Ho / Edition 1

by David Halberstam

Overview

One of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century, Ho Chi Minh was founder of the Indochina Communist Party and its successor, the Viet-Minh, and was president from 1945 to 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).

In exploring the life and career of Ho Chi Minh, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam provides a window into traditions and culture that influenced the American war in Vietnam, while highlighting the importance of nationalism in determining the war's outcome. As depicted by Halberstam, Ho is first and foremost a nationalist and a patriot. He was also, according to the author, a pragmatist "who was able to turn the abstract into the practical and to embody the concept of revolution to his own people." This edition includes a new preface by the author.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742559936
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/20/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	132
Sales rank:	1,165,087
Product dimensions:	5.71(w) x 8.66(h) x 0.28(d)

About the Author

David Halberstam (1934–2007) was the author of 20 books, the last 14 of which have been national best-sellers. His most recent book, The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War, is about the Chinese entry into the Korean War. He was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in Vietnam and was a member of the elective Society of American Historians.

Date of Birth:

April 10, 1934

Date of Death:

April 23, 2007

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Place of Death:

San Francisco, California

Education:

B.A., Harvard, 1955

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Colonial Legacy of the French
Chapter 2: Peasant, Dishwasher, Socialist, Communist 1890–1917
Chapter 3: From Belief to Profession: Ho's Path to Communism 1917–1940
Chapter 4: Creating a Nationalist Movement 1941–1945
Chapter 5: Path to Dienbienphu: The Tiger Defeats the Elephant 1945–1954
Chapter 6: The Americans Arrive: The Second Indochina War 1955–1969

Editorial Reviews

A fine and vividly-drawn sketch of Ho Chi Minh's life-long struggle for Vietnamese independence through political mobilization, diplomacy, and warfare. Anyone who wonders why the French and the American armed forces with their overwhelming military superiority could not defeat the Vietnamese resistance should read this book.

Much has happened to our understanding of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's Communist Party, and the war in the thirty-six years that elapsed between the first publication and this new edition. This is an interesting read to catch the flavor of the 1960s.

From the Publisher

Much has happened to our understanding of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's Communist Party, and the war in the thirty-six years that elapsed between the first publication and this new edition. This is an interesting read to catch the flavor of the 1960s.

The Historian

A fine and vividly-drawn sketch of Ho Chi Minh's life-long struggle for Vietnamese independence through political mobilization, diplomacy, and warfare. Anyone who wonders why the French and the American armed forces with their overwhelming military superiority could not defeat the Vietnamese resistance should read this book.

Frances FitzGerald