We will study the period in Vietnam’s history as it fought to be free of colonialism and some of the key decisions that were made by the governments of Vietnam, France and the United States that figure so heavily in our own history. We begin at the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference, where a young Ho Chi Minh tries to meet Woodrow Wilson to deliver a petition for Vietnamese independence, and we conclude with the death of the first American soldiers whose names are inscribed in the Vietnam War Memorial. We evaluate several questions that shaped not only Vietnam’s history but also America’s. Should America have taken the hand of friendship that was extended by Ho Chi Minh? Were we wrong to support France as strongly as we did? How could the Viet Minh, starting with an army that had a total of 31 men and 3 women ultimately defeat the French? Our core book, which won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for History, traces the path that led two Western nations to lose their way in Vietnam. It is "An epic story of wasted opportunities and tragic miscalculations...and larger than life characters". The author, Fredrik Logevall, is Professor of History in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. We will also have elective supplementary readings including a timeline of events, and excerpts from various experts as well as you tube videos from the National Archives
Week 1: Prologue - A Vietnamese in Paris; Liberations 1940-1945, Chapters 1-2, Remembering Vietnam, National Archives Episode 1 ( https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/remembering-vietnam-online-exhibit-episodes-1-4) ,including short video
Week 2: Liberations 1940-1945, Chapters 3-4;
Week 3: Colonial Struggle 1946-1949, Chapters 5,6, ; "Department of State Policy Statement on Indochina, Sept 27 1948; https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1948v06/d33"
Week 4: Colonial Struggle Chapter7, 8, East Meets West 1949-1953,
Week 5: East Meets West 1949-1953, Chapters 9,10
Week 6: East Meets West 1949-1953, Chapters 11,12,13,
Week 7 East Meets West Chapter14 ,15;
Week 8 The Cauldron 1953-1954, Chapters 16,17
Week 9: The Cauldron 1953-1954, Chapter 18,19
Week 10: The Cauldron 1953-1954 Chapters 20,21
Week 11: Peace of a Kind 1954, Chapter 22, ; “Negotiations and Vietnam: A Case Study 1954 Geneva Conference, Preface (pages iii-xii)”
Week 12 Peace of a Kind 1954, 23,24;
Week 13: Seizing the Torch 1954-1959, Chapter 25, 26
Week 14: Seizing the Torch 1954-1959, Chapter 27, Epilogue and Wrap Up
Fredrik Logevall, Embers of War, Random House 2012
Department of State Policy Statement on Indochina Sept 27, 1948 (available online without charge)
Rand Corporation Negotiations and Vietnam: A Case Study (available online without charge)
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-timeline- General timeline of events in Vietnam; provides a good perspective of the sequence of key decision with optional video if you wish