Full Description
When, how, and why did the Vietnam War begin? Although its end is dated April 30, 1975, there is no agreement as to when it began. The Vietnam War was an enormously complex conflict and while any comprehensive reckoning must include the role of the US, it was not an 'American War'. This volume presents the scholarship that has flourished since the 1990s to situate the war and its origins within longer chronologies and larger interpretative perspectives. The Vietnam War was a war for national liberation and an episode of major importance in the global Cold War. Yet it was also a civil war, and civil warfare was a defining feature from the outset. Understanding the Vietnamese and Indochinese origins of the Vietnam War is a critical first step toward reckoning with the history of this violent, costly, and complex war.
Contents
Introduction. Points of departure: the global and local origins of the Vietnam War Edward Miller; Part I. Empires and Nations: 1. Memory, tradition, and the history of 'Vietnam' Liam Kelly; 2. The origins of the Vietnamese revolution Hue-Tam Ho Tai; 3. Hồ Chí Minh and the rise of the Vietnamese Communist Party Pierre Brocheux; 4. Indochina during World War II Eric T. Jennings; 5. The august revolution of 1945 Stein Tønneson; Part II. The First Indochina War: 6. The birth of the democratic republic of Vietnam David Marr; 7. Empire and decolonization in France and Indochina Pierre Grosser; 8. China, the Soviet Union, and the first Indochina War Chen Jian; 9. The first Indochina War in the Central Highlands Oscar Salemink; 10. The first Indochina War in Northern Vietnam and the red river delta Christopher E. Goscha; 11. The battle of Điện Biện Phủ Christopher E. Goscha; Part III. The Two Vietnams: 12. The Geneva Conference of 1954 Martin Thomas; 13. Eisenhower and Vietnam David Anderson; 14. Ngô Đình Diệm and the birth of the Republic of Vietnam Phi Van Nguyen; 15. Nation building in South Vietnam after Geneva Van Nguyen-Marshall; 16. Building socialism in North Vietnam after Geneva Alec Holcombe; 17. North Vietnam's road to war Tuong Vu; 18. Laos between two wars Vatthana Pholsena; 19. The origins of the insurgency in South Vietnam David Elliot; 20. Kennedy and Vietnam Marc Selverstone; 21. The crises of 1963 Edward Miller.
