Summary

Sofia Cascante

12/13/11

Mr.Schaible

History II

Geneva Accords

            On April 26 and July 21, 1954, representatives from the Republic of China, France, The Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam met in Geneva Switzerland, to negotiate a peace agreement to end the French Indochina War (Geneva Accords).  There were many important provisions but the Geneva Accords was the temporary division of Vietnam along the 17^th parallel while arrangements were made for regional elections. The final declaration was never signed by the parties and the US government supported the establishment of an anti communist regime in South Vietnam. While the Accords marked the end of the French rule in Indochina, it precipitated the Vietnam War (O’ Brian). The members of Geneva Convention created 10 documents regarding the end of the French Indochina War (Geneva Accords). The United States refused to sign the Geneva Accords that allowed Ho to control the northern half of Vietnam and created a process for renunciation in 1956 via elections (SEATO). The purpose of this permanent status agreement is ending the era of conflict and ushers in a new era based on peace and good neighborly relations between the parties (Baltiansky).

Three of the documents were armistice agreements between France and the countries that had comprised French Indochina: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (Geneva Accords). The Vietnam armistice agreement divided the country along the 17^th parallel, granting control of the northern half to the Viet Minh and control of the Southern half of the state of Vietnam under the Prime Minister (Geneva Accords). The next 6 documents of the accords were affirmations of non-aggression and the right to territorial sovereignty which means France agreed to withdraw its troops from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam and to respect the countries independence (Geneva Accords). These 2 countries agree with the armistice agreements and hold secret ballot elections (Geneva Accords). The Last document of the Geneva Accords was called the “Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference on the problem of restoring peace in Indo-China” (Geneva Accords). With this document attendees understood the proceedings of the conference and agreed to “respect” the sovereignty, the independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam (Geneva Accords). None of the countries signed the declaration but most of their representatives verbally affirmed it (Geneva Accords). The United States and the Vietnam objected to a provision that stated that the Geneva Convention would “Consult one another” in order to preserve the armistice agreement. U.S. undersecretary of state Mr. Smith was worried this would give the People’s Republic of China too much leverage power in Southeast Asia (Geneva Accords).  After the U.S. government failed to defeat communists North Korea during the Korean War, it became more focused on preventing the spread of communism in Southeast Asia (Geneva Accords).   

After the Geneva Accords the United States increased foreign aid to the state of Vietnam while Prime Minister Rule became autocratic increased (Geneva Accords). In 1955 Diem refused to allow elections that would reunite the northern and southern halves of the country, changed its name from the state of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam and declared himself its president.