workingclasshistory:

On this day, 7 May 1954, French colonial forces in Vietnam were effectively defeated by the pro-independence Viet Minh in the battle of Dien Bien Phu.
The French army, receiving significant aid from the US, had occupied the town of Dien Bien Phu the previous year in an attempt to cut supply lines for the anti-colonial forces. But the Viet Minh took them by surprise, surrounding the French base with 40,000 troops and eventually overrunning it on May 7.
In the wake of the defeat, France was forced to surrender and, following a peace agreement, retreat temporarily into South Vietnam pending an election to unify the country within two years. These elections were later blocked by the US as they predicted a communist victory, leading to the direct US invasion of Vietnam.
Learn more about this conflict in our podcast episode 14 with Noam Chomsky. Listen and subscribe on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or on our website: https://open.spotify.com/show/3dqQUrBAmXgoU1Q6hcUnBX https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1981685405349933/?type=3