Why Was French Colonization So Unpopular in Indochina?
Why Was French Colonization So Unpopular in Indochina?
French Colonisation was so unpopular in Indochina for a number of reasons. The primary reason was the cultural change that the French brought about. When they colonized, they brought about many changes to Religion, mainly from Buddhism and Confucianism to Catholicism. The Indochinese social structure, in particular the south of Vietnam from landlordism to communal living was also altered by the French. The economic structure was also differentiated by the French, as they introduced taxes, currency. When this was combined with the cheap labour and unsafe working conditions, the Indochinese certainly had much reason for despising the French.
French colonisation was also unpopular because of the prejudice the French brought with them, as they had many pre-conceived ideas about Asians and different races. The fact that nationalism was very strong within Indochina only inflamed the unpopularity of the French.
The cultural change that the French brought about was a primary reason for their unpopularity. The main religions in Indochina were Buddhism and Confucianism. The French, mainly through the use of their missionaries spread Catholicism throughout Indochina, which the French did not like. The Vietnamese had several reasons for disliking the French missionaries. They included the fact that they looked different and also that they taught a doctrine which was completely foreign to them, so to speak. The fact that the Indochinese did not like the catholic missionaries is extenuated through the fact that between 1848 and 1860, mostly prior to French colonization, twenty seven European missionaries, three hundred Vietnamese priests and an astonishing thirty thousand Vietnamese Christians were put to death. The initial reason for French colonization stemmed from this, as it was to protect their missionaries placed there. They aimed to end religious persecution but also to establish the right of freedom of trade. This change to the conservative people of Indochina would surely have made them unhappy and created much dislike for the French. The French did, however, manage to convert millions of Indochinese to Catholicism, however, this was mainly because they were threatened and effectively forced to do so. This oppressiveness in itself would have created dislike for the French