Mobilising people in the Viet bac : posters, folk poetry and pamphlets in the war against French colonialism

Abstract

After the Second World War, many of the former European colonies in Southeast Asia aspired to independence. The French resisted these movements in Indochina even after independence was declared in Vietnam. The Viet Minh fought the first Indochina War against the former colonial masters, using what resources were available to them. France was an industrial power with comparatively vast wealth and military power yet they were fought to a standstill at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. This thesis examines some of the methods used by the Viet Minh to marshal their resources, which comprised the people of Vietnam, particularly from the northern Viet Bac region, to build an opponent that proved equal to one of the large European powers. The techniques used by the Viet Minh leadership focussed closely on the folk traditions and the shared understanding of the history of the people that they wished to engage in the fight for independence. The mobilisation techniques used, including the propaganda employed, proved to be a weapon powerful enough to dislodge the well-armed adversary.