Ho Chi Minh

1. Ho Chi Minh Jacki Doyle Jeska Gobracht Rach Justen

2. Instructions • Be quiet and pay close attention otherwise you will be put on detention. • Make sure your sheet is completed as you will be asked questions afterwards. WITH REWARDS!! • Ask relevant questions after the seminar as we are your teachers and are here to teach and help you.

3. Timeline • 1890-Ho Chi Minh was born. • 1911-17 Travels the world, witnessing exploration of native peoples by Europeans. • 1917-Moves to Paris. • 1919-Visited President Wilson at the Versailles peace conference. • 1920-Created a new Comintern. • 1923-Goes to Soviet Union to study communism and work for the Comintern, also read ‘Communist Manifesto’ . • 1924-25-Travels to China as a secret agent of the Comintern. • 1926-Published ‘The Road To Revolution’ which aimed to popularise Marxism. • 1929-30-Helps found Indochinese communist Part (ICP). • 1937-Arrested in Hong Kong, sent t Hon Kong jail, and diagnosed with tuberculosis. • 1938-Traveled again as secret agent to China. • 1940-Japanese troops enter Vietnam. • 1941-Travelled back to Vietnam, first time home in 30 years. Helps found Vietminh.

4. Focus Questions • How did Ho Chi Minh’s background influence his revolutionary ideologies for Vietnam? • What did Ho achieve while living in France? • What did Ho achieve while in Moscow?

5. How did Ho Chi Minh’s background influence his revolutionary ideologies for Vietnam? • While growing up Ho had been influenced by nationalist ideas from his father which played an important role in influencing Ho’s decision to become a revolutionary fighter for his country Vietnam. • He was aware of the impact of the French colonialists on Vietnam and believed that the Vietnamese were being exploited by the French but had a right to rule themselves. ~~ French Soldiers

6. When Ho’s father was sacked because of his criticisms of French policies, Ho left school and took a personal interest in Chinese affairs. Ho hated the French and IT WAS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE ENEMY IN ORDER TO DEFEAT THEM so Ho became a cook and a cabin boy on a French steam ship departing from Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh city.) Ho Chi Minh city The ship was departing for Europe and Ho planned to travel in order to claim an independent Vietnam.

7. It was here that Ho became involved with a group of Asians who were challenging Britain’s colonial grip over their Asian colonies. They were being exploited and Ho was fortified at the discovery that the Vietnamese were not alone in their struggle for independence. • ~~ • Ho ended his sea voyage at the end on 1913 and went ashore at France. He then moved to London. London

8. What did Ho achieve while living in France? • In 1917 Ho Chi Minh moved to Paris. • Here he found disabled Vietnamese soldiers and injured civilians that were forced to work 18 hour days in French munition factories during WWI. Ho vowed to support them and became a founding member of the French Communist Party who desired reform. ~~

9. 1919 Ho discovers his sister was sentenced to 9 years hard labour for revolutionary activities. • It was also in 1919 that Ho wrote a simple 8 point program of reform that he wanted to deliver to US President Wilson at the Versailles Peace Conference as he wanted America’s help in creating an independent Vietnam. • This document addressed the issues of colonialism, liberty, freedom and justice and petitioned on behalf of Vietnamese self-determination. However, Ho was ignored by Wilson and never got to see him. • ~~ • Ho then changed his name to Nguyen Ai Quoc (Nguyen the patriot) and was by now deeply influenced by communism and could see ways to apply it to his own nation. President Wilson

10. By 1920 Ho believed the only way freedom for Vietnamese and a fairer society could be achieved was by a violent revolution. • He attended a French Socialist Party Congress where socialists were split into 2 groups concerning the issue of Communist International (Comintern) which was an ideological and political force to advance communism world wide by the actions of communist parties in many countries. • The members were outvoted by the radicals led by Ho and a new Comintern was proclaimed.

11. What did Ho achieve while in Moscow? • Ho was summoned to Moscow in 1922 for training in communism and revolutionary tactics from the Soviets. This marked the beginning of Ho’s rise to prominence. • The hero of the Russian Revolution and leader of the Soviet Union, Lenin was gravely ill and died shortly after Ho’s arrival. • ~~ • The Communist Party of the Soviet Union published many tributes to Lenin with one written by Ho. He then joined the Russian Communist Party.

12. The written works and Political ideologies of Karl Marx & Fredrich Engel's (19th Century revolutionaries) had a profound impact on Ho. Their book “The Communist Manifesto” increased Ho’s knowledge about the proletariat (working class) & their on-going struggle with the bourgeois (middle-class capitalists.) Marx had written about the inequality of money spread throughout the world. ~~ • Lenin had applied Marx’s theory in the Russian Revolution but could Ho repeat it for Vietnam? • Ho began to believe in the concept of a global proletariat revolution against all forms of capitalism and governments exploiting the nations farmers. Ho was welding Marxist ideals to a genuine longing for Vietnamese independence. Ho devised a working plan where Vietnams freedom would be based on an armed revolution led by the nations farmers.

13. 1925 Moscow’s Comintern branch requested that Ho travel to China in order to spread communist ideologies. He travelled as a Russian spy and had strict instructions to create communist interest groups, spread propaganda and establish networks useful to the Comintern. • Ho couldn’t reveal his true mission to anyone other than fellow communists because the Chinese Communist Party was only 4 years old and fearful of government repression. • While in Moscow Ho established the ‘Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League’ whose member were either Chinese or Vietnamese desiring reform. ~~

14. In 1926 Ho made the publication of a brief but important pamphlet ‘The Road To Revolution’ which informed the Vietnamese people of the ideas of communism. ~~ • However, the Chinese governments crackdown on revolutionaries soon forced Ho out of the country and into British controlled Hong Kong in 1927. here Ho worked as the Comintern’s representative with the duty of organising communist party’s and movements. His work gave him respect from the Soviet’s. • It was here in 1929 that the Revolutionary Youth League proclaimed a new struggle front called the Indochinese Communist party (ICP). Their mission was to gather new members and promote communism. ~~ • The ICP also wanted to create ‘ a peoples army’ which would free Vietnam from the French and destroy democratic nationalists and their supporters.

15. Ho’s plans ran aground and he was arrested in Hong Kong and sentenced to 6 months gaol because he was seen as a dangerous revolutionary figure. While in prison Ho was diagnosed with tuberculosis and given only 6 months to live. Ho occupied himself by writing poetry: • Three months later Ho escaped gaol and fled to China and the Soviet Union having persuaded his doctor to report him dead. • ~~

16. Now travelling in disguise and living life as a fugitive, his body racked with malaria and tuberculosis Ho was planning the ‘liberation of his homeland’. ~~ • Travelled back to Moscow in 1934 but by 1938 was again instructed by the Comintern to travel to China as a secret agent. ~~ • Ho developed a familiarity with the Chinese Communist leader and his concept of a ‘peoples war’. Ho thought this could be carved out in Vietnam. It was from this point onwards that his most famous name ‘Ho Chi Minh’ (Bringer of light) was adopted.

17. After French defeat in WWII, Japan invaded Indochina in 1940 and began to take control. Ho saw this as a perfect opportunity to free Vietnam from foreign rule so he crossed the Chinese border into Tonkin (Vietnam) where he set up headquarters of the ICP in a cold, damp cave outside the village of Pac Bo. ~~ • Three months later with the Comintern’s approval, a strategy was decided with plans for the emancipation of Vietnam. A guerrilla resistance force led by Giap was created and was known as the Vietminh. ~~ • The Vietminh gained support from the peasants for their strong nationalist goals and soon created a branch ‘The Peoples Army’ who initiated a revolt which resulted in Japanese surrender. Vietminh's Flag

18. From this, Hanoi was left defenceless and the Vietminh seized power and proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in August 1945. Ho became President and his rise to prominence was almost complete. • However, it was not over as the first Indochina war began in 1946. The Vietminh still had a long way to go in order to achieve full independence for their country.