South Vietnam

South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), {{ll|Vietnamese}} Việt Nam Cộng Hòa from 1955, was a country that existed from 1954 to 1975 in the territory of Vietnam that lay south of the Demilitarized Zone while North Vietnam was situated to the north of the DMZ. The partition was made during the Geneva Conference (1954), after the Viet Minh fought successfully to end almost 100 years of French colonialism. The Republic was proclaimed in Saigon by Ngo Dinh Diem on October 22, 1955, after the Emperor Bao Dai was deposed.

Politics

South Vietnam went through many political changes during its short life.

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Initially, the nation was a constitutional monarchy, with Emperor Bao Dai as Head of State. The Vietnamese monarchy was unpopular however, largely because monarchical leaders were considered collaborators during French rule.

Related Topics:
Constitutional monarchy - Bao Dai - Head of State

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In 1955 a republican referendum, which was alleged to be rigged due to the active presence of pro-republican military forces at voting booths and the 98% vote in favour of the movement, abolished the monarchy and made Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem the country's first president. Despite successes in politics, economics, and social change in the first 5 years, Diem quickly became a dictatorial leader. South Vietnamese military staged coup and killed him in 1963. The military held a brief interim government until a civilian administration was installed in 1964.

Related Topics:
1955 - Ngo Dinh Diem - President - 1963 - Interim - 1964

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In 1965 the feuding civilian government voluntarily resigned and handed power back to the nation's military, in the hope this would bring stability and unity to the nation. A joint assembly with represenatives of all the branches of the military decided to switch the nation's system of government to a parliamentary system with a strong Prime Minister and a figurehead President. There was a bicameral National Assembly consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Military rule initially failed to provide much stability however, as internal conflicts and political inexperience caused various factions of the army to launch coups and counter-coups against one another, making leadership very tumultuous. The situation stabilized when the reformist Nguyen Cao Ky became Prime Minister and helped fight corruption and political division through often heavy-handed means.

Related Topics:
1965 - Parliament - Prime Minister - Figurehead - Bicameral - National Assembly - Senate - House of Representatives - Nguyen Cao Ky

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In 1967 the nation held its first elections. Following the elections the nation switched back to a presidential system. The military nominated Nguyen Van Thieu as their candidate, and he was elected with a plurality of the popular vote. Thieu quickly consolidated power much to the dismay of those who hoped for an era of more political openess. His 1971 re-election was boycotted by most opposition parties and widely regarded as corrupt, although he received an increase in popular support. Thieu ruled until the final days of the war, resigning in 1975. D??ng V?n Minh was the nation's last president and surrendered to the Communist forces a few hours after assuming office.

Related Topics:
1967 - Nguyen Van Thieu - Plurality - 1971 - 1975 - D??ng V?n Minh

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South Vietnam was a member of the ACCT, Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), IMF, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat), Interpol, IOC, ITU, League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS), UNESCO and Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Related Topics:
ACCT - Asian Development Bank - World Bank - International Development Association - IMF - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization - Interpol - IOC - ITU - League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - UNESCO - Universal Postal Union

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