What this lesson teaches
I can weigh up how far officials, rulers, chiefs and traders helped European powers extend their control.
Syllabus K330, Extension of European Control in Southeast Asia, Learning Outcomes. Assess the roles of individuals and groups in the extension of European influence.
Make a guess
In 1883 and 1884 Annam and Tonkin became French protectorates, and the Vietnamese emperor stayed on the throne. Do you think he kept real power?
- Yes, France just gave advice that he could ignore.
- No, France controlled the army and the money.
- No, because France deposed him and ruled with no emperor.
Show the answer
No, France controlled the army and the money.
In a protectorate the local ruler stays, but the foreign power makes the big decisions about force and revenue.
France used force and treaties to take control of Annam and Tonkin, while keeping the emperor as a figurehead.
French naval officers turned these interests into action. Francis Garnier captured Hanoi's citadel, its fortified centre, on 20 November 1873. Henri Riviere captured it again on 25 April 1882. Riviere suggested leaving Vietnamese officials in charge of everyday government, while France controlled the army and customs revenue, the taxes on goods traded in and out. Keeping Vietnamese officials did not mean leaving them the big decisions about force and money.
Treaties in 1883 and 1884 made Annam and Tonkin French protectorates. In a protectorate, the local ruler stays, but a foreign power controls key decisions. French Residents were officials appointed to supervise the government, not just French people living there. Their supervision limited what the emperor and court could decide.
China wanted to keep its influence in Vietnam and opposed France. France's win in the Sino-French War of 1884 to 1885 secured its position, though Vietnamese resistance continued.
In 1887, France created the Indochinese Union, joining Cochinchina, Annam, Tonkin and Cambodia under one French governor-general. Laos joined from 1893. So French Indochina was bigger than Vietnam. Cochinchina was a colony ruled directly by French officials. The protectorates kept more local institutions, under French supervision. Both forms limited Vietnamese control over major decisions.
- Protectorate
- Local ruler stays; a foreign power controls key decisions.
- 1883-1884
- Treaties make Annam and Tonkin protectorates.
- 1887
- Indochinese Union formed under a governor-general.
Worked example: An emperor without full power
An emperor stays at court, but French officials oversee important decisions.
- The emperor still holds court and ceremonies.
- French Residents control the army, money and foreign affairs.
- So the emperor looks like a ruler but has lost real power.
Watch out for this
A protectorate keeps full independence because it keeps a local ruler.
The ruler stays, but the foreign power controls the key decisions.
Check your understanding
What was a protectorate in French Vietnam?
- A region ruled directly by French officials with no emperor.
- An independent state that France promised to protect in war against China.
- A state where the emperor stayed but France controlled key decisions.
Show the answer
A state where the emperor stayed but France controlled key decisions.
Yes. The emperor kept his title but lost real power.
Check your understanding
How did French rule differ between Cochinchina and Annam and Tonkin?
- Cochinchina was a colony ruled directly; in Annam and Tonkin the emperor and mandarins stayed under French control.
- France ruled the three regions in the same way, through French governors and with no emperor left.
- Annam and Tonkin stayed independent kingdoms, while Cochinchina was a French colony.
Show the answer
Cochinchina was a colony ruled directly; in Annam and Tonkin the emperor and mandarins stayed under French control.
Keeping the court did not mean keeping real power.