Ho Chi Minh Essay Example for Free

Ho Chi Minh Essay Within his years of living, he had shaped and changed Vietnam to the country he dreamed it to be by truly being a great leader of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh had been interested in Vietnam’s wellbeing from a young age. He did not jump straight into action and instead stood back and examined the necessities of gaining such rights, waiting for the moment to stand up for his country. His father believed that French education was only the best. Therefore in 1907, Ho passed an exam to enter the National Academy of Hue. He was made fun of because he came from a poor background, and the only reason why he was at the academy was because he had received a scholarship. His motivation was not wavered. In 1908, protests were held by farmers from nearby villages. They protested about the excessive taxation that the French were asking for, and Ho translated the Vietnamese language for the French. This was his first colonial encounter. The next day he was expelled for aiding the Vietnamese. As time went on he understood the concept of Marxism and strongly believed in it. In 1911, Ho boarded a ship set for France and took small jobs, all the while trying to gain knowledge about the world. His ideas for Vietnam’s independence and what it could someday be developed during his trips. In 1914, Ho Chi Minh began to build networks in the outside world and talked to his fellow Vietnamese about the French colonial rule. And in 1918, Ho Chi Minh wrote a letter to the President of the United States about how world peace could be achieved. This was the fourteen-point peace plan. Besides thinking of Vietnam, he also put the rest of the world into mind. This shows that Ho Chi Minh is thoughtful and avoids reckless tactics. After WWI he was engaged in Communist activities and was in the founding group for the French Communist Party. ? In his later years, Ho Chi Minh began to develop more plans. He soon became frustrated and indignant at the treatment that the Vietnamese were getting from the French. He heard about the Russian Revolution while living in France, and it offered millions of people living under colonial rule hope. Ho Chi Minh took inspiration from the Russian Revolution. He used it as a helping hand, for great leaders take ideas from elsewhere and use those to their best advantage. During his later years, Ho Chi Minh learnt of Stalin and Mao Zedong, who quickly became his role models. He believed the Communism would be what would allow Vietnam to gain true independence. Ho Chi Minh went to China and Hong Kong to spread the word about Communism and form Communist Parties. He was forced to leave when local authorities drove him out. He returned because he wanted the ideas of Communism, of the Vietnamese, and of his ideas to be known throughout. Ho Chi Minh was arrested in Hong Kong and remained in prison until 1933. Yet these roadblocks did not slow the motivated leader down. When Japan occupied Vietnam in 1941, Ho Chi Minh organized the Vietminh that caused the Japanese to surrender in 1945. Ho Chi Minh went on and declared Vietnam’s independence from the Japanese. At this point, Ho only needed to be rid of France to succeed entirely. Ho Chi Minh signed an autonomous agreement with the French in a conference. But his success was worth nothing when he returned home to find that the agreement was not effective. The French had already began bombing Vietnam to try and reoccupy the country. As Vietnam was low on resources, they took to fighting guerilla warfare and used a hit-and-run tactic. The USA and Europe backed France, while China, being a Communist country, backed Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh was grateful for China’s support and won the guerilla war. Independence was proclaimed. Post-war Vietnam was split up into two, yet the Vietnamese did not get a say in this. Ho Chi Minh did not like the idea of fellow Vietnamese turning on each other, the South on the North and visa versa. He wanted unity between the entire Vietnam, and secession was the last thing they needed. Though Ho Chi Minh allowed his people to take part in various risky and violent events, he only did so because he thought it best. He had confidence that his people would win their battles and indeed they did. Though he was anxious and worried when the US arrived in North Vietnam to chase out the Communists, he helped North Vietnam hold together like a rock and won the battle doing so. He did not risk using proper warfare because he knew that Vietnam was low on those resources. Instead he took to hit-and-run, and the Vietnamese depended on surprise and speed. After all their hardships, they were rewarded with the unification of the North and South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh was a great leader because he was willing to do anything to help Vietnam. He was expelled the next day of his first colonial encounter. He travelled to France and to the United States to gain knowledge. He wrote letters to important figures that would be able to assist them in making a change. No one was more motivated than Ho Chi Minh. Throughout the years, Ho Chi Minh held on the hope that Vietnam would someday be free from colonial rule. He pushed many Vietnamese to follow dreams, in more ways than one. He was the inspiration of his people. No man, woman, or child under his leadership detested his choices, for they understood that he knew best. In overall he did many things for Vietnam, and the people were grateful for each and every little detail. When Ho Chi Minh died due to heart failure, everybody cried. For a whole week, it rained, and the people said that the sky itself was crying too. Ho Chi Minh was a great leader, a father figure, and a role model to many Vietnamese.