Geneva Accords

Geneva Accords, agreements reached in 1954 that were intended to provide a basis for the end of the First Indochina War (1946-1954), a conflict that pitted Vietnam against its colonial ruler, France. Drawn up at the Geneva Conference in Geneva in July 1954, the accords called for the withdrawal of French Empire troops from South East Asia and provided for the temporary partition of Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam, with the promise of elections in 1956 to bring about reunification. The continued struggle over this partition eventually led to the Vietnam War.

The deciding battle of the First Indochina War occurred on May 7, 1954, when the French suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of the Communist Vietminh at the Battle of Điên Biên Phu. The next day, representatives from the Vietminh and the French government met in Geneva to discuss terms for ending the war. They were joined by Vietnamese who were loyal to France, as well as by representatives from Cambodia, Laos, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The Vietminh sought the complete withdrawal of the French and the recognition of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), the state proclaimed in Hanoi in 1945 by the Vietnamese independence leader Ho Chi Minh. The French hoped to retain influence in southern Vietnam, where they had set up a rival government under Emperor Bao Dai in 1949.

The DRV looked for support from its allies, China and the USSR, but both countries pressurized the government in Hanoi to accept a temporary division of Vietnam until national elections could be held in 1956. Having recently disengaged itself from the Korean War, China did not want to become involved in further conflict. The USSR hoped to pacify France in order to keep it from joining the newly formed European Defence Community, an organization established as a barrier to potential Communist advances in Europe.

After two months of tense negotiations, France and the Vietminh agreed to the temporary division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel. Vietminh forces withdrew to the north, while the French and Vietnamese troops loyal to the French moved south. Bao Dai remained head of state in South Vietnam, while Ho Chi Minh maintained power in North Vietnam.

The United States had not wanted France to enter into negotiations at all and did not sign the Geneva Accords, feeling that they gave too much to the Communists. Instead, the United States signed a separate protocol to the accords, stating that while it would not use force to oppose them, neither would it feel bound by the agreements. The United States then moved quickly to replace Bao Dai with someone who had not collaborated with the French and so might be an acceptable political leader to continue the anti-Communist crusade. Ngo Dinh Diem was picked to replace Bao Dai in 1955. With US encouragement, Diem refused to participate in nationwide elections because intelligence reports indicated they would result in an overwhelming victory for Ho Chi Minh.

Diem immediately launched widespread repression against all opponents and began to build an army, in violation of the Geneva Accords. Guerrilla attacks against the Diem government began in 1959, marking the start of the Vietnam War. In order to save the South Vietnamese government, the United States sent combat troops to Vietnam from 1965. War continued until 1975, when Vietnam was reunited under Communist rule.