Amidst the revolutionary euphoria of August 1945, most Vietnamese believed that colonialism and war were being left behind in favor of independence and modernization. The late-September British-French coup de force in Saigon cast a pall over such assumptions. Ho Chi Minh tried to negotiate a mutually advantageous relationship with France, but meanwhile told his lieutenants to plan for a war in which the nascent state might have to survive without allies. In this landmark study, David Marr evokes the uncertainty and contingency as well as coherence and momentum of fast-paced events. Mining recently accessible sources in Aix-en-Provence and Hanoi, Marr explains what became the largest, most intense mobilization of human resources ever seen in Vietnam.

List of Illustrations
Foreword
Preface

Introduction

1. Forming the DRV Government
2. The Government at Work
3. Defense
4. Peace or War?
5. Seeking Foreign Friends
6. Material Dreams and Realities
7. Dealing with Domestic Opposition
8. The Indochinese Communist Party and the Vie?t Minh
9. Mass Mobilization

Epilogue

Notes
Sources
Index