Socialism in the North

Abstract

In 1954, the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam needed the support of the poor peasant majority in the countryside in order to carry out its programmes. Although many of the richest landlords had been removed in the process of the previous struggle, the village oligarchies were either still intact or they could reconstitute themselves. Social change in the countryside depended on support of the government by the poor peasants. This was a lesson which had been learned from the Rent Reduction Campaign and its positive impact on soldiers at Dien Bien Phu.