“The First World War had a limited impact on the independence movement in Vietnam.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement. The effects may extend beyond the timeframe but they must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may refer to the weakening of French colonial power in Indo-China, as a result of the First World War. The nationalist movement, fuelled by Ho Chi Minh’s experiences at the Paris Peace Conference, called for independence from the French and was influenced by Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the concept of self-determination. Other groups and leaders, such as Phan Boi Chau also emerged during the 1920s and 1930s. Nationalist groups linked to the Guomindang in China as well as various communist groups also existed. The French colonial government brutally repressed all opposition. Candidates may agree, partly agree or disagree with the statement.

The question required candidates to offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the First World War had a limited impact on the independence movement in Vietnam. Responses seen challenged the question and discussed a range of other factors as well as the war.