The Labour Party and Vietnam
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- Created: Wednesday, 14 August 2019 15:32
- Written by Steve Palmer
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! No. 31, August 1983
The French annexation of Vietnam began in 1858, but met such determined popular resistance that it took until 1884 to annex the whole country, and protracted guerilla war continued strongly until 1897.
The French colluded with the feudal regime to repress and exploit the Vietnamese people. French education and culture were imposed and illiteracy actually increased — there were never more than 3 secondary schools in the whole country under French rule. Taxes on the peasantry were increased to pay for the colonial administration. The imperialists turned the country into a source of cheap raw materials — coal, ore, rubber – and a market for French goods. Handicraft industry was crushed by French imports, pauperising artisans, while vast areas of land were grabbed by French companies to become plantations. Rice was exported in the midst of famine.
The racist repression and exploitation by the French imperialists rekindled resistance. The plight of the peasants grew worse and they erupted into struggle in 1908. However, despite its courage and audacity the peasant resistance, led by the scholars, proved unable to maintain a disciplined and united nationwide mass movement which could successfully challenge French imperialism. This had to await the development of new social forces, forces created by the imperialists themselves in their frenzy of colonial exploitation.
