Episode 2 Forum

Hello all,

I have taken the time to type my comments (underlined and in red text, below) to the initial posts that were made in our first forum. I am sharing these with all students so that you may see what constitutes a good post. All of these fall in a range from poor to excellent. I am not sharing the scores that each post received. Only the student who made the post will be able to see that.

My hope is twofold. First, I hope my comments (in red) are similar to comments you would make if you were grading the posts. I’m certain that most of you know what constitutes good and not-so-good work. Second, these comments should help you improve your posts (and scores) for our remaining class forums.

Overall, I have two suggestions for all students when posting, besides the obvious spelling and grammar checking and proofreading for readability.

First, very few students cited facts and data from the video and/or textbooks. Not only would these facts support your position, but they would illustrate that you are actually reading the textbooks and watching the videos. How else do you prove that you know what you are talking about? In this online course, it is the only real way you are getting solid information.

Second, these posts (and journal entries) constitute a week’s worth of effort, after watching at least one hour of video and after 100 pages (or more) of reading. Some posts clearly do not rise to that level. You can be assured that the questions that are posed to you cannot be answered in a sentence or two, or without significant explanation of your position.

Wow, look how much I’ve already written to get my point across to you, and I’m only just returning scores. J

THE ASSIGNMENT

The first Vietnam war lasted from 1946 until 1954, and the struggle was as much a political as a military one. Commandant A. M. Savani, the head of the French intelligence command, noted before the end of that war that "pacification will be fully realized not when we will have occupied each inch of earth but when we will have conquered all the hearts and won all the minds."

What did he mean? How could that be accomplished? As 1954 ended, who was in a better position to conquer hearts and win minds - Ho Chi Minh or Ngo Dinh Diem? Why? Why had the French been unable to do so?

YOUR POSTS – separated by ***

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By the statement that "pacification will be fully realized not when we will have occupied each inch of earth but when we will have conquered all the hearts and won all the minds," what was meant was that simple occupation would not end the hostilities in a people that were so devoted to their nation explain, include history. What was needed was to either crush their spirits or earn their trust and respect, the French wanted to crush their spirits. Examples?

Ho Chi Minh was in a great position to earn the trust and respect of the Vietnamese people because of his established reputation as a nationalist hero and his help in ending the Japanese occupation. The French were unable to earn the respect of the Vietnamese people because they attempted to earn it through fear, and they overworked the people while taking the vast majority of the food and products that they produced, leaving the people to starve.

Too brief, half of the answer simply restates the question, read and answer all questions

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In the phrase above, I think "conquering all the hearts and won all the minds", means when the rest of the world recognizes Vietnam as a country that is independant from other countries,they will have won the war.By Vietnam not having to rely on other countries to help defend them, they are making a statement that they can stand on their own feet. They could be a country for others to be cautious about. Part of this was accomplished when the French were driven from Vietnam. When are you referring to? WWII, yes French out, Japan in

It sounds to me that Ho Chi Minh was in a better position at the end of 1954, to conquer hearts and minds instead of Ngo Dinh Diem. Ho Chi Ming appeals to the population more so because he acts as their family. An example is when we read about people calling him Uncle. That name brings to people's mind that of a family member looking out for the whole family which Ho Chi Minh was doing by looking out for the country. People were familiar with Ho Chi Minh's name for many years explain which adds to his popularity because people have seen/heard of him being arrested in other countries and he was plagued with disease but he always survived. If I were in their situation, I would probably look up to a person who had good survival skills to keep the country from being taken over.

I believe the French were unable to do this because they didn't have the drive to withstand the enemy. On page 193 in Stanley Karnow's book, it mentions," The French are bogged down in Indochina and unable to meet their military obligations in Western Europe good start, explain." France didn't have the same determination the Vietnamese people had. The Vietname's had suffered through drought, countries trying to attack them, they've had their homes burned and they still come back to the same spot to rebuild. They were so determined that they dug trenches around the French. In watching the video of them digging, I'm amazed at how fast they were shoveling! You can tell that they were very determined to win. The French seemed to have a political agenda explain and the Vietnamese were fighting for their lives.

Write history in past tense

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I believe that Savani meant "pacification" does not simply mean conquering and ruling all of Vietnam at any cost. He understood that the citizens of Vietnam wanted to be united under a government whose interests matched their own, whose purpose was the advancement of their people, not others. I think it was easy to see that the citizens of Vietnam were done with being oppressed awkward wording and equally easy to see that "Uncle Ho" captured their hearts and their minds why? examples. It was also apparent that any government fashioned by foreign powers was going to be met with much less trust and devotion than one created within. Ho Chi Minh had been struggling with the French for decades, attempting to gain independence for his people. He, according to one of the speakers in the video, was always known as a "Nationalist before a Communist." It was this devotion to the country of Vietnam and its people which earned "Uncle Ho" their devotion to him. The French had always been unable to unify Vietnam as Ho was apparently able to do vague and not entirely true because they simply did not show this type of devotion to its citizens. getting redundant here They instead, had always treated Vietnam as a resource and its people as an expendable work force. Of course the Vietnamese would be untrustworthy of the French or any of their champions. What I have taken from the first two episodes of this series is the fact that the people of Vietnam have never experienced freedom as you and I have known. They have only known oppression, poverty and struggle. It also seems to me that Ho Chi Minh, until 1954, was only defending his homeland against conquering forces, not unlike you and I would...I suspect. It only stands to reason that the population of Vietnam would follow this lead.

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What he meant is that he needed the support of the country and also the loyalty of the people. He needed the true standings awkward wording that the people thought that his ways where the right ones and nothing was going to change that. explain

To win the war they couldn’t just take over the territories and call it the end they need to reach out further by convincing the people that he was right and the thoughts that he had were the right ones. vague With out the support of the people you will not be able to stay in power very long. They needed to get support from the people also they needed the people to stand by them in every move that they made. not entirely true

Ho Chi Minh was in the better position to conquer the hearts and win the minds of the people. The reason of that is because Ho gave the people the Declaration of Independence details needed. He gave the Vietnamese for the first time independence from the Chinese French? Japanese?. This is something that the people didn’t have in several years ??? so it stood out for him allowing him to win the hearts and minds of the people.

The reason that the French had been unable to is because they didn’t agree with the ceasefire but yet propelled war against Vietnam. The attacks stopped all help from America one of the biggest contributors to the materials needed. explain

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I believe that Savani meant that dominating a country and being oppressive obviously hadn't worked, but that having respect of the people, understanding them and addressing their needs, would be key to helping an occupying country (in terms of the French) gain the support required to have a peaceful situation with the people of the occupied country.

Although the French didn't employ this method, there were some American OSS/CIA and soldiers at the beginning of our involvement in Vietnam who would take the time to get the know the people around them. They would work with them in the fields. Eat with them. Talk to them and gain trust. Include Appy book part 2 story If a country shows that they are indeed their to help and not just stay on the perimeter and dominate, caring for only their own needs but not the needs of the people, that country will gain support of the people. I believe an example of this was shown in episode 2 in an interview at the time of a soldier named Captain Edmond Fricke who stated "I believe being humble and putting yourself in their shoes is the way to do it". good

In 1954 Ho Chi Minh was winning the hearts and minds of many Vietnamese, however, Diem was in the better position being backed by U.S. aid and advisors. He, however, did not use his position to gain respect of the people but in fact ended up alienating many of them with his pro-Catholic, anti-Buddist policies and elitist attitudes that many in the countryside could not appreciate. Diem wasn't avidly listening to his people and Ho Chi Minh constantly listened and was among the people in N. Vietnam addressing their needs as best as he could. His patriotism seemed more obvious than Diem's. good on Diem, weak on Ho

The French had been unable to "win hearts and minds" due to their elitist and racial attitudes. During the famine in the late 1940's they horded the food (along with Japanese). The refused to put Vietnamese in official positions of authority. They didn't bother to get to really know the people of the country they were occupying after almost a century of occupation. Even after Ho Chi Minh declared independence and the French were allowed to reoccupy Vietnam after WWII, the concessions Ho Chi Minh eventually acquiesed to were all in favor of French control yes, but doesn’t support the pro-Ho position in official positions and the economics of Vietnam. It was never about the people (except for as cheap labor) and all about the money for the French. These attitudes create unrest and revolt occurs. Ironically, you'd think the French Revolution was enough of a reminder not to be elitist and forget about the common people of a country. Apparently not. Nice analogy

Good job

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No, integrate questions into an analytical answer

1) What did he mean? 2) How could that be accomplished? 3) As 1954 ended, who was in a better position to conquer hearts and win minds- Ho Chi Minh or Ngo Dinh Diem? 4) Why? 5) Why had the French been unable to do so?

Answers:

1) Well first “pacification” means to appease or pacify. So I think that he means that we wont he pleased with the war until they have broken their spirits/hearts because the Vietnamese people are very proud. Even when they had nothing but bamboo spears, they had the courage to fight for their people. The French did not need the land but they wanted to own the people. not accurate

2) I don’t think that the French could have accomplished this because it would have taken killing every Vietnamese person; then they would not have had them anyway.

3) Ho Chi Min

4) Because he had the vote of the people and support. Ho Chi Minh is most famous for being the founder of the Veit minh independence movement in 1941 wrong date for quote and he quoted from memory that, "All people are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are the right to live, the right to be happy, and the right to be free"., where as Ngo Dinh Diem believed that Vietnam needed the benevolent, authoritarian rule of enlightened elites. He also did not have the support of the people. examples?

5) Because they were not interested in the independence of the Vietnamese people why would they be?, they were interested in controling the people. With control over the people they had cheap labors. The people were never treated right and did not even have enough food to eat. Facts? Evidence?

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Savani meant that the war would continue not until a military victory but a political and social victory. good A military victory was also nearly impossible, though so was a political victory good, include examples? Facts? for the French, who had been destroying their credibility with the Vietnamese since the nineteenth century. There might have been a possibility for the French to win those "hearts and minds" if they had felt capable of trusting "real" Vietnamese (not just those raised in France) in positions of power (and not just for purposes of display, but actual political power). But the French conviction that they must maintain colonial power in the region and their refusal to deal with Ho Chi Minh in a respectful explain and even manner made it impossible for them to win the "hearts and minds."

Ho Chi Minh was in a far superior position to win the support of the Vietnamese people in 1954 - his forces had just won at Dienbienphu, go with this line of thought, give analysis and he had made strides that would shore up his support in Vietminh-controlled territory, including "land reform, education, [and] health care." (Karnow 203). good source Ngo Dinh Diem was, to many Vietnamese, simply another in a long line of "puppets" put up by the French. Too brief

Post was on the right track, just too brief to do it full justice

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Commandant A. M. Savani chooses write history in past tense to relate peace to the humanitarian abilities we withhold. It is not what we can conquer by force and submission, but what we have the ability to gain through confidence, compassion and loyalty. The people will be of the common mind and if they feel the presence of force and undesired occupation then the underlying sense of distrust and spite will prevail. This has been an ever-evolving example once it comes to foreign occupation during times of turmoil and conflict. The French were unable to gain substantial support in regards to their occupation of Vietnam. Very vague They had displayed unstable efforts with ongoing changes in policy and those in cabinet. Morale would eventually plummet and the Vietminh would prevail though courage and tenacity. Why? Their hearts were won over by Uncle Ho who would continue to be true to their Homeland and its people. Vague As the war unfolded it was apparent that there were several outside influences and circumstances that dictated Foreign Policy, which in the end became the driving force behind the efforts at hand. Explain these occurrences

Uncle Ho wanted to trust the French, so much that he allowed their initial occupation not really accurate, and then only to help with the Chinese whom at that time were threatening with Communist overtake of the Vietnam. Ho saw other ways for his country to declare its independence, later to find out this desire would lead to an eventual conflict that would last close to 30 years. Still, he stayed true to the hearts of his followers and knew that over time they would prevail. Explain relationship to Vietnam This stood for a great deal as in this time it was more than this little eastern strip of land that was at the bottom of this debacle. Communism was a scare recognized across the globe, and at any expense the Western ideal would try to prevail.

You see a character like Ngo Dinh Diem who over time became a clear example of puppetry and hidden intentions. ??? He would not be a true leader to his people, and the mere reinstatement from the French was an early warning sign for this. Both the French and the US saw this ally as an opportunity to disguise policy and decisions being made. The French lost the battle with the people as soon as they declared their occupancy. Colonialism would be best used to describe this method of allegiance. Is there any allegiance in colonialism? Neither the citizens of France or Vietnam recognized this effort as a marvel idea,what idea? more so referring to it as “dirty” and “unjust”. This is no way to gain support, or to seek out peace. I feel that these ideas are universal unproven or supported with examples in any given situation like it. Outsiders have always had a difficult time persuading the populous of its benefits, and once this escalates we see a horrifying turn from alleged peace to a revolt from within. Repetition has been the only consistency of this process, take any occupancy from 1900 onward and you will find similar situations, settings, roles, and players. This is no way to gain peace and universal respect in this growing world. The people need to be spiritually satisfied and entrusted with their leaders and actions of the governing parties. Can this be possible on the global scale? Don’t ask hypothetical questions

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Commandant A. M. Savani meant that in order to achieve pacification they must show the people that they are leading them to a better way of life rather then just physically overpowering them. The Viet Minh, or the Vietnamese not the same in general, have shown they are a very resilient people and will continue to fight for what they believe in.examples? No amount of brut force will ever break their will or determintaion. Savani knew that in order to conquer them the French must win over their hearts and minds. Good, go with this idea -> The only way this could be accomplished was by installing a government that the Vietnamese could trust and would eventually lead to the unification of the country, which is what the people really wanted. As 1954 ended, Ho Chi Minh was in much better position to conquer hearts and win minds than Ngo Dinh Diem. He had proven to the people that he was a leader everyone could trust and he had shown he could produce results. He had already freed the Vietnamese from Japanese rule and helped drive the Chinese threat out of their country. Be it he allowed the French in accuracy?? and was the main reason they tried to occupy the country, he did what he had to do in order to accomplish the long term goals he had for the country. He got North Vietnam recognized as a government, calling it the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, not true and eventually defeated the French showing his accountability.??? Ngo Dinh Diem was looked upon more as a puppet ruler put in place by the United States, just as Bao Dai was chosen by the French. There were so many restrictions put on that government by the French that the Viet Minh did not see it as true independence. I am sure they viewed Ngo Dinh Diem's regime very similarly. Examples? There was so much corruption from the interrogations and executions that the government could not be trusted. He was also very anti-Communist and the Vietnamese knew there could be no chance of unification under his rule. These are similar reasons why the French had been unable to conquer hearts and win minds. When they put Bao Dai in control of the State of Vietnam, there were so many resitrictions that it was not the independence the Viet Minh wanted. The Viet Minh knew there would be no chance of unification under this rule because they would never reach the independence they wanted. This is why they continued to resist and ultimately drove the French out of their country. Unification part strayed from initial question(s)

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I think that Commandant A. M. Savani meant that you need to win the hearts and minds of the people not the govnerment. That could be accomplished by caring for the people not what they could get out of the country. I think that Ho Chi Minh was in a better position to win the heart and minds of the people. He was known through out the country as a “legend”. He was more concern for Vietnam as a whole then for himself. The French just used the country as a mean of improving their economy.

Much too brief, could have been written after reading three pages in the book.l

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In his quote, Commandant A.M. Savani implied that the French had come to Vietnam to win ‘the battle but not the war”.was this France’s purpose? unclear The French were unable to win the hearts and minds of the people because they were so focused on the physical, or militant, aspect of the war. They neglected to see that the most crucial determining factor was the opinion of the Vietnamese people, who were the main supporters of the Vietminh.careful here, explain (eventually, this became the case)

To win the hearts and minds of the people, the French needed to understand the mentality of the people. In an address to the French Vietnamese in Paris, Ho Chi Minh explained that the only thing that mattered was the independence of Vietnam.go with this The French thought that, with the financial support of the US, when? they could win a gorilla war with conventional tactics. Again this crucial mistake allowed the “never-quit” attitude explain history of the Vietnamese to continue their long-term plan for independence.

In 1954, Ho Chi Minh was in a significantly better position to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people than Ngo Dinh Diem. After the French’s defeat at Dien Bien Phu and the completion of the Geneva Accords in soon before,after they were ready to withdraw from Vietnam. At this time, Ho Chi Minh controlled of over half of Vietnam. When the Geneva Accords stated that there would be an election in two years to determine the leader of Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem had no public support because of his involvement with the French. He was supported by the US.Uncle Ho had the support of the people and they believed in his vision and his proven tactics.

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What Savani meant by the qoute, "pacification will be fully realized not when we will have occupied each inch of earth but when we will have conquered all the hearts and won all the minds", is that no matter what kind of fire power or milatary strength France had over Indochina, the people there would continue to fight for what they believe in. One way of getting the peoples support was to put out negative propaganda against the French. Unclear, no anti-French propaganda was needed Getting the support of the people would prove to be the key in Vietnam's fight against the French.

In 1954, as the French-Vietnam War was ending Ho Chi Minh had the upper hand over Ngo Dinh Diem when it came to public relations. Ngo Dihn Diem, a nationalist who opposed communism, was not a leader who would go out into public alot to get support from the people. why? Ho Chi Minh on the other hand was very good at getting out and meeting the people and talking to them about his political views and what would be best for the country. Too simplistic

I believe the French were unable to win the support from the Vietnamese people in part because they viewed the french as an occupying force, which they were. Awkward wording After so many years under French rule where the conditions were so bad, the vietnamese people finally fought back to gain their independence. Not answered well

Too brief, no factual support and could be answered after watching 1 video or reading a few pages.

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I believe from what Commandant A. M. Savini might have meant was having everyone agree on why the war happened and pretty much that people do fight for what they believe. I honestly believe that everyone is going to agree with why war happens or anything of that sort especially when lives are taken or lives being inpacted in negative way. Event though they will fight for the things that matter the most and usually it is family and our country. It can be accomplished I think by people being informed about why the war and such is going on. Whithout knowledge of such how can we know and be compassionette about it. Doesn’t address the quote… too vague

As far as conquering hearts and winning minds I feel that Ho Chi Minh could accomplish this just for the pure fact that he has schooled himself on what would make thinks work and actually was out with the people despite of times of isolation. He was a legend in his time! Not accurate

As far as the French go they expected things to be the same and live in the colonist world and for others to do so also but that wasn't happening.

Doesn’t answer the questions, no support for statements

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What Commandant Savani meant was that the French needed to win the popular support of the Vietnamese people in order to win the ground conflict in Vietnam. The only problem was that this was impossible for a foreign occupying power to do. The history of Vietnam is a history of a people subjugated and manipulated by foreigners. The Vietnamese people had been fighting for their freedom and independence for nearly 2,000 years. The only unifying force that would have been effective was an indigenous nationalist force. excellent

As 1954 ended, Ho Chi Minh was in a far better position to conquer hearts and win minds of his fellow Vietnamese. “Uncle Ho” was already a beloved figure in Vietnam who had been fighting for independence from France and for an independent Vietnam since his early days in France, some 35 years earlier. He had produced a large body of work extolling the virtues of a free Vietnam and exhorting his people to strive for that freedom. He founded the Vet Minh in 1941 whose main goal was to rid Vietnam of both the French and the Japanese and to secure an independent Vietnam for the people. Then, with others such as Vo Nguyen Giap, and Pham Van Dong, he helped the Vietnamese to defeat the French in the First Indochina war. Good factual support

The French had been unable to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people for several reasons. Firstly, as already stated in the first paragraph, the Vietnamese people had a long history of being conquered and oppressed by foreigners. They had been struggling for their independence for nearly 2,000 years. Secondly, the French were brutalizing in their policies such as La mission civilisatrice; nice vocab the French colonial policy that forced the Vietnamese to convert to French language, customs, clothing, and Christianity, or die. Thirdly, the French lied to the Vietnamese at every turn, made agreements and then defaulted on or ignored them, and placed French lackeys such as Bao Dai in positions of authority and then didn’t allow them any power at all to help the Vietnamese people. Finally, the French just didn't have the same driving motivation and determination to win that the Vietnamese had, to win at all costs. For the French, it was largely a business deal, whereas for the Vietnamese, it was a determination of how they would live the rest of their lives, free or enslaved. The French had no chance of ever winning Vietnam on their terms - - that is to say complete and utter subjugation of the Vietnamese people and the complete exploitation of Vietnam’s natural resources for France - - short of genocide.

Top notch answer, supported with data from text and videos

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Conquering the hearts and minds speaks to a concept that the only possible means to control Vietnam, or perhaps any invaded country is by persuading the people of the country that the ruling entity is both right and proper. In the terms of the Vietnamese, that the ruling entity has the “Mandate of Heaven.” While it may once have been possible to invade and conquer a country by force of arms, in the last century it has become clear that doing so is unlikely or impossible.

Accomplishing the “conquering of hearts and minds” I feel to be essentially impossible. While it can be achieved on a short term basis, for instance the 101st Airborne was able to use captured money and their own efforts to rebuild infrastructure and provide aid to the Iraqi people in the aftermath of the second Iraqi war, the results either evaporate or require a long term sustained commitment that takes decades, not years. The fundamental building blocks of such a strategy would be to treat the native people with fairness and by the rule of law, demonstrate in both effort and money that you are committed to their long term success as individuals and a society, and involve them in their own governance without allowing them to make choices that undermine your efforts. Nice analogy

For the French I think achieving anything close to this would have been impossible for several reasons. The French had an inherently racist view of the Vietnamese that precluded any rational view of their opposition. Good The French had built a history over the last century that led the Vietnamese to inherently distrust and oppose any efforts of good faith or good will the French might have attempted. The French had little or no control over the individuals responsible for acting on their policy. The Vietnamese culture had developed what is described in the Karnow book as a xenophobic distrust, often bordering on hatred of any ruling entity view as foreign. YES And the French at no point attempted to deal with the Vietnamese in good faith, creating a reputation of double dealing and backtracking. Lastly the French had come to view Vietnam as a investment, the return from which was what made it worthwhile. Aid would have been a drain on the French rather than a return.

Contrarily Ho Chi Minh and the communist party had a long list of inherent advantages in winning over the Vietnamese people. To start with Ho Chi Minh had already established a long history as a patriot and a nationalist. The communist party had dealt with the other factions in Vietnam as equals, or at least fairly. The communists made efforts to improve the lot of the people of the country. Furthermore Boa Dai had abdicated to the Viet Minh formally, thus legally passing power to them, the “Mandate of Heaven.” Even the basics were covered; the communists the average person could easily see looked, dressed, and acted just like the common farmers and workers, further establishing the connection for them.

After the defeat of the French, the South Vietnamese government let by Ngo Dinh Diem might have attempted to win the war of ideas but they were similarly crippled as the French, not the least because of their association with the French. The basic racism by the western governments prevented them from recognizing the sophistication of thought by a very old, established culture. Even the fact that most of the people they were dealing with from the Vietnamese communist party had been educated by France and other western countries didn’t lead them to treat them as intelligent or rational. Further the religious differences and obvious mixed loyalties of the southern government precluded them from asserting any sort of change in loyalties which would have undermined Ho Chi Minh’s success.

Terrific detailed answer

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The French Commandant A. M. Savani was foreshadowing the end of the Imperialist era with the aforementioned statement. However, he had no intention of doing this; he actually thought that the minds and hearts of subjugated people could be conquered by their foreign rulers. Evidence of this? This could not be farther from the truth, it takes more than economic advancements I think I agree, explain within Vietnam to make the Vietnamese citizens to buy into the appointed French government that ruled over them. These people had deep seeded beliefs and culture that the French tried to suppress within them by instituting there own policies and forcing French culture upon them. These policies would make it impossible for the French to capture the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese citizens. If the French were to capture the hearts and minds they would have to respect the wishes of popular Vietnamese ideas like those of Ho Chi Minh or “Uncle Ho”. Not logical, they couldn’t agree with Hoe and still control Vietnam Instead they would indeed try to forcefully attempt to occupy the nation militarily. With the military armaments supplied by the United States this was a viable option for the French at the time.

Ho Chi Minh and his Vietminh forces were backed by China and Russia, which were both communist regimes at the time. These troops fought for Vietnam’s freedom ? questionable and made serious headway during the French War in Indochina. I feel Ho Chi Minh was in a better position at the end of the war to conquer the hearts and minds of the people for this reason. The stood for equality amongst all citizens. Not accurate This was a popular selling point because the French industrialization of Indochina had created a large overworked lower class and then displaced many of them. Rice surpluses were exported instead of stored; this was a profitable strategy but created resentment among those worried about future famine.

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I think what Savani meant was that to keep the peace they, the french needed to gain the trust of the people, needed the vietnamese people on thier side, needed to be able to trust the french.

I think the French could have acomplished this by showing giving Boa Dai more freedoms, therefore showing the vietnamese people that they, the french were on the same level instead of thier rulers.

Ho chi minh was in a better positin to capture hearts and minds, becuase the vietnam people saw Diem as a corrupt ruler with a harsh reigme, rigging the polls and voting himself into power after the first war, his ties with america , also were not favorable to the vietnam people.

The french were unable to do so becuase they treatedthe vietnamese people like subordants rather than equalls, trying to force thier rule on vietnam.

Much too brief, with little explanation or factual support

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He meant that it didn't matter what amount of land that they had taken until they had the peoples hearts and minds they could not win. Because the people would fight for what they believed in, until the end. It could only be accomplished by winning the peasant farmers and workers that harbored the viet minh (cong) and also helped them fight. Uncle Ho was definatly the favorite in both the northern and southern hearts wrong to find a better position in the hearts and minds. Ngo Dinh Diem was felt to be an american/french puppet. The french had been unable to do so because the vietnameese people wanted to be free from the french, as well as any other foriegn presense, they believed that they had earned that right.

Much to brief

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Commandant A. M. Savani meant that in order to achieve pacification they must show the people that they can make a better life for the people and not just take control and overpower them. Instead of treating the Vietnamese like they were meek and powerless, they should have kept them on the same level (as the French). Explain how they could have done this I believe that Ho Chi Minh was in a better postion to conquer the hearts and the minds because he was a leader for his people. He gained the trust of his people and provided sucess not accurate in what he was doing. The French could not achieve a victory because of several reasons. When they put Bao Dai in control of the State of Vietnam, there were many resitrictions and it was not the independence the Viet Minh wanted. The Viet Minh knew there wouldn't be a chance of unification under this rule because they would never really be independant. This is why they resisted and drove the French out of their country. Question focused on time period after 1954… French were out.