The story of the Vietnam conflict is one that will forever mark an
important part of the world's history. The Vietnam conflict
divided the world firmly into two camps, supporters of the south
and supporters of the north. Ngo Dinh Diem was the president of
South Vietnam for several years. During his reign the United
States and other nations voiced strong opinions about his rise to
power and the actions he took once he was president. Diem spent
his life preparing for that power, and the historical events just
before he took over helped cement his ability to install himself
as a leader, of a nation, that would go down in history as one of
the most stubborn and strong nations on earth.
His rise to power cumulated in the United States sanctioned
the overthrow of then, Emperor Bao Dai, in 1955[1]. He then spent almost
a decade at the helm of the nation while practicing oppressive and
demanding politics. He canceled democratic elections to ensure
that the competition would not be voted in. He was assassinated in
1963[2]. For one to understand how he became as powerful as he did
and what allowed him to over through an in-place regime one must
understand the events that led to his rise in power.
It is important to understand the life of Ngo Dinh Diem so that
one can begin to understand what drove him to the power he
Diem was born in a city called Hue which was the original capital
of the Ngyuen Dynasty Vietnam. When he grew into a young man he
became a civil servant in the Emperor government of Bao Dai[4]. He
was a strong nationalist and was said to speak out as an anti-communist throughout
Diem was not a stranger to political problems. In 1945 he was
exiled to China and imprisoned during the anti-French communist
forces that were succeeding at gaining power in Vietnam. When he
was eventually released he refused to align himself with the post-war
government that had been established b...