Britain and India, France and Vietnam, Portugal and Brazil. These European countries hid their true motives behind a façade of superiority. They tried to convince themselves that it was their “White Man’s Burden” to colonize other countries. They persuaded their own people to believe that the other countries “needed” them to move towards a brighter future. But in all honesty, they were only lying to themselves. The European countries were greedy and wanted economic profit. They wanted to advance their own nations. This veneer of charity, used to disguise their hunger for power, was torn down by colonized lands who fought persistently for their rightful independence. As Martin Luther King Jr. famously stated, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
Friday, March 16, 2012
HPP #7 - THE INDEPENDENCE
Most countries gained their independence through bloody wars. Afghanistan is an extreme instance of bloody wars battled for independence. Britain did not colonize Afghanistan; rather they controlled the country like a puppet. The Afghans revolted against British control several times, undergoing a first, second and third Afghan War to gain their independence. The Haitian Revolution is a better-known example of blood lost for freedom. In this revolution, half a million Haitian slaves revolted against the French to prove that all men were created equally. The Haitian Revolution led to Haiti’s independence on January 1st of 1804.
HPP #7 - THE COLONIAL EXPERIENCE
The colonial experience differed depending on the motives of each conqueror, but most countries underwent extreme change to their daily life and fundamental culture. In Vietnam, the French changed the education structure so that students learned French history over Vietnamese history. Many conquering countries applied drastic changes to the language, such as Japan who outlawed Korean and changed the official language to Japanese during their occupation. Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names and only speak in Japanese during their colonization. Those who refused were often imprisoned and punished. In the case of India, Britain came in and completely turned their cultural dynamic upside down. Once in power, Britain controlled almost every aspect of Indian daily life. They put the Indians out of business and shifted their social pyramid by enslaving the Indians. This culminated to severe poverty and unemployment.
HPP #7 - THE MOTIVES
The destinations were different, but the motives were all the same. The colonizing countries looked for an outlet for economic, religious and political power.
Profitable location was a reoccurring cause of colonization. Countries looked for land where they could easily trade goods. For example, France colonized Vietnam to gain access to the Mekong Delta, prime location for trading. Britain colonizing India to trade with the East India Company is another occasion of this happening. In East Asia, Korea was much sought after for its strategic location in between China and Japan.
European countries also colonized land to introduce Christianity to the native people. Brazil is a perfect example of this motive. The Portuguese papal grant that allowed colonization entailed the conversion of the natives to Christianity. This started the Portuguese construction of Christian churches in Brazil. Mexico is another Latin American country that experienced this religious shift, except this time due to the Spanish conquest.
Many countries also needed the land and climate in order to grow certain raw materials. Drawing from the world of “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, Belgium colonized the Democratic Republicof Congo to reach a virgin source of rubber. It was essential to colonize the Congo because Belgium needed the rubber for industrial advancements and it was not available in their motherland.
HPP #7 - THE BEGINNING
Every country has its own account of colonization and it’s undeniably true that each country has had its own experience of being occupied by foreign control, but similarities can still be found in the conquest and independence of nations. Many conquering countries voyaged to far off lands for the same motives, only to apply the same colonial experience to the conquered lands. These efforts most often surmounted to bloody wars in order for the colonized countries to gain independence.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Independence of Vietnam- The Final Piece
After Dien Bien Phu, Ho Chi Minh only gained control of northern Vietnam because southern Vietnam was against Communism. Premier Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam, a Catholic anti-communist, disagreed with Ho Chi Minh’s dream of a united Vietnam (1). This split in beliefs led to Vietnam’s civil war, lasting from 1954 to 1975 (6). During this war, South Vietnam gained the support of America, only because the U.S. did not want Communism to spread into South East Asia (6). The civil war caused a change in governing style (6). The south became oppressive (6). They began enforcing the “strategic hamlet” program where people were moved to pre-made villages to avoid contact with Viet Minh (6). The idea backfired and people became unhappy with the government (6). Later, a Communist uprising made its way into South Vietnam, currently weak from unpopularity, and had a coup d’état in 1963. Premier Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated.
Subsequent to this incident, U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, sent “advisors” to Vietnam, trying to help South Vietnam (6). These Americans became more than advisors, as they evolved into full-fledged soldiers for South Vietnam (6). Tension rose when USS Maddox was hit by North Vietnam and U.S. president, Lyndon B. Johnson, waged war (6). Americans at home were ardently against this decision (6). This lead to “Vietnamization,” a policy created by Richard Nixon to withdraw American troops and give power back to South Vietnam (6). The U.S. finally left Vietnam in 1975, leaving the South East Asian country in ruins (6). Vietnam’s economy plummeted and severe inflation occurred as northern and southern Vietnam continued to fight. On April 30th of 1975, North Vietnam defeated the quickly deteriorating South Vietnam after taking control of Saigon (6). Vietnam was finally united and independent.
Independence of Vietnam- Dien Bien Phu
In 1953, the war was still going strong and Viet Minh was in dire need of a victory. Vo Nguyen Giap, commander of Viet Minh, forced a big French troop into Dien Bien Phu, near the Laos border and cornered them (6). From November 1953 till May 1954, the French tried to stay strong but they were losing power (6). While the Vietnamese had peasants on bikes sending supplies to their troops, the French got airplanes to drop off supplies, which were shot down by Vietnam (6).
Independence of Vietnam- The Recolonization
Just as they thought they had gained their independence, the French reappeared and renewed control over Vietnam, placing the anti-communist Vietnamese upper class in power (6). They fought in the south first, and in early 1946, Ho Chi Minh was forced to sign Cochin China back to France (6). At this point, France said they would leave Vietnam, but they made no moves to leave (6). That’s when the real war started. China and Russia both sent soldiers and weapons to the Viet Minh forces. America saw this as a threat and sent aid and arms, as well as millions of dollars to the French (6).
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