Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

I'll be guiding you through all of our resources today, and my top priority is to make sure that, by the end of our lesson, you are able to successfully meet our learning objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the development of the Cold War where we're asking ourselves, how did the Cold War develop in Asia? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain the resistance to French rule in Indochina, and the consequences of France's defeat.

There are four keywords which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are: colony, exploitation, nationalism, and 17th parallel.

A colony is a country or territory controlled by another more powerful country.

Exploitation refers to using someone or something unfairly in a way that helps you, but may cause harm to other people.

Nationalism is the feeling of pride in your own country, and belief that it should be free from the control of others.

And the 17th parallel was the border established between North and South Vietnam.

Today's lesson will be split into three parts, and will begin by focusing on French Indochina.

At the beginning of the Cold War, France still ruled over a global empire with colonies located in many parts of the world.

In Southeast Asia, France controlled a colony known as French Indochina.

Indochina was made up of modern day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

So thinking about what we've heard so far, which three modern day countries made up French Indochina? Was it Cambodia, China, and Siam? Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam? China, Siam, and Thailand? Or Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was B, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam made up French Indochina.

In 1946, fighting against French rule began in Indochina.

Fighters in Indochina were encouraged by several factors, including: French exploitation, Japanese occupation, and nationalism.

So we'll think about each of these factors in turn.

Let's start by considering the influence of French exploitation.

French Indochina had some valuable natural resources, and was officially classified as a French colony of exploitation.

The colony was used as a source of tea, rice, coffee, rubber, coal, zinc, and tin, which could be used by France or sold abroad.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to change one word to correct the following statement.

Indochina was officially classified as a French colony of development.

So what's the incorrect word? And what should it be changed to? Pause the video here, and press Play when you are ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the incorrect word was development, and that that should have been changed to exploitation.

Indochina was officially classified as a French colony of exploitation.

Whilst control over Indochina helped to enrich France, colonial rule did little to improve most ordinary people's lives.

Most of the population of Indochina lived in rural areas, and were quite poor.

So now we can consider the role of Japanese occupation.

During World War II, Japan declared war on France, and attacked Indochina.

Japan successfully conquered Indochina, and occupied the colony from 1940 to 1945.

Japan's military success against France disproved French myths about Europeans being superior to Asians.

And this meant that people in Indochina became more confident that the French could be beaten.

So thinking about what we've just heard, which country occupied Indochina for most of World War II? Was it Britain, Japan, or the USA? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was B, Indochina was conquered for the French by Japan, and occupied between 1940 and 1945.

And finally, we can consider the role of nationalism in encouraging resistance to French rule in Indochina.

Indochina had experienced several decades of foreign French rule, and in several years of rule by another foreign country when it was occupied by Japan.

This experience helped to stimulate the development of nationalism in Indochina.

And more people increasingly demanded independence.

When France tried to reassert colonial control over Indochina after the end of World War II, nationalists were determined to resist.

So we've got a statement on the screen that reads nationalists did not mind who controlled Indochina so long as people got richer.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So how can we tell that that statement was false? Pause the video here, and press Play when you are ready to check your answer.

Okay well done to everybody who said that we can tell the statement was false, because nationalists did not believe in foreign rule over Indochina, and wanted the colony to gain its independence.

So now we're in a good position to put all of our knowledge about French Indochina into practise.

I want you to match each factor, so French exploitation, Japanese occupation, and nationalism with the detail that best demonstrates why it encouraged resistance to French rule over Indochina.

So pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked you to match each factor with the detail that best demonstrates why it encouraged resistance to French rule over Indochina.

For French exploitation, you should have matched this with the detail that said many people in Indochina were poor, but France took resources for its own benefit.

For Japanese occupation, you should have matched this with the detail that said it demonstrated that the French could be defeated by an Asian army.

And for nationalism, you should have matched this with the detail that said many people wanted independence after decades of being ruled over by foreigners.

So really well done if you got each of those factors and details matched up correctly.

And now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson for today, where we are going to think about Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh.

Resistance to French rule in Indochina mainly came from a group called the Viet Minh.

The Viet Minh were led by Ho Chi Minh.

So thinking about what we've just heard, which group led resistance to French rule in Indochina? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the Viet Minh were the group who led resistance to French rule in Indochina.

Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese communist who had lived in France, and helped to create the French Communist Party.

In 1941, he returned to Vietnam, and created the Viet Minh, a nationalist group.

As a nationalist group, the Viet Minh were determined to remove foreign rule over Indochina and gain independence.

This meant that during World War II, the Viet Minh organised resistance to the Japanese occupation of Indochina.

Once the war was over, and the Japanese had left, the Viet Minh continued to fight, but now fought against France's attempts to reassert control over its colony.

Although the French retained strong control over urban areas of Indochina, the Viet Minh commanded considerable support in rural areas, and were particularly strong in the North of the colony.

Many ordinary people in Indochina supported the Viet Minh.

Not only were the Viet Minh fighting for independence, but communist policies such as the distribution of land to the poor and setting up schools helped to improve people's day-to-day lives.

So which two terms best describe the Viet Minh's beliefs? Is it capitalist, communist, fascist, or nationalist? Remember, you are looking for two terms which best describe their beliefs.

So the pause video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answers.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the terms that best described the Viet Minh's beliefs were communist and nationalist.

In 1949, France offered a limited form of independence to Vietnam, hoping that this could end the fighting there.

However, this offer was rejected by Ho Chi Minh, who hoped to attract foreign support for its cause.

That year, both the Soviet Union and China, where communists had just taken power after their victory in the country's civil war, recognised the Viet Minh as the official government of Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh had also hoped to secure support from the US government.

During World War II, the US had provided some funding to the Viet Minh to help it fight against the Japanese, and the US had placed pressure on France to grant independence to its colonies.

However, once World War II was over, Ho Chi Minh's communism stood out to American officials more than his nationalism.

By 1950, American officials described Ho Chi Minh as an outright commie, and suspected that he was really under the control of the Soviet Union.

As a result, the US government began providing military aid to the French to help them defeat the Viet Minh.

By 1954, 80% of France's costs from fighting the Viet Minh were covered by the USA.

So thinking about what we've just heard, which two countries supported the Viet Minh in their war against France? Was it China, the USA, or the USSR? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that both China and the USSR supported the Viet Minh in their war against France.

This was a case of communist countries supporting a communist group.

And so now we're ready to put all of our knowledge about Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh into practise.

Why did the USA refuse to support the Viet Minh in its war against France? You may use the following sentence starters as part of your answer.

The Viet Minh hoped they might be able to secure US support for their war against France because.

And however.

So pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked you why did the USA refuse to support the Viet Minh in its war against France? Your answer may have included, the Viet Minh hoped they might be able to secure US support for their war against France, because the US had previously offered them aid when they fought the Japanese, and pressured Frances to grant its colonies independence.

However, after 1945, the USA refused to provide any support to the Viet Minh because it was a communist organisation.

Senior American leaders referred to the Viet Minh's leader, Ho Chi Minh, as an outright commie, and decided to provide assistance to France instead.

In fact, by 1954, 80% of France's costs from the war against the Viet Minh were covered by the USA.

So really well done if your own response looks something like that model which we've just seen.

And now we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today, where we are going to think about French defeat in Indochina.

The war between France and the Viet Minh in Indochina lasted for several years until 1954.

In that year, France finally admitted defeat, and withdrew from Indochina.

The Viet Minh were familiar with the terrain they were fighting in, and used this to their advantage when fighting the French.

The Viet Minh refused to fight large-scale battles which would favour the better-trained and better-equipped French forces.

Instead, they often worked in small units, staging hit-and-run attacks, or sabotaging important French locations.

The French underestimated the Viet Minh, regularly pushing deep into enemy territory to try and force a battle, only to find their supply lines cut, and face a need to retreat.

When the French did retreat, soldiers were often picked off by Viet Minh's fighters.

Increasingly, French outposts in Indochina became isolated, and could only be resupplied by air, which was difficult and costly.

In March, 1954, the Viet Minh attacked the isolated French outpost at Dien Bien Phu.

With 50,000 troops far outnumbering the 16,000 French, the Viet Minh used artillery provided by China to fire from the surrounding hills onto the exposed French camp.

This artillery fire also prevented air supplies from reaching the base.

The French were shocked by the attack, and after 56 days, were finally forced to surrender.

This proved to be the final straw.

Shortly after the battle of Dien Bien Phu, France agreed to withdraw from Indochina.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

In which major battle did the Viet Minh defeat French forces in 1954? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the answer was Dien Bien Phu.

In this battle, 50,000 Viet Minh were able to defeat an outpost of 16,000 French soldiers.

In 1954, an international conference was held at Geneva.

The conference was attended by representatives from France and Indochina, alongside other leaders from countries such as China, the USSR, Britain, and the USA.

A major focus of the conference was on how Indochina should be organised following the withdrawal of French troops.

It was agreed at Geneva that Indochina would be divided into several new states: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

However, it was also agreed that Vietnam would temporarily be split in half along the 17th parallel.

In the North, the communist Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, were in power supported by China and the USSR, whilst an American-backed anti-communist government controlled the South.

Elections were due to be held in 1956 to unite Vietnam under one of the two Vietnamese governments.

However, as the Viet Minh had gained the support of the Vietnamese people, the US and South Vietnamese governments were very concerned that elections would not go the way they wanted.

Consequently, the US decided that South Vietnam would not take part in the elections agreed to at Geneva.

Some estimates suggest that if it had, 80% of the vote across both parts of Vietnam would've been cast in support of Ho Chi Minh and Northern leadership of a unified Vietnam.

The division of Vietnam therefore became permanent.

So thinking about what we've just heard, why were the Viet Minh likely to be disappointed with the outcome of the 1954 Geneva Conference? Was it because Indochina was restored as a French colony? Because nationalism was declared illegal in Indochina? Or because Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C, Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel.

And this disappointed the Viet Minh who'd hoped to gain control over a unified Vietnam.

And let's try another question.

This time we have a statement which reads, in 1956, with Soviet and Chinese backing, Ho Chi Minh refused to hold the elections agreed to at the Geneva Conference.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

How can we tell that that statement was false? Pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said, in 1956, it was with American backing that South Vietnam refused to hold the elections agreed to at the Geneva Conference.

And so now we're in a good position to put all of our knowledge into practise.

On the screen, we have a view shared by Sam who says, "In 1954, the Viet Minh forced the French out of Indochina, and secured control over Vietnam for themselves." How accurate is Sam's view? I want you to explain your answer.

So pause the video here, and press Play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked you how far do you agree with Sam's view? And your answer may have included, Sam's view is only somewhat accurate, as the Viet Minh did force the French out of Indochina in 1954, but were unable to gain full control over the country for themselves.

In 1954, 50,000 Viet Minh fighters attacked the French base at Dien Bien Phu and forced its surrender.

This was a significant defeat, and led to the French decision to withdraw from Indochina to avoid further costly defeats.

However, at the Geneva Conference, which took place to determine post-war arrangements in Indochina, Vietnam was temporarily split in two, a Northern and Southern state separated at the 17th parallel.

The Viet Minh only had control over North Vietnam, whilst an anti-communist government with American backing took power in the South.

Although elections were scheduled to take place in 1956 to reunify Vietnam, South Vietnam and the USA decided not to take part in these when the time came.

This decision was based on the widespread assumption that any election would lead to a victory for the Viet Minh, and its leader Ho Chi Minh.

Therefore, in 1956, the division of Vietnam became permanent, meaning that the Viet Minh only gained control over part of the country.

So really well done if your own response looks something like that model which we've just seen.

And now we've reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about the collapse of French Indochina.

We've seen that France faced growing resistance to its rule over its colony of exploitation, Indochina, in the late 1940s.

The Viet Minh believed in nationalism and communism, and led the fight against French rule in Indochina.

The Viet Minh had Soviet and Chinese support, but were opposed by the USA because of their communist beliefs.

Despite significant US backing, France was militarily defeated by the Viet Minh in Indochina and agreed to withdraw.

And Vietnam was temporarily divided along the 17th parallel in 1954.

This became permanent when the South refused to hold elections in 1956.

So really well done for all of your hard work during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources today, and I look forward to seeing you again in the future, as we continue to think about the development of the Cold War, and continue to ask ourselves, how did the Cold War develop in Asia?.