ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the aftermath of the Geneva Accords in My Tho, including the regroupment of the Viet Minh armed forces to North Vietnam, the initial takeover of the countryside by the new Government of the Republic of Vietnam (GVN) headed by Ngo Dinh Diem. The evidence summarized in this chapter suggests that an explosive situation existed even before the armed struggle began, and that the main cause of this was the actions of the Diem government. A choice had been made to pursue pacification by coercive and arbitrary means, but without any legal or political restraints on abuse by local officials. The repression continued to escalate in 1959, alienating the population and leaving the GVN dangerously isolated at the height of its apparent triumph. Thus, one of the key analytic issues in the chapter is the extent of the Diem government's role in bringing about the revival of the revolution through its very attempts.
