Voices from the Second Republic of South Vietnam (1967-1975)

by K. W. Taylor (Editor)

Overview

The Republic of (South) Vietnam is commonly viewed as a unified entity throughout the two decades (1955–75) during which the United States was its main ally. However, domestic politics during that time followed a dynamic trajectory from authoritarianism to chaos to a relatively stable experiment in parliamentary democracy. The stereotype of South Vietnam that appears in most writings, both academic and popular, focuses on the first two periods to portray a caricature of a corrupt, unstable dictatorship and ignores what was achieved during the last eight years.

The essays in Voices from the Second Republic of South Vietnam (1967–1975) come from those who strove to build a constitutional structure of representative government during a war for survival with a totalitarian state. Those committed to realizing a noncommunist Vietnamese future placed their hopes in the Second Republic, fought for it, and worked for its success. This book is a step in making their stories known.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501725951
Publisher:	Southeast Asia Program Publications
Publication date:	02/19/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Keith W. Taylor is Professor of Vietnamese Studies at Cornell University. He is the author of A History of the Vietnamese.

Table of Contents

Introduction
by K. W. Taylor1. A Vietnamese Perspective on US Involvement in Vietnam
by Bui Diem2. Testimony of a Senior Officer, South Vietnamese Central Intelligence Organization
by Phan Cong Tam3. From Facing Anti-war Crowds to Nation-building
by Nguyen Ngoc Bich4. A Decade of Public Service: Nation-building during the Interregnum and Second Republic (1964–75)
by Tran Quang Minh5. Building a Market Economy during Wartime
by Nguyen Duc Cuong6. From the First to the Second Republic: From Scylla to Charybdis
by Phan Quang Tue7. Testimony of a Former Representative of the Republic of South Vietnam National Assembly, 1971–75
by Tran Van Son8. The Tan Dai Viet Party and its Contribution to Building Democracy in the Second Republic of Vietnam
by Ma Xai9. Naval Battle of the Paracels
by Ho van Ky-Thoai10. Military and Security
by Lan LuContributors

What People are Saying About This

Charles Keith

This volume is a welcome addition to a growing scholarly literature about South Vietnam. Its personal testimonies provide key details not only about the political and military history of that country but also about the complex backgrounds and worldviews of the men who governed it. It is a record of the hopes and hardships of a group of South Vietnamese who sought to build a stable, prosperous society in a time of decolonization and civil war.

Editorial Reviews

"This volume is a welcome addition to a growing scholarly literature about South Vietnam. Its personal testimonies provide key details not only about the political and military history of that country but also about the complex backgrounds and worldviews of the men who governed it. It is a record of the hopes and hardships of a group of South Vietnamese who sought to build a stable, prosperous society in a time of decolonization and civil war."

--Charles Keith, Michigan State University

From the Publisher

"This volume is a welcome addition to a growing scholarly literature about South Vietnam. Its personal testimonies provide key details not only about the political and military history of that country but also about the complex backgrounds and worldviews of the men who governed it. It is a record of the hopes and hardships of a group of South Vietnamese who sought to build a stable, prosperous society in a time of decolonization and civil war."

Charles Keith