French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and colonial collapse in Vietnam

French forces in Dien Bien Phu Valley: The impact of WWII on French forces

France was one of the hardest-hit of all of the victorious powers in World War II: "France was irreversibly weakened, economically, militarily and psychologically" by the end of the war. It had been occupied by the Nazis and the nation was torn apart, with many French being accused of being former 'collaborators' with the Germans. Although anti-colonial sentiment was epidemic amongst the developing world, France, "unlike the United Kingdom… was resistant to granting independence to colonies, and fought to maintain its empire, resulting in long, violent conflicts." [footnoteRef:1]France was determined to retain its status as a great power, despite the fact it had been economically and militarily crippled and much of its populace was focused upon survival and had little desire to fight abroad. Additionally, because most of its allies were either struggling to rebuild or did not support its colonialist efforts, it was largely forced to 'go it alone' in Vietnam. [1: "Effects of World War II on each country," Worldology, 7 Dec 2013 http://www.worldology.com/Europe/world_war_2_effect.htm]

France made many serious tactical failures in the final battle which tolled the death-knell of its colonial influence in Vietnam. "The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 signalled the end of French influence in Indochina. The battle fought around Dien Bien Phu was the last major campaign by a European state in the region...[while]At Na San, the French had the advantage of height over [Vietnamese General] Giap and their artillery could pinpoint Giap's forces with devastating results. Dien Bien Phu was effectively at the bottom of a valley and Giap's men controlled all the surrounding area."[footnoteRef:2]