Explain any five social and administrative reforms introduced by Napoleon in the regions under his control.

 OR

The measures taken by the French to control the spread of bubonic plague in Hanoi created a serious problem. Explain the statement.

Napoleon Bonaparte incorporated revolutionary principles in administrative field in order to make the whole system more rational and efficient.

 (i) The Civil Code of 1804, usually known as the Napoleonic Code, did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to property.

 (ii) Napoleon simplified administrative divisions, abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.

(iii)In the towns too, guild restrictions were removed. Transport and communication system were improved.

 (iv) Peasants, artisans, workers and new businessmen enjoyed a new-found freedom.

 (v) Uniform laws, standardised weight and measures and a common national currency were introduced

OR

In 1903, the modern part of Hanoi was struck by bubonic plague.

(i) To stem this invasion, a rat hunt was started in 1902. The French hired Vietnam workers and paid them for each rat they caught. 

(ii) For the Vietnamese, the rat hunt provided an early lesson in the success of collective bargaining.

(iii) Those who did the dirty work of entering sewers began negotiating a higher bounty.

(iv) They also discovered innovative ways to profit from the situation. The bounty was paid when a tail was given as proof that a rat has been killed. So, the rat catchers took to just clipping the tails and releasing the rats so that the process could be repeated over and again.

(v) Some people, in fact, began raising rats to earn a bounty, these forced French to scrap the bounty programme.

Napoleon Bonaparte incorporated revolutionary principles in administrative field in order to make the whole system more rational and efficient.

(i) The Civil Code of 1804- usually known as the Napoleonic Code- did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to property.

(ii) Napoleon simplified administrative divisions, abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.

(iii) In the towns too, guild restrictions were removed. Transport and communication system were improved.

(iv) Peasants, artisans, workers and new businessmen enjoyed a new-found freedom.

(v) Uniform laws, standardised weight and measures and a common national currency were introduced

OR

The division of Vietnam set in motion a series of events that turned the country into a battlefield. In the peace negotiations in Geneva that followed the French defeat, the Vietnamese were persuaded to accept the division of the country. Ho Chi Minh and the communists took power in the north while Bao Dai’s regime was put in power in the south.

(i) The Bao Dai regime was soon overthrown by a coup led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem built a repressive and authoritarian government. Anyone who opposed him was called a communist and was jailed and killed.

(ii) Diem retained Ordinance 10, a French law that permitted Christianity but outlawed Buddhism. His dictatorial rule came to be opposed by a broad opposition united under the banner of the National Liberation Front (NLF).

(iii) With the help of the Ho Chi Minh government in the north, the NLF fought for the unification of the country.

(iv) The US was worried about communists gaining power, thus decided to intervene decisively, sending in troops and arms.

The 1830s were years of great economic hardships in Europe.

(i) There were more seekers of job than employment.

(ii) Small producers in towns were often faced with tough competition from imports of cheap machine-made goods from England.

(iii) Peasants struggled under the burden of feudal dues and obligations.

(iv) The rise of food prices or a bad harvest led to widespread pauperism in town and country.

OR

Paul Bernard believed that the purpose of acquiring colonies was to make profits. According to him, if the economy was developed and the standard of living of the people improved, they would buy more goods. He identified several barriers to economic growth in Vietnam:

(i) High population levels

(ii) Low agricultural productivity, and

(iii) Extensive indebtedness among the peasants.

To reduce rural poverty and increase agricultural productivity it was necessary to carry out land reforms as the Japanese had done in the 1890s.

Although Napoleon destroyed democracy in France, he introduced some progressive reforms in the country to make the administrative system more rational and efficient. This was achieved by introducing and implementing the following measures:

i. He introduced the Civil Code or the Napoleonic Code which established equality before law and secured the right to property. The privileges based on birth were also abolished. This Code was also applied to all those territories which were conquered by Napoleon.

ii. He abolished the feudal system and liberated the peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.

iii. In towns and cities, restrictions imposed on guilds were removed.

iv. Means of transport and communication were improved.

v. Weights and measures were standardised and a common national currency was introduced. This benefited trades, merchants and businessmen.

OR

The peace negotiations regarding Indo–China took place in Geneva in 1954 after the defeat of the French by the Vietnamese. The latter were forced to accept the division of the country which set in motion a series of events which turned Vietnam into a battle field. Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam. While Ho Chi Minh and communists occupied power in North Vietnam, Bao Dai’s regime occupied power in South Vietnam. The division of Vietnam into two blocks led by two different ideologies turned Vietnam into battlefields bringing death and destruction among its people. Later, Bao Dai’s regime was overthrown by Ngo Dinh Diem who was an autocrat. His dictatorial rule was opposed by the National Liberation Front who fought against Ngo Dinh Diem with the help of Ho Chin Minh. This incident was watched with suspicion by the USA, who did not want the spread of communism in the country. Later, the troops of USA entered Vietnam with an aim to contain communism. Vietnam was thus turned into a battlefield.