Indochina


Indochina, or French Indochina, was a federation of French colonies and
protectorates in south-east Asia, part of the French colonial empire. It
consisted of Cochin China, Tonkin, Annam (all of which now form Vietnam),
Laos and the Khmer Republic (now Cambodia). As a geographic term, Indochina
can also include Thailand and Burma.

France assumed sovereignty over Annam and Tonkin after the Franco-Chinese
War (1884-1885). Indochina was formed in 1887 from Annam, Tonkin, Cochin
China, and the Khmer Republic; Laos was added in 1893. The federation lasted
until 1954. The capital of Indochina was Hanoi. There was a series of puppet
Emperors.

In September 1940, during World War 2, Vichy France (which had just
submitted to Nazi Germany) granted Japan's demands for military access to
Tonkin. Immediately this allowed Japan better access to China in the
Sino-Japanese War, against the forces of Chiang Kai-shek. But it was also
part of Japan's strategy of domination of the Pacific Ocean, helped greatly
by the success of its ally Germany in defeating Pacific powers the
Netherlands (see Dutch East Indies) and France. The Japanese kept the French
bureaucracy and leadership in place to run Indochina.

On March 9, 1945 with France firmly under Allied domination, Germany in
retreat, and the USA ascendant in the Pacific, Japan decided to take
complete control of Indochina. The Japanese kept power until the news of
their government's surrender came though in August, after the atomic bombs
were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After the war, France attempted to reassert itself in the region, but came
into conflict with the Viet Minh, an organization of Communist Vietnamese
nationalists under French-educated Ho Chi Minh. During WW2, the USA had
supported the Viet Minh in resistance against the Japanese; the group was in
control of the country apart from the cities since the French gave way in
March 1945. After persuading Emperor Bao Dai to abdicate in his favour, on
September 2, 1945 Ho -- as president -- declared independence for the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam. But before the end of September, a force of
British, French and Indians, who also pressed captured Japanese into
service, restored French control. Bitter fighting ensued. In 1950 Ho again
declared an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which was recognized
by the fellow Communist governments of China and the Soviet Union.

Fighting lasted until March 1954, when the Viet Minh won the decisive
victory against French forces at the gruelling Battle of Dien Bien Phu. This
led to the partition of Vietnam into North, under Viet Minh control, and
South, called the Republic of Vietnam, which had the support of the USA,
Great Britain, and France. The events of 1954 also marked the end of French
involvement in the region, and the beginnings of serious US commitment to
South Vietnam which was to lead to the Vietnam War.

Laos and Cambodia also became independent in 1954, but were both drawn into
the Vietnam War.

While the political definition of Indochina includes only the states of
French Indochina, the geographical definition includes Thailand and Burma.