Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Anticolonialism in Vietnam's Wild South 2. The Crucible of Southern Vietnamese Nationalism and America's Cold War 3. "Sink or Swim with Ngo Dinh Diem" 4. The "Sect" Crisis of 1955 and America's Miracle Man in Vietnam 5. Destroying the Sources of Demoralization: Ngo Dinh Diem's National Revolution 6. A Different Democracy: South Vietnam's Referendum to Depose Bao Dai 7. The Making of a Revolution in South Vietnam Conclusion Appendix: Select Vietnamese Names with Diacritics Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author

Jessica M. Chapman is Assistant Professor of History at Williams College.

Reviews

"Chapman delivers a nuanced yet accessible analysis of the political scene in 1950s-era southern Vietnam. This book will be of interest to those who wish to learn more about the origins of US involvement in Vietnam prior to the war. Readers will gain an understanding not only of Ngo Dinh Diem, but also of the other major noncommunist politico-religious groups struggling for power... Summing Up: Highly recommended."-Choice (September 2013) "Jessica Chapman has produced an excellent study-the best to my knowledge-of the political situation in South Vietnam during the early years of Ngo Dinh Diem's rule in Saigon...The book offers truly valuable insights on the consolidation of Diem's power, but its real strength lies in Chapman's assessment of the groups and individuals that initially contested his power. Chapman masterfully relates the place of the Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, and Binh Xuyen factions and of SOVN General Nguyen Van Hinh in preand post-1954 southern political affairs, with an accent on the relationship they shared with the French before Vietnam's partition and with one another afterward." -Pierre Asselin, Journal of Cold War Studies (Spring 2014) "Skilfully argued, Cauldron of Resistance marks an impressive advancement in the study of Ngo Dinh Diem and the Republic of Vietnam. All readers will find Chapman's work informative. Historians in particular will appreciate the author's recreation of the political landscape of southern Vietnam during the formative years of Diem's rise to power. All libraries are incomplete without this book."-Robert Thompson, H-War (July 2014) "While many aspects of the Vietnam War remain controversial, there is consensus that the United States intervened in Vietnam without much understanding of its enemy or ally. This gap in knowledge of Vietnam and its players, particularly of the noncommunist side, also exists in the historiograhy. Fortunately, scholars are beginning to address this gap. Jessica M. Chapman's solidly researched monograph makes a valuable contribution to this endeavor. Drawing from archives in the United States, France, and Vietnam, the book provides a detailed narrative of the complex and tumultuous political situation in southern Vietnam (1953-1956), a decade before American intervention... This is an excellent book that provides insight into the history of Vietnam and its war. I highly recommend its use in upper-level and graduate classes on the war."-Van Nguyen-Marshall, Journal of American History "Chapman's book has the merit of bringing attention, again, to a little known chapter of the beginning of the U.S. war in Vietnam and focusing on local politics as a determining aspect of the success or failure of U.S. objectives. A case study such as this can shed light on the whole enterprise."-Jayne Werner,Oxford University Press Journals, Diplomatic History(June 2015) "Jessica M. Chapman's Cauldron of Resistance is a major addition to the growing literature on the complexities of Southern Vietnam in the 1950s. In more detail than any account I've yet read, Chapman offers an indispensable analysis of the daily politics of Southern Vietnam, illuminating as she goes the policies of both Vietnam and the United States and does so in an accessible style that is a pleasure to read."-Marilyn Young, New York University, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990 "Cauldron of Resistance is an important piece of scholarship that contributes to our understanding of the Vietnam war in general and of the interface between American policies on the one hand and the internal dynamics of South Vietnamese politics on the other. Jessica M. Chapman argues in favor of factoring in local Vietnamese noncommunist politics when we consider Ngo Dinh Diem's remarkable and surprising rise to power between 1953 and 1956."-Christopher Goscha, University of Quebec, Montreal, coeditor of Connecting Histories: Decolonization and the Cold War in Southeast Asia, 1945-1962 "Cauldron of Resistance is an original, extensively researched piece of scholarship that expertly fills a long neglected gap in the vast literature of the Vietnam War. In her lucid and compelling book, Jessica M. Chapman gives voice to the many South Vietnamese political figures whose activities determined Ngo Dinh Diem's policies and U.S. decision-making during the 1950s. Chapman masterfully situates Diem within his domestic political context, explaining that to view Vietnam as a Cold War battleground is not enough to understand American intervention there. Diem's opponents in Southern Vietnam were not bit actors but crucial players whose interactions with Diem, the United States and the Vietnamese communists help explain the failure to build South Vietnam into a nation. Chapman makes a timely argument that a fundamental misreading of the South Vietnamese domestic political context led to increased American engagement. Her plea to 'think locally' before intervening in another country is a point every U.S. policymaker should consider today."-Kathryn C. Statler, University of San Diego, author of Replacing France: The Origins of American Intervention in Vietnam "Drawing on remarkable linguistic skills and pioneering work in Vietnamese archives, Jessica M. Chapman paints an unprecedentedly rich portrait of South Vietnam in the 1950s, challenging many long-entrenched assumptions about the origins of America's war in Indochina. Cauldron of Resistance is required reading for any serious student of the war."-Mark Atwood Lawrence, University of Texas at Austin, author of The Vietnam War: A Concise International History "In this deeply researched and compelling book, Jessica M. Chapman skillfully blends two of the most exciting recent developments in international history: religion and the use of Vietnamese sources. In shining a fascinating new light on Diem and the so-called 'sects,' she completely turns much of the conventional wisdom about South Vietnam's state-building project on its head. Cauldron of Resistance is a brilliant book that is highly recommended for anyone interested in either religion and international history or the origins of America's disastrous intervention in Vietnam."-Andrew Preston, Cambridge University, author of Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy "For decades Ngo Dinh Diem has occupied the center of South Vietnamese political life in studies of early American involvement in Vietnam. What has been missing is a detailed examination of the politico-religious milieu in which Diem fought to pursue his nationalist vision. Jessica M. Chapman has masterfully filled that gap. Drawing on Vietnamese, French, and American sources, Cauldron of Resistance is an engagingly written, deeply insightful, and frankly necessary contribution to our understanding of the Vietnam War."-Scott Laderman, author of Tours of Vietnam "Jessica M. Chapman elegantly delves into South Vietnamese society to write a deep history of a complex period on the eve of American intervention. While other histories of the war focus on leaders located in Washington, Hanoi, and Saigon, Chapman explores lesser known, yet equally critical, actors located in the 'wild' south who continued to play important roles in the ensuing war."-Lien-Hang Nguyen, author of Hanoi's War "Meticulously researched in Vietnamese, French, and English sources, this previously untold story of the multisided political tug-of-war in South Vietnam is essential reading to complete the history of why the American-backed Ngo Dinh Diem government failed to achieve legitimacy with the people of the south. Moving beyond other studies that focus on leaders in Saigon, Hanoi, and Washington, Jessica M. Chapman brings Diem's opponents in the Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and Binh Xuyen out of the shadows and into the light of historical significance where they belong."-David Anderson, California State University, Monterey Bay, author of The Vietnam War