Easternization Meets Westernization: Patriotic Youth Organizations in French Indochina during World War II

Abstract

French colonizers encouraged the development of patriotic youth groups in Indochina in the early 1940s as a way to stave off the influence of 'Asia for Asians' activism, but these efforts resulted in the unintended side effect of indigenous nationalism, since the repressive rules created within these programs could be harnessed for nationalistic purposes. Although the French created a unifying ideology & federal institutionalism structure meant to reconcile the varied religions & ethic groups of the region, a number of different responses resulted, including accommodation & violent resistance. D. Weibel.