and help and appealed to the Japanese as fellow Asians.
  4. Vietnamese students established a branch of Restoration Society in Tokyo but, in 1908, the Japanese Ministry of Interior clamped down on them. Many, including Phan Boi Chau, were deported and forced to seek exile in China and Thailand.

Question 29.
Explain, with examples, how religious groups played an important role in the development of anti¬colonial feelings in Vietnam. (2014 OD)
Answer:
Scholars’ Revolt, 1868. It was an early movement against French control and spread of Christianity. It was led by officials at the imperial court angered by the spread of Catholicism and French power. There was an uprising in Ngu An and Ha Tien provinces where the Catholic missionaries had been active in converting people to Christianity since the early 17th century. By the middle of the 18th century, nearly 3,00,000 people had got converted. This had angered the people of these provinces and led to the uprising. Though this uprising was crushed by the French, it had inspired the people of other regions to rise against the French colonialism.

Hoa Hao Movement. It began in 1939 and gained popularity in Mekong delta area. The founder of Hoa Hao was Huynh Phu So. He performed miracles and helped the poor. His criticism against useless expenditure, opposition to the sale of child brides, gambling and the use of alcohol and opium had a wide appeal. The French tried to suppress the movement led by Huynh Phu So and declared him mad, called him the Mad Bonze and put him in a mental asylum. Interestingly, the doctor, who had to certify him insane, became his follower and finally, in 1941, the French doctors declared that he was sane. The French authorities exiled him to Laos and sent his many followers to concentration camps.

Question 30.
Describe the major problems in the field of education for the French in Vietnam. (2015 D)
(i) The French needed an educated local labour force, but they feared that once the Vietnamese got educated, they may begin to question colonial domination.
(ii) French citizens living in Vietnam (called ‘colons’) feared that they might lose their jobs as teachers, shopkeepers, policemen to the educated Vietnamese. So they opposed the policy of giving the Vietnamese full access to French education.
(iii) Another problem faced by the French was that the elites in Vietnam were still powerfully influenced by Chinese culture. So the French carefully and systematically dismantled the traditional Vietnamese education system and established French schools for the Vietnamese.
(iv) In the battle against French colonial education, schools became an important place for political and cultural battles. Students fought against the colonial government’s efforts to prevent the Vietnamese from qualifying for white-collared jobs.
(v) There was a protest in Saigon Girls School on the issue of racial discrimination. The protest erupted when a Vietnamese girl sitting in the front row was asked to move back to allow a local French student to occupy the front seat. The girl refused and was expelled along with other students who protested. The government was forced to take the expelled students back in the school to avoid further open protests.

Thus, the battle against French colonial education became part of the larger battle against colonialism and for independence.

Question 31.
Describe the ‘Rat Hunt’ activity introduced by the French in Vietnam. (2015 D, 2011 D)
Or
“The measures taken by the French to control the spread of bubonic plague in Hanoi created a serious problem”. Explain the statement. (2014 D)
Answer:
(i) The modem city of Hanoi got infested with rats in 1902 and was struck by bubonic plague. The large sewers in the modern part of the city served as breeding grounds for rats.
(ii) To get rid of the rats, a ‘Rat Hunt’ was started. The French hired Vietnamese workers and paid them for each rat they caught. Rats began to be caught in thousands. This incident taught the Vietnamese the first lesson of collective bargaining. Those who did the dirty work of entering sewers found that if they came together they could negotiate a higher bounty.
(iii) They also discovered innovative ways to profit from the situation. The bounty was paid when a tail was given as a proof that a rat had been killed. So the rat catchers began clipping the tails and releasing the rats, so that the process could be repeated over and over again.
(iv) Defeated by the resistance of the Vietnamese, the French were forced to scrap the bounty programme. Bubonic plague swept through the area in 1903 and in subsequent years. In a way, the rat menace marks the limits of French power and contradiction in their civilizing mission. This incident is also an example of the numerous small ways in which colonialism was fought by Vietnamese in everyday life.

Question 32.
Describe the ‘Scholar’s Revolt’ of 1868 against the spread of Christianity in Vietnam. (2015 D)
Answer:

  1. Scholars’ Revolt, 1868. It was an early movement against French control and spread of Christianity.
  2. It was led by officials at the imperial court angered by the spread of Catholicism and French power.
  3. There was an uprising in Ngu An and Ha Tien provinces where the Catholic missionaries had been active in converting people to Christianity since the early 17th century.
  4. By the middle of the 18th century, nearly 3,00,000 people had got converted. This had angered the people of these provinces and led to the uprising.
  5. Though this uprising was crushed by the French, it had inspired the people of other regions to rise against the French colonialism.

Question 33.
Describe any five steps taken by the French for the development of the ‘Mekong Delta Region’. (2015 OD, 2013 D)
Answer:
Steps taken by the French for the development of the ‘Mekong Delta Region’:

  1. Colonies were considered essential to supply natural resources and other essential goods. Like other western nations, France also thought that it was the mission of the ‘advanced’ European countries to bring benefits of civilization to backward people.
  2. The colonial economy in Vietnam was primarily based on rice cultivation and rubber plantations owned by the French and a small Vietnamese elite. The French built canals and drained lands in the Mekong Delta to increase rice cultivation. A vast system of irrigation was built which led to great expansion in rice production and gradually Vietnam became the third largest exporter of rice in the world.
  3. An efficient system of transport was built for trade. Rail and port facilities were set up to support and service this sector.
  4. Indentured Vietnamese labour was widely used in the rubber plantations. French did little to industrialise the economy.
  5. In the rural areas landlordism spread and standard of living declined. To reduce rural poverty and increase agricultural productivity, it was necessary to carry out land reforms as Japanese had done in the 1890s.

Question 34.
“U.S. entry into the war in Vietnam marked a new phase that proved costly to Vietnamese as well as to the Americans:” Analyse the statement. (2016 D)
Answer:
Effect of the War on Vietnam:
(i) US entry into the war proved costly to the Vietnamese as well as to AmericAnswer: The phase of struggle with the US was brutal.
(ii) From 1965-1972, many (over 403100) US personnel served in Vietnam out of which 7484 were women. Many died in battle and a large number of people were wounded.
(iii) Thousands of US troops arrived equipped with heavy weapons and tanks backed by most powerful bombers of the time—B52s. The widespread attacks and use of chemical weapons—Napalm, Agent Orange and Phosphorous bombs destroyed many villages and decimated jungles. Civilians died in large numbers.

Effect of the US involvement on life within the US:
(i) Most of the people were critical of the government’s policy of war. When the youths were drafted (forced recruitment) for the war, the anger grew.
(ii) Compulsory service in the armed forces could be waived only for university graduates. This meant many of those sent to fight did not belong to the privileged elite, but were minorities and children of working class families which created a lot of resentment.
(iii) US media played a major role in both supporting and criticising the war. Hollywood made films in support of the war. (Example: John Wayne’s Green Berets; 1968). The film was taken as a war propaganda film, responsible for motivating many young men to die in the war. Other films were more critical. (Example: John Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now 1979 reflected the moral confusion that the war caused in the US).

Question 35.
“The peace negotiations in Geneva followed the division of Vietnam that set in motion a series of events that turned Vietnam into a battle field.” Analyse the statement with arguments. (2016 OD)
Answer:
The peace negotiations in Geneva followed the division of Vietnam that set in motion a series of events that turned Vietnam into a battle field.”

  1. In the peace negotiations in Geneva that followed the French defeat, the Vietnamese were persuaded to accept the division of the country, i.e., North and South.
  2. The division set in motion a series of events that turned Vietnam into a battlefield bringing death and destruction to its people as well as the environment.
  3. The Bao Dai regime was soon overthrown by a coup led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem built a repressive and authoritarian government.
  4. Anyone who opposed him was called a Communist and was jailed and killed.
  5. With the help of Ho Chi Minh government in North, the NLF fought for the unification of the country. The U.S watched this alliance with fear. Worried about the communist gaining power, it decided to intervene decisively sending in troops and arms.

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