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French is Interested in Indochina
Starting in 1787, The French were interested in Indochina when the Treaty of Versailles was signed between France and the claim to the Vietnamese throne, Nguyen Anh. It entailed the French bishop of Adran, Pigneau de Behaine, to uphold Nguyen Anh, who was trying to take over Vietnam, in exchange for a promise from Anh to give the French a trading post if he came to power. He also granted commercial and missionary rights to the French. -
Nguyen Anh Wins Control Over Vietnam
While the French Revolution was taking place during 1789, France could not fulfill their commitments in the Treaty of Versailles. As a result in 1802, the forces of Nguyen Anh won control of Vietnam and centralized power around the royal city of Hue in central Vietnam. Then, five years later, Vietnam wanted to expand to Cambodia by establishing it as a protectorate. -
Treaty of Saigon and Philaster Treaty
As the French were active in southern Vietnam, the Treaty of Saigon was a result of the Battle of Ky Hoa near modern-day Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon back in the day). in the Treaty, Vietnam gives up three southern provinces to France. The rest were conquered in 1867. Furthermore, the French got control of the rest of southern vietnam and Cambodia by 1870. Ensuring France's dominance over the entire Cochin China. -
Cambodia is made a Protectorate
Five years after Nguyen Anh's victory, the Vietnamese expanded their lands by establishing a protectorate over Cambodia. However, the king of Cambodia, Ang Duong, was sharp on Cambodia becoming independent of its two neighboring countries who were stronger: Thailand to the west and Vietnam to the east, and set out for help from the British in Singapore. When that failed, he recruited the help of the French. In 1863 the French established a protectorate over Cambodia. -
Henri Rivière
After those treaties, France decided to expand even more. In 1882 a French army captain Henri Rivière made an impulse decision to attack Hanoi. He was killed a year after he managed to storm the citadel of Hanoi. On the other hand, this did not prevent France to keep following through. -
Harmand and Patenotre Treaties
French advancements into Vietnam brought about the Harmand Treaty of 1883 which established a French protectorate over both Tonkin (north Vietnam, and Annam (central Vietnam). The Patenôtre Treaty of 1884 confirmed this. -
Indochinese Union
1887 was when the Indochinese Union was officialized including Vietnam and Cambodia. Laos joined it in 1893. From November 16, 1887, the French ruled through a governor-general planted in Saigon, the capital of Cochin China when the Indochinese Union was made. There were people in Laos and Cambodia, a resident-superior based in Annam, and a resident-superior based in Tonkin. They governed with the support of the regent, and took directions from the resident-superior in Annam. -
The First Indochina War
The First Indochina War spanned from 1946-1950. This was was fought between the imperialistic French and the Vietnamese soldier group called the Viet Minh. The viet Minh used guerilla warfare to figh against the French, which they were not necessarily cut out for. Though the viet minh had manpower, the French had an edge with their abundance of weaponry. Throughout Viietnam, there was a spread of concentration of soldiers. -
The First Indochina War (continued)
This means that certain places were definitely ruled by the French, ao the Viet Minh would not mess with it, and vice versa. Some places were were evened out. In the end, the Viet Minh won the war because of better strategies, greater manpower, an intellectual edge (blending in with peasants and using them to find information about French), community support, guerilla warfare, and Chinese giving them weapons. -
Cambodian Genocide
From 1975-1979, Canbodia went through a horriffic experience. While under Pol Pot's rule, the Khmer Rough organized a strict plan to reform Cambodia, modeled after Mao's China. THey believed everyone should be forced to work as toilers in one huge partnership of farms. Every single person, despite age, social standing, or physical condition was brought to communes far from their homes (if they had not died or have been killed already). People were worked, neglected, and tortured to death. -
Cambodian Genocide (continued)
Over 2 million people died.
