Being an imperialist country, France pursed to increase its power, wealth and influence by gaining authority over other parts in the world. South America and Africa were among the countries the French Empire had owned in addition to Indochina who lost its independence after the war against China, which lasted from 1884-1885. Indochina was a main asset to France, especially in the field of economics and social power between other countries such as China and Japan.
Despite the advantage Indochina gave to France, the control of the French was not considered beneficial to the Indochinese nation.
Politically, France reduced the country’s sense of unity by separating Indochina into three administrative sections called Tonkin, Annam and Cochinchina. Political control varied, as it was direct control for the colony of Cochinchina, however indirect control for Annam and Tonkin. The difference between these areas was the fact that the Vietnamese who lived in Cochinchina were able to gain French citizenship and were enabled to hold seats in the National Assembly in Paris. This meant that authority held by the Vietnamese Emperor was strongly weakened, as his mandarins who gave him his authority worked for the French governor. Whereas, in Annam and Tonkin citizens weren’t allowed access to French citizenship and their territory were not counted as part of France. Their emperors continued authorities through the exercise of French govern. This essentially divided the united power of Indochina as power comes in the masses.
In terms of social culture, it was French policy to encourage the educated to serve in the army or civil service and to assimilate into French society. Through assimilation of French ideals, the educated Vietnamese people adopted the illusion of French revolutionary concepts of liberty, fraternity and equality. This was contradicting as they were excluded from political, administrative and