French Indochina Worksheets
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Summary
- Background and Establishment
- Political History and Colonial Rule
- Demographics and Culture
- Economy and Social System
Key Facts And Information
Let’s know more about French Indochina!
French Indochina was a group of colonies in mainland Southeast Asia from 1941 until it was dismantled in 1954. Before 1941, it was called the Indo-China Union and from 1941 to 1954 the Indo-China Federation. It comprised Tonkin in the north, Annam in the middle and Cochinchina in the south. The Vietnamese possessed the provinces of Cambodia and Laos from 1899 and the Chinese territorial enclave of Guangzhouwan from 1898 to 1945. Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina for the majority of this time, from 1902–1945. Saigon was the capital in 1887–1902 and in 1945–1946.
Map of the Expansion of French Indochina
BACKGROUND AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FRENCH INDOCHINA
- French Indochina was a group of states that France assembled in 1887. This conglomerate consisted of countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. France had extended interest in this region since the 1850s when the country became interested in expanding its empire and establishing its base in Asia.
- France was interested initially because they wanted to be able to defend the catholic missionaries in Vietnam, hence they had a reason to deploy troops. Many military campaigns were launched by France with the first one being the Cochinchina Campaign in 1858. This gradually led to the French assuming the administration of the southern part of Vietnam by the year 1862, referred to as ‘Cochinchina’.
- The French annexation of South Vietnam started in 1862 after the signing of the Treaty of Saigon where several provinces of southern Vietnam were ceded to France.
- It created the possibility for French colonisation in the region, which in turn meant that it could expand further.
- The remainder of the following years saw the annexation of the rest of Vietnam, which brought Annam (central Vietnam), Tonkin (northern Vietnam), Laos and Cambodia under the control of the French.
- By the year 1887, it became an official union and all these lands were then governed under the Union of French Indochina.
- The inception of French Indochina had commercial and geographic objectives as its premise. It had abundant natural resources including rice, rubber and minerals that were beneficial to France’s economic interests. Its strategic location in Southeast Asia also proved very beneficial for France to continue to expand its dominion in the region and limit Britain’s influence in nearby areas such as Malaya and Burma.
- But this creation of French Indochina had some opposition. The local rulers and citizens of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia did not want the French to take over their independence; as a result, there were several rebellions and conflicts. Despite such a backlash, the French were still able to establish their authority through military force and treaties, as well as by getting the cooperation of local chiefs who were willing to work with the French colonial masters.
POLITICAL HISTORY AND COLONIAL RULE OF FRENCH INDOCHINA
- The political history of French Indochina is marked by the creation of a colonial government with a desire to impose French authority on the multi-faceted societies of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The headquarters of the whole of French Indochina were in Hanoi and everything that dealt with the French Indies was managed from here. An extremely authoritative structure known as a governor-generalship served as the head of the colonial government. In the south part of Vietnam, known as Cochinchina, the French implemented the institution of direct governance.
- It had a colonial administration, which was led by the French officers, and the civil law and the structure of the government was akin to that of France. This direct control was also evident in the economic policy and ownership of lands together with other social relations revealing the direct interventions of French authorities in the lives of the local inhabitants.
- There were few territories that were indirectly governed by French colonial masters, namely the protectorates of Annam, Tonkin, Laos and Cambodia.
- The French continued to dominate and let the local chiefs remain in their positions but with limited power.
- These leaders, who were mostly kings or emperors, were compelled to function as subordinates to the French government and perform colonial actions.
- In this way the indirect rule helped the French to keep law and order and manage large areas with little means.
- This provided the colonial administration with a clear organisational framework that was clearly skewed in favour of the French against Indigenous communities. The highest ranks of the administration were dominated by the French; only a few native collaborators known as ‘les indigènes de la main’ were given restricted power and authority. The same order was manifested in social and economic hierarchies of French Indochina, during which the French and local affiliated people enjoyed special rights and means that were unavailable for the rest of the populace.
- Another aspect of political history of French Indochina is connected with the development of the modern nationalist movements in the early 20th century.
- These movements were inspired by the anti-colonial movements across the world and the principle of self-determination in order to free themselves from France and create sovereign nation-states.
- National leaders, including Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam, turned into prominent figures of independence.
- Desire for independence further sparked the First Indochina War, which was fought between 1946 and 1954. This led to the disintegration of French Indochina and creation of new states that wanted independence.
DEMOGRAPHICS AND CULTURE
- French Indochina was a rather multiracial territory since it was home to a large number of ethnicities. Because of that, there were a lot of different languages and religious practices. The population in the colony was complex and diverse because the region had a long history of political and social changes that defined the geography, history and colonial rules of the given area.
- The majority of inhabitants of French Indochina were actually the ethnic Vietnamese living mainly in the areas of Annam, Tonkin and Cochinchina. The Vietnamese came from a long line of states and civilisations of people with their culture, language and social system. The arrival of the French brought massive social changes in Vietnamese society through a number of things it brought to light, including education, Christianity and new modes of dealing with commerce.
Subdivisions of French Indochina
- Apart from the Vietnamese, the following were the other ethnic groups of people living in French Indochina: The Khmers were from Cambodia, the Laotians were from Laos, and there were various Indigenous mountain tribes of Vietnam and Laos. Each one of these groups had its unique set of culture, language and tradition that either got integrated into the periphery or were harmed by the colonial government, which further made the divisions stronger.
- Most of the French Indochinese cities, from Hanoi to Saigon to Phnom Penh, were culturally French in many ways. These cities became very important due to the manifestation of the French touch in the form of the structures, foods, dress code and education. French was also spoken at school and in the government; thus, there was a group of educated people who spoke French as well as their native languages fluently.
- The culture of French Indochina had a really strong religious sense of the great religion dominating society.
- Buddhism was the prominent religion in Cambodia and Laos; meanwhile, in Vietnam, the people adopted Confucianism and native beliefs.
- They supported growth of Christianity by the French colonial policy, above all Catholicism.
- Beginning from the early 19th century, Catholic priests funded schools, churches and hospitals all across Indochina with a view to disseminating Western approaches to education, health care and religious beliefs.
- The French attempted to impose their culture and values on the colonies but encountered resistance and adaptation from the locals. A dualism of culture developed in that people practised French culture while also embracing their local culture due to interaction with French culture drawn from cultural imposition by French settlers on the local population.
- Colonialism affected the lifestyles of the French Indochina people and the kind of practices that were accepted by the colonial government. In fact, the French put in place several administrative measures to regulate and monitor the diverse aspects of the population in the colony. These included not only imposing French language and culture but also distribution of land and neutralisation of opposition. All these rules worsened the social and ethnic tensions as well as provoked new conflict and resistance.
ECONOMY AND SOCIAL SYSTEM
- Indochina French was developed to harness the resources in the colony to produce for the benefit of France. To get as many resources as it could, the French introduced several economic programmes, which included introducing plantations and mining industries and building infrastructure projects. These policies affected the social and economic status of the colony in significant ways and led to changes in ownership of property, working relations and status levels.
- Arguably one of the most significant transformations of the economic structure or condition in French Indochina was the plantation-based economy, particularly in Cochinchina. The French took over land from Vietnamese landlords and peasants for large-scale commercial farming of rice, rubber and other produce.
- These farms were mostly owned by French businesses or affluent Vietnamese landlords in collaboration with the colonial authorities.
- This led to many people being affected and displaced from these farms through misuse of land and workers that led to poverty and inequality.
- Apart from the plantation economy, the French also expanded the mining industry in the region through coal, tin and zinc.
- Several studies have indicated that the mining sector in French Indochina strongly relied on the forced labour of workers who were exposed to hazardous and unfair working environments.
- Most of the money generated from these industries was channelled to France, thus having a very minimal positive impact on the local economy.
- The French colonial government’s economic policy had a great impact on the societies of Indochina. The regular social classes of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were altered by novel forms of land ownership, work relations and economic systems. The French established a class of wealthy landholders and urban elites who benefited from the colonial economy while the majority were kept in poverty, exploitation and marginalisation.
- The social impacts of French colonisation were evident in the urban centres of French Indochina. Some of these places include Hanoi, Saigon and Phnom Penh, where individuals moved from the rural areas in search of employment. These cities experienced the coming of the new working class from factory workers, rickshaw pullers and other service providers. The living standards in these urban centres were generally bad, with poor sanitation and hygiene, high incidences of overcrowding in the houses, and little or no access to education and health facilities.
- The French also introduced schools, which were mainly situated in urban centres and there were tendencies of bias towards the French culture and beliefs. Nevertheless, education did not reach all the people and the majority of the population in the countryside were illiterate. Also, the education system favoured social class since only children of the affluent were made to proceed to the higher levels and secure employment with the colonial administration.
Frequently Asked Questions About French Indochina
- What was French Indochina?
French Indochina was a French colonial empire in Southeast Asia, established in the mid-19th century, and consisted of modern-day Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
- When was French Indochina established?
French Indochina was officially established in 1887, though France had been involved in the region since the 1850s, beginning with the annexation of Cochinchina (southern Vietnam).
- Why did France colonise Indochina?
France sought to expand its empire and secure the region's economic resources, such as rubber, rice, and minerals. Additionally, it wanted to assert its influence in Southeast Asia to compete with other colonial powers like Britain and the Netherlands.