August Revolution

August Revolution
Date 14-30 August, 1945 Location Vietnam Result Vietminh victory Emperor Bao Dai abdicated Territorial changes Empire of Vietnam dissolved Democratic Republic of Vietnam established
Belligerents
Empire of Japan Empire of Vietnam France (Vichy state)	Vietminh
Commanders and leaders
Yuichi Tsuchihashi Takeshi Tsukamoto Bao Dai	Ho Chi Minh Vo Nguyen Giap

The August Revolution (Vietnamese: Cách mạng tháng Tám), also called the August General Uprising (Vietnamese: Tổng Khởi Nghĩa) by the Indochinese Communist Party, was a rebellion in Vietnam.

On August 19, 1945, the Việt Minh under Hồ Chí Minh began rebellion against French colonial rule in Vietnam. Whether this series of events should be called a "revolution" is in question; what is clear is, from August 19 onwards, demonstrations and uprisings against French rule broke out in cities and towns throughout Vietnam. Given Japan had surrendered to the Allies at the end of World War II, the Japanese forces in Indochina stepped aside and allowed nationalist groups to take over public buildings in most of the major cities. While the Japanese allowed the nationalist groups free run of the country, they kept former French officials imprisoned.

At the time, the Việt Minh was being provided with minor supplies by the United States to fight the Japanese.

March to August

On March 9, 1945, the Imperial Japan overthrew the Vichy French administration of Jean Decoux in French Indochina. French officials and soldiers were arrested. The Japanese reinstated Bảo Đại as Emperor and created a puppet government.

On April 30, 1945, the cooperation between US officials and the Vietnamese communists was demonstrated when Major Archimedes Patti, of the US Office of Strategic Services, met with Hồ Chí Minh and received a message of warmth and solidarity from Hồ, with shipments of arms and instructors were increased.

On August 14, 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the Allies. In Indochina, the Japanese officials took advantage of the situation to cause additional problems for the Allies. Violating the surrender agreements, they helped Vietnamese nationalist groups, including the Việt Minh, to take over public buildings in various cities. On August 19, 1945, Việt Minh revolutionaries successfully seized power in Hanoi, which was later made the capital of North Vietnam. On August 25, 1945, Bảo Ðại was forced to abdicate in favour of Hồ and the Việt Minh, and ordered to relinquish the Vietnamese imperial seal and imperial sword (symbols of imperial power) to the Viet Minh.

Proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Hồ Chí Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. However, only a few days later Nationalist Chinese forces under General Lu Han began to occupy Việtnam north of the 16th parallel under the pretext of disarming the Japanese. The Việt Minh did not resist. In Vietnam south of the 16th parallel, a British occupation force arrived in October 1945. Both forces of occupation had been specified by the Potsdam Conference.

Hồ Chí Minh and the Việt Minh began negotiations with the French in late 1945. The Việt Minh were willing at this point to negotiate for something less than independence. Politically, they distrusted the occupying Nationalist Chinese both from ideological and historical viewpoints. In early 1946, the French army returned to northern Vietnam with the initial cooperation of the Việt Minh and rapidly reestablished its authority.

Having achieved this aim, relations between Hồ Chí Minh and the French gradually broke down. The Việt Minh then set about launching the rural insurrection that began the First Indochina War, known to the Vietnamese as the French Resistance War.

Bibliography

• William J. Duiker, Ho Chi Minh: A Life.
• Marr, David G. (1995) Vietnam 1945: The quest for power, Berkeley & Los Angeles, California: University of California Press.
• John T. McAlster, Jr. (1966) "Vietnam: The Origins of Revolution"
• Archimedes L. A. Patti, Why Viet Nam?: Prelude to America's Albatross

See also

• Vietnam in the time of the Second World War
• Indochina Wars

External links

• [1]
• [2]

v t e Vietnamese independence movement Events Bombardment of Tourane Capture of Saigon Capture of the Citadel of Saigon Conquest of Cochinchina Ba Dinh uprising Pacification of Tonkin Hanoi Poison Plot World War I 1916 Cochinchina uprising Thai Nguyen uprising Bazin assassination Yen Bai mutiny World War II Second French Indochina Campaign August Revolution Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam First Indochina War Battle of Dien Bien Phu Geneva Conference Organisations Can Vuong Dong Du Duy Tan Hoi Empire of Vietnam Nguyen dynasty Tonkin Free School Viet Nam Quang Phuc Hoi Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang Viet Minh Vietnam Communist Party Vietnamese revolutionaries Cuong De Dinh Cong Trang Ho Chi Minh Huynh Thuc Khang Luong Van Can Ngo Dinh Diem Ngo Duc Ke Nguyen An Ninh Nguyen Dinh Chieu Nguyen Quang Bich Nguyen Quyen Nguyen Thai Hoc Nguyen Than Hien Nguyen Thanh Nguyen Thien Thuat Nguyen Thuong Hien Nguyen Trung Truc Nguyen Xuan On Pham Banh Phan Boi Chau Phan Chu Trinh Phan Dinh Phung Phan Thanh Gian Phan Xich Long Ta Thu Thau Ton That Thuyet Tran Cao Van Tran Trong Kim Truong Dinh Emperors Tu Duc Ham Nghi Thanh Thai Duy Tan Bao Dai French rulers Albert Sarraut Jean Decoux French Indochina Governor-General Collaborators Hoang Cao Khai Tran Ba Loc Nguyen Than