| ID | 141046 |
| Title Proper | Triumphs or tragedies |
| Other Title Information | a new perspective on the Vietnamese revolution |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Vu, Tuong |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | A new perspective has begun to challenge both the conventional portrayal of the Vietnamese revolution and the communist account of its success. This essay takes stock of new research that presents revolutionary Vietnam in a more complex and less triumphal way. It is argued that Vietnam's nationalist revolution (1945–46) should be conceptually distinguished from the subsequent socialist revolution (1948–88). The former had a distinctly urban and bourgeois character, was led by a coalition of the upper and middle classes, and lacked ideological intensity. The latter was imposed from above, based on socialist visions, and dependent on foreign assistance. The failure to disentangle the two revolutions in existing narratives assigns little agency to Vietnamese actors and leads to triumphs being exaggerated while tragedies are overlooked. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of South East Asian Studies Vol. 45, No.2; Jun 2014: p.236-257 |
| Journal Source | Journal of South East Asian Studies 2014-08 45, 2 |
| Key Words | New Perspective ; Triumphs ; Vietnamese Revolution ; Tragedies ; Conventional Portrayal |