CLASS X CHAPTER 02 - THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN INDO-CHINA NCERT SOLUTIONS

CHAPTER 02 - THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN
INDO-CHINA
Question 1:
Write a note on:
(a) What was meant by the ‘civilising mission’ of the
colonisers
(b) Huynh Phu So
(a) The “civilising mission” of the colonisers was an
imperial disguise for controlling colonies. European
powers assumed that their civilisation was the most
advanced, and that it was their humanitarian concern
to spread it around the world, even if this was done
by force. Europeans became the self-professed
carriers of light to the colonies, rejecting the latter’s
inherent traditions, religions and cultures as outdated.
Also, education was viewed as a “civilising” tool, but
fearing retaliation, the colonisers—the French in
Vietnam, the British in India, did not want to give full
access to the colonised people to Western education.
They were aware that Western education might instill
democratic ideals and a desire for independence.
Hence, the “civilising mission” was marred by double
standards and sheer hypocrisy.
(b) Huynh Phu So was a revolutionary leader who
started an anti-French movement known as the Hoa
Hoa. He was declared the “Mad Bonze” and put in a
mental asylum by the French. He performed miracles
and helped the poor; condemning unnecessary
expenses, gambling, intoxication and the sale of child
brides. Interestingly, he was declared sane in 1941,
but was exiled to Laos after the doctor treating him
also became his follower.
Question 2:
Explain the following:
(a) Only one-third of the students in Vietnam would
pass the school-leaving examinations.
(b) The French began building canals and draining
lands in the Mekong delta.
(c) The government made the Saigon Native Girls
School take back the students it had expelled.
(d) Rats were most common in the modern, newly
built areas of Hanoi.
(a) Only one-third of the students in Vietnam would
pass the school-leaving examinations because the
French colonial administration followed a deliberate
policy of failing students in their final year
examinations so that they could not qualify for better-
paid jobs. Only the wealthy Vietnamese could afford
enrolment in these expensive schools, and to add to
that, very few would pass the school-leaving
examinations.
(b) The French began building canals and draining
lands in the Mekong delta for increased cultivation.
This was done under a garb to “civilise” Vietnam on a
European model, but it was actually an economic idea
meant to increase rice production and subsequent
export of rice to the international market.
(c) When the French principal of the Saigon Native
Girls School expelled the students protesting another
student's expulsion, there was widespread
remonstration. Considering the gravity of the situation,
the government decided to control the intensity of the
protests by providing an outlet—making the school
take back the students.
(d) Rats were most common in the modern, newly
built areas of Hanoi because the modern and
apparently hygienic sewage system provided ideal
breeding grounds for rodents apart from being a good
transport system as well, for the rats. Sewage from the
old city was drained out into the river or overflowed
in the streets during heavy rains. The large sewers now
became a protected breeding and living space for rats.
Hanoi, despite its “modernity”, became the chief cause
of the plague in 1903.
Question 3:
Describe the ideas behind the Tonkin Free School. To
what extent was it a typical example of colonial ideas
in Vietnam?
The ideas behind the Tonkin Free School were
predominantly based on policies of westernisation.
Students were taught science, hygiene and French,
and were encouraged to adopt Western styles of
dressing.
This school was a typical example of colonial ideas in
Vietnam on account of the aforementioned. It rejected
traditional Vietnamese education and lifestyle, and
promoted western ideals and living.
Question 4:
What was Phan Chu Trinh’s objective for Vietnam?
How were his ideas different from those of Phan Boi
Chau?
Phan Chu Trinh’s objective for Vietnam was to make it
a democratic republic, along the western ideals of
liberty. He accused the French of not following their
own national ideals, and demanded for the setting up
of legal and educational institutions alongside the
development of agriculture and industries.
Unlike Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh was extremely
opposed to the monarchy. Hence, their ideas had at
their roots this fundamental difference.
DISCUSS
Question 1:
With reference to what you have read in this chapter,
discuss the influence of China on Vietnam’s culture
and life.
The influence of China on Vietnam’s culture and life
was multifarious before the French colonised Vietnam.
Even when the latter gained independence in 1945,
the rulers maintained the use of Chinese governance
systems and culture. The elites were vastly influenced
by Chinese culture and life, as has been elucidated in
Phan Boi Chau’s book “The History of the Loss of
Vietnam”. Chinese language and Confucianism were
followed by the upper classes in Vietnam. In 1911,
when the Chinese Republic was set up, Vietnamese
students followed suit in organising the Association for
the Restoration of Vietnam. Vietnamese men also kept
their hair long—a Chinese tradition.
Question 2:
What was the role of religious groups in the
development of anti-colonial feeling in Vietnam?
Religious groups played a very significant role in the
development of anti-colonial feeling in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s religious beliefs were a mix of Buddhism,
Confucianism and local customs. Christianity looked
down upon their reverence for the supernatural. In
1868, the Scholars’ Revolt protested against the
tyrannical spread of Christianity, and though the
movement was defeated, it inspired others to follow
suit. The Hoa Hoa movement in 1939 drew upon
popular religious ideas of the nineteenth century, and
its leader Huynh Phu So was a famous entity. These
groups were not in tandem with political parties which
tended to look down upon their activities with
discomfort. Nevertheless, religious movements were
successful in arousing anti-imperialist tendencies in
the Vietnamese people.
Question 3:
Explain the causes of the US involvement in the war in
Vietnam. What effect did this involvement have on life
within the US itself?
The US got involved in the war in Vietnam because it
feared that a communist government would come to
power in Vietnam after the National Liberation Front
formed a coalition with the Ho Chi Minh government
in the north, against Ngo Dinh Diem’s regime. US
policy-planners feared a spread of communism to
other countries in the area.
This involvement in the Vietnam war affected life
within the US itself because of widespread public
dissent. Only university graduates were exempt from
compulsory service in the army and this caused even
more anger amongst the minorities and working-class
families.
Question 4:
Write an evaluation of the Vietnamese war against the
US from the point of
(a) a porter on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
(b) a woman soldier.
The chapter already gives you a detailed account of
the Nationalist Movement in Vietnam. You can also
refer to some additional material on America’s war on
Vietnam. Try looking for this material in your library.
Try to understand and analyze the reasons that led to
the war and the kind of impact it had on the people,
i.e., people on both sides of the war.
This research will give you a better perspective to
attempt the answers to such questions.
Question 5:
What was the role of women in the anti-imperial
struggle in Vietnam? Compare this with the role of
women in the nationalist struggle in India.
Women played a crucial role in the anti-imperial
struggle in Vietnam. Women who rebelled against
social conventions were idealised and rebel women of
the past were likewise celebrated. Trieu Au was a
popular figure in nationalist tales. In the 1960s,
women were represented as brave soldiers and
workers. They assisted in nursing wounded soldiers,
constructing underground tunnels and fighting the
enemy. Interestingly, between 1965 and 1975,
70-80% of the youth working on the Ho Chi Minh trail
were women.
Compared to this very direct and active participation
of Vietnamese women in the anti-imperial struggle,
India women did not play a very dynamic role in the
nationalist struggle of India against Great Britain. They
followed Gandhian ideals of boycotting foreign goods
and picketing liquor shops, but mainstream politics
was controlled by men; although women like Sarojini
Naidu, Kamla Nehru and Kasturba Gandhi were keenly
involved.