Introduction and Welcome!
This site will serve as the 3.0 version of the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets Project website. Its most important purpose is to invite its audience to participate in and follow my research journey over the next few years (from 2019 forward) as I accelerate my research on this topic and begin finally to write about my findings. This site allows its users to locate information on the 1930-1931 Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets and visualize the rebellion cartographically and chronologically and, eventually, by network. Please navigate to the resource you wish to consult using the site’s menu. The resources and information will change slowly but steadily. Please do not hesitate to comment or contact me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Please see my note about monetization in the footer.
Background to the Site
In the 1.0 version, during 2013, I blogged about my initial foray into learning geographic information systems software (GIS), the world of historical geographic information systems (H-GIS), and the development of the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets H-GIS. As I became more familiar with WordPress, this effort quickly evolved in 2014 into the 2.0 version, and I supplemented the blogs with maps, powered by Maps Marker Pro. I had to take a four year break from hosting that site. In this version, I intend to include new blogs, maps, and some of the primary materials that I use for my research as well as introduce some aspects of Network Analysis.
What are the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets?
In 1930 and 1931, Vietnamese peasants and workers inspired by communist and nationalist rhetoric rose up against French colonial authority in three provinces (Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, and Quang Ngai) and in many instances temporarily usurped that authority. Although differences exist in terms of how scholars view the background political motivations of the workers and peasants, scholars have in most instances concluded that immiseration encouraged workers and peasants to rise up against the French. The analysis facilitated by the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets H-GIS reveals, however, that in many instances, the strongest and most violent rebellions against the French occurred in the wealthiest places in these three provinces. This presentation will illustrate how analysis facilitated by the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets H-GIS challenges many existing conclusions about the nature of the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets and that many factors previously unconsidered (the appearance of cadastral authorities, the proximity of rebellious communities to markets, and so on) influenced the progress of the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets.
What is the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets H-GIS?
The development of the Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviets Historical Geographic Information System (H-GIS) has helped to produce analysis and reflection on a topic of historical inquiry about which firm conclusions historians have long since established. It blends digitized historical maps of three provinces of colonial Vietnam with economic, demographic, cadastral, ethnicity, administrative, and religious data to permit finer, region- and rebellion-wide analysis using spatial analysis tools. Cool!
Where is Quảng Ngãi and the rest of colonial Vietnam?
Please be patient! I certainly realize that important contributions to the Nghe-TInh Soviets occurred in Quảng Ngãi Province and elsewhere, I haven’t processed the data on it and elsewehere yet. But I will do so, I promise!