Then you can blame the French and the British for that. That is the argument of David Andleman, the author of A Shattered Peace, a book about the negotiations for the Treaty of Versailles.
Since I was a kid in school, I've heard the thesis that the punitive reparations forced on Germany wrecked the economy of the Weimar Republic and gave Hitler his chance to rise to power. I've since read articles that stated that the high-handed drawing of the borders within the Middle East after World War I was largely responsible for the failed states that keep popping up. Andleman may be the one who has tied this all together.
But it is news to me that the negotiations at Versailles were also one of the root causes of the Vietnam War.
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The Versailles Commission refused to consider the appeal for independence from a committee of "Indo-Chinese" led by Nguyễn Sinh Cung,an well-educated dishwasher.
As they say, the rest is history.
That does sound ridiculous, but back in the day, given the lengthy travel times, having representatives who had day jobs wasn't unheard of, especially when the home region/nation was impoverished.
It's true. You could look it up. I had to in order to get Ho Ch Minh's birth name. :)
Interestingly, this very bit of history was featured in an"Adventures of Young Indiana Jones" episode.
Lurch, I don't doubt it. The Google is Your Friend. :)
Don't think I've ever seen any of the Young Indy series.
TRULY !
I can tell you thre is a whole chapter on Nguyen Tat Thanh, the dishwasher who became Ho Chi Minh ... I've uncovered some remarkable details, including a never-before-published exchange between Thanh and an aide to Woodrow Wilson !!
David A. Andelman
www.ashatteredpeace.com
The book, of course, is "A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today"
[ http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Peace-Versailles-Price-Today/dp/0471788988/ref=sr_1_1/102-5453208-6322555?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189111026&sr=1-1 ]
David,
I gathered you Googled around to see who is discussing your book?
I'll pick up a copy; it will be a nice change for the stack of "Bush=Moron" books I have waiting for me to read.
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