Approaching Vietnam: From World War II Through Dienbienphu, 1941-1954

On May 8th 1954 the French stronghold of Dienbienphu, in Vietnam, fell to t he forces of Ho Chi Minh, ending 80 years of French rule. Dienbienphu is ge nerally viewed as the beginning of the escalating involvement that led Amer ica into its longest war. In fact, Dienbienphu was merely the middle of a p rotracted struggle for Vietnam, a diplomatic struggle that had begun in 194 1, as World War II raged. In this book, the author draws on documents never before analyzed, painting a complex picture of diplomatic manoeuvre and co lonial ambition. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Gardner concentrates on high-level discussions between U.S., French and Bri tish leaders over "the Indo-china problem," an issue that concerned Preside nt Franklin Roosevelt even before Pearl Harbor. Quoting liberally from bila teral and trilateral conferences and government memoranda, the study traces the gradual shift from FDR's righteous anticolonial intentions with regard to French hegemony in Southeast Asia to the self-righteous "nation-buildin g" policy of the Eisenhower-Dulles erathe latter based on a conviction that "the American Revolution could be exported, materially and spiritually, to benefit the world." The study is best described in the author's own words: it is "about the way American policymakers perceived Vietnam within the ou tlines of a global vision." The Final Declarations of the 1954 Geneva Confe rence, plus the official U.S. response, are reprinted in the appendix. Gard ner is the author of Safe for Democracy: The Anglo-American Response to Rev olution. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Info

ISBN: 0393025403

ISBN-13: 9780393025408

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co

Year: 1988

Type: Used

Binding: Hardcover

Seller Info

InfinityBooksJapan

Address: 1F Komagata Heights Bldg Tokyo,

Website: https://www.infinitybooksjapan.com

Country: Japan