Factors Contributing to French and American Defeats (Essay Sample)

Name
Professor’s Name
Course Name
Date
Factors Contributing to French and American Defeats in the 1st and 2nd Indochina Wars
The end of World War II was a relief to some countries since it marked the end of a large-scale armed conflict. However, it also culminated in the onset of armed resistance against colonial powers such as France in the colonized territories under their control. The 1st Indochina War was one such display, and it resulted in the withdrawal of French forces from Vietnam. American interest in the region instigated the 2nd Indochina War, which ended with similar results as the US eventually withdrew from Vietnam as well. In both conflicts, Vietnamese casualties far outnumbered those of French and American forces but the locals still prevailed and eventually won each war. Although these two Western powers had different reasons for being in the region, their withdrawals lead to questions about the military and political similarities that resulted in their defeats by the Vietnamese.
The French presence in Indochina dates back to their colonization of the region in the 1850’s, although they later lost the area to Japanese forces during World War II (Buckley 2). In 1945, the region was surrendered back to French forces instead of granting independence to Vietnam and in turn, the Viet-Minh declared their will to fight for freedom under Ho Chi Minh’s leadership (Buckley 3). Local support in favor of Vietnamese independence meant that the peasant population positively supported the Viet-Minh in the 1st Indochina War (Buckley 3). The peasant population was primarily located in the countryside and, therefore, the environment favored the Viet Minh’s guerrilla tactics as opposed to the direct strategies employed by French forces (Buckley 4). These conflicts culminated in a final French defeat at their stronghold in Dien Bien Phu in 1954. After this defeat, they cut their losses and withdrew from North Vietnam with their total fatalities numbering over 50,000 by then (Buckley 5).
Shortly after the French withdrew, Vietnam was split along the 17th Parallel with a communist-backed north and a Western-backed south (Bui 1). American support of the corrupt South Vietnamese government meant that the country’s peasant majority had negative views of the US even before it became actively involved in the war (Bartholomees 14). The Viet Cong utilized guerilla tactics during the 2nd Indochina War and the massive casualties it incurred, along with the civilian toll in North and South Vietnam, led to increased local support and volunteerism (Bui 6). On the other hand, the US government deliberately misinformed its citizens about its progress in Vietnam and public support for the war reduced dramatically when this came to light (Morales 210). The Tet Offensive was quickly quelled by US forces but further reduced public support for the war after the American public saw the price the Vietnamese were willing to pay to win the war (Morales 212). Therefore, the US withdrew from Vietnam due to increased political pressure on the home front, not its inability to win battles.
In the 1st and 2nd Indochina wars, Vietnamese forces faced superior military powers and prevailed. Their guerilla tactics utilized...