European History of Relevance To Vietnam

With the exception of very modern times, Europe and Asia have been very far apart.

There was some trade in ancient times, for example, between the Romans and Han dynasty of China.

However, between about 400 AD and 1200 AD the way was shut because the land route ran between hostile and fragmented areas. The sea route, around the tip of Africa, was unknown and sailors of the time didn’t have the skill explore it.

Pre- Marco Polo

‘The West’ v ‘the East’

Marco Polo – 1300s

Marco Polo’s Adventure Stories made it appealing to go to Asia.– Adventure– Wealth (1500% profit) – Proselytizing

However, it was also dangerous. Dias…1st modern European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope… died on a later voyage.

Magellan, the 1st human to sail around the globe…didn’t really sail around the globe. He died en-route. Of his 260 men, only 18 survived.

You get the idea– Shipwreck– Starvation– Disease, especially in the tropics…notice that Vietnam is

tropical – Death by fighting locals- they had weapons as good as your

own (Letter to King George)

Age of Exploration

Letter to a Barbarian KingEmperor Qian Long's Letter to King George III, 1793

You, O King, live beyond the confines of many seas, nevertheless, impelled by your humble desire to partake of the benefits of our civilisation, you have dispatched a mission respectfully bearing your memorial. Your Envoy has crossed the seas and paid his respects at my Court on the anniversary of my birthday. To show your devotion, you have also sent offerings of your country's produce….

…Our dynasty's majestic virtue has penetrated unto every country under Heaven, and Kings of all nations have offered their costly tribute by land and sea. As your Ambassador can see for himself, we possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures. This then is my answer to your request

The point of the lecture up to this point is that Asians and Europeans had over 1000 years with very little conflict. They were basically strangers to each other.

Something happened in the 1700s that changed that. The Industrial Revolution.

Desire for Imperialism

Means of Imperialism

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution

This gave Europeans the reason and the means to conquer/imperial-ize Asia

Reason: desire for wealth, natural resources for factories, market for goods

Means: steel and with it improved gunboats and guns, quinine developed which makes Europeans resistant to Malaria

Over the next 100 years, Europeans imperialized most of the rest of the world

the French were the group who ultimately took Vietnam over by 1880. They took over a big chunk of land and named it French Indochina (why called Indochina)?

Imperialism in Vietnam

Justifications for Imperialism???

Social Darwinism White Man’s Burden ‘mission civilatrice’ in

France Salvation

White Man’s Burden

Take up the White Man's burden-- – Send forth the best ye breed (1)--

Go, bind your sons(2) to exile – To serve your captives(3)' need;

To wait, in heavy harness, – On fluttered folk and wild--

Your new-caught sullen peoples, – Half devil and half child(4).

Take up the White Man's burden-- – In patience to abide,

To veil the threat of terror – And check the show of pride (5);

By open speech and simple, – An hundred times made plain,

To seek another's profit (6)– And work another's gain.

The reality of French rule generally does not live up to the Mission Civilatrice.

Rubber plantations treatment of workers Vietnamese educated, but often to be the civil

service to rule in the name of the French…be puppets.

The freedom to spread Christianity was often used by the French as a justification for grabbing political power

Most Historians Dismiss These Justifications as Self Serving

results explosion of Vietnamese nationalism

One of the early nationalists was Ho Chi Minh.

Uncle Ho