User:Phaisit16207/sandbox/French Indochina

Indochinese Union
(1887–1947)
Union indochinoise (French)

Indochinese Federation
(1947–1954)
Fédération indochinoise (French)
1887–1954
Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem: La Marseillaise
("The Marseillaise")
Vietnamese-style seal of the Governor-General of French Indochina[b]
Map of French Indochina, excluding Guangzhouwan
Map of French Indochina, excluding Guangzhouwan
Status
Capital
Official languagesFrench
Other languages
Ethnic groups
(1936)[2]
Religion
Demonym(s)Indochinese
Membership[e]
GovernmentFrench federation
Governor-General 
• 1887–1888 (first)
Ernest Constans
• 1955–1956 (last)
Henri Hoppenot[f]
Historical eraNew Imperialism
1858–1885
• French Cochinchina established
17 October 1862
19 April 1899
• Addition of Guangzhouwan
5 January 1900
22 September 1940
Oct. 1940 – May 1941
9 March 1945
2 September 1945
13 September 1945
19 December 1946
21 July 1954
Area
• Total
737,000 km2 (285,000 sq mi)
CurrencyFrench Indochinese piastre
Preceded by
Succeeded by
1887:
Protectorate
of Annam
Protectorate
of Tonkin
French
Cochinchina
French Protectorate of Cambodia
1889:
Twelve Tai
Cantons
1898:
Qing dynasty
1899:
French
protectorate of Laos
1900:
Guangzhouwan
1904:
Kingdom of Champasak
Kingdom
of Siam
1945:
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Kingdom of Kampuchea
1946:
Lao Issara
Thailand
1941:
Thailand
1945:
Empire of
Vietnam
Kingdom of
Cambodia
Kingdom of
Luang Phrabang
Guangzhouwan
Empire of Japan
1954:
State of
Vietnam
North Vietnam
First Kingdom of Cambodia
Kingdom of Laos
Today part ofVietnam
Laos
Cambodia
China
 Zhanjiang
  1. ^ Localised version of the Great Seal of France removing a number of French nationalistic symbols related to universal suffrage, science, and the Gallic cock while adding an anchor and rice wheat.[1]
  2. ^ Used on Classical Chinese language documents, its inscription reads Đại Pháp Quốc Khâm mệnh Tổng thống Đông Dương Toàn quyền đại thần quan nho (大法國欽命總統東洋全權大臣關伩) written in seal script.
  3. ^ Saigon was incorparated with Cholon district, thus, from 1931 it was being called Saigon–Cholon until 1956.
  4. ^ Changed the name to "Thai" since 1939
  5. ^ Administered by, but not part of French Indochina
  6. ^ As Commissioner-General

French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China; French: Indochine française),[a] officially the Indochinese Union[b] prior to 1947 and the Indochinese Federation thereafter, was a grouping of French colonial territories in Southeast Asia until its demise in 1954. It comprised of, in the west and predominantly, Cambodia, Laos (from 1899), and, in the east, the Vietnamese regions of Tonkin in the north, Annam in the centre, and Cochinchina in the south, with the Chinese territory of Guangzhouwan (from 1898 until 1945). The capital for most of its history (1902–1945) was Hanoi; Saigon was the capital from 1887 to 1902 and again from 1945 to 1954.

The Second French Empire annexed Cochinchina in 1862 and established a protectorate in Cambodia in 1863. After the French Third Republic took over northern Vietnam through the Tonkin campaign, the various protectorates were consolidated into one union in 1887. Two more entities were incorporated into the union: the Laotian protectorate and the Chinese territory of Guangzhouwan. The French exploited the resources in the region during their rule, but also contributed to improvements of the health and education system in the region. Nevertheless, deep divides remained between the native population and the colonists, leading to sporadic rebellions by the former. After the Fall of France during World War II, the colony was administered by the Vichy government and was under Japanese occupation until March 1945, when the Japanese overthrew the colonial regime. After the Japanese surrender, the Viet Minh, a communist organization led by Hồ Chí Minh, declared Vietnamese independence, but France subsequently took back control of French Indochina with the help of the British. An all-out independence war, known as the First Indochina War, broke out in late 1946 between French and Viet Minh forces.

To counter the Viet Minh, the State of Vietnam, led by former Emperor Bảo Đại, was proclaimed by the French in 1949. French efforts to retake Vietnam were unsuccessful, culminating in defeat at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ. On 22 October and 9 November 1953, the Kingdom of Laos and Kingdom of Cambodia proclaimed their respective independences. Following the Geneva Accord of 1954, the French were forced to withdraw from Vietnam, which had been split into the two countries (until 1976), and French Indochina was no more.

Names

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The name of Indochina refered to the region in Southeast Asia that was a complex web of cultures and languages, since it was located on the influence of the Indian and Chinese civilisations. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century to refer the area of both civilisation met and later, during the New Imperialism that France had controlled parts of comtemporary Vietnam, the term was popularised.

The French rule in Indochina was composed of, in the east, Vietnamese protectorates—Tonkin and Annam—and the colony of Cochinchina, and two western protectorates—Cambodia and Laos—as a bulwork against Siam. In 1887, French authorities formally described these controlled area as the Indochinese Union (French: Union indochinoise), due the diverse culture, the name was refered in Vietnamese Liên bang Đông Dương (聯邦東洋 in Chữ Nôm); Laotian ສະຫະພັນອິນດູຈີນ; Khmer សហភាពឥណ្ឌូចិន; Siamese, after 1939 Thai, สหภาพอินโดจีน; and Chinese 印度支那聯邦.

Despite their efforts to impose the centralised government system, the French found themselves struggling to maintain control over the diverse populations of Indochina, and is the home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, many of whom had long histories of resistance to foreign rule, especially after World War II that plagued French overseas territories, including the Indochinese Union, which was struggling to gain independence from French control. To prevent an all-out war, thus, in 1947 the Indochinese Federation (French: Fédération indochinoise; Vietnamese: Liên đoàn Đông Dương; Khmer: សហព័ន្ធឥណ្ឌូចិន; Lao: ສະຫະພັນອິນດູຈີນ; Thai: สหพันธรัฐอินโดจีน) was in placed of the former union, with member possessions were each given themselves a degree of self-governance. However, the situation in Indochina continued to deteriorate, with the Viet Minh trying to gain strength in Tonkin and northern Annam, the French responded with military force, leading to a long and brutal conflict.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ While both "Indo-China" and "Indochina" can be found in contemporary English-language sources, "Indo-China" is the most commonly used spelling (even though Indochine, instead of Indo-Chine, was commonly used in French); contemporary official publications also adopt the spelling of "Indo-China".
  2. ^ Decree of 17 October 1887.

Citations

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  1. ^ Lecompte, Jean. Monnaies et jetons de l'Indochine Française. (Principality of Monaco, 2013) Quote: "Les légendes sont bien sûr modifiées. A gauche, les attributs de l'agriculture et des beaux-arts sont remplacés par des épis de riz et à droite figure une ancre symbolisant le ministère de la Marine et des Colonies. Hélas, Albert-Désiré Barre décède le 29 décembre 1878 et c'est alors son frère aîné Auguste-Jean Barre qui lui succède et mène à terme le projet. Les premières frappes sortent en 1879." (in French))
  2. ^ "French Indo-China: Demographic Imbalance and Colonial Policy". Population Index. 2 (11): 68–81. 1945. doi:10.2307/2730333. JSTOR 2730333 – via JSTOR.