Necessity Of Colonies For French


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Necessity Of Colonies For French

Necessity of Colonies for French: Colonies were considered essential to supply natural resources and other essential goods. Like other Western nations, France thought that it is their duty to bring the benefits of civilisation to backward people. Various developmental tasks done by French in Vietnam are discussed below:

• The French build canals and drained lands in the Mekong delta of Vietnam. It increased agricultural production.

• The vast system of irrigation works (canals and earthworks) were built mainly with forced labour, increased rice production. It allowed the export of rice to the international market.

• The area under rice cultivation went up from 2,74,000 hectares in 1873 to 1.1 million hectares in 1900 and 2.2 million in 1930.

• Vietnam exported, two-thirds of its rice production. By 1931, it had become the third largest exporter of rice in the world.

• The French authority started improvement in infrastructural projects to help transport goods for trade, move military garrisons and control the entire region.

• Construction of trans-Indo-China rail network that would link with the Northern and Southern parts of Vietnam and China was begun. Finally, link with Yunan in China was completed by 1910.

• The second link was also built, linking Vietnam to Siam (the old name of Thailand) via Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.

By the 1920s, to ensure higher levels of profit, French businessmen were pressurising the government in Vietnam to develop the infrastructure.

 
 


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