Entscheidung in Dien Bien Phu. Niederlage einer Kolonialmacht im Kontext des Kalten Krieges

Abstract

Dien Bien Phu is an inconspicuous place among the undulating jungle of Vietnam next to the Laotian border. On March 13th the Viet Minh started the decisive battle against the French fortress after monumental preparations and fought the former colonial power sacrificially. On May 7th the combat and the First Indochina War were settled. France experienced its Stalingrad in this lossy battle and Vietnam gained its independence, if only briefly. It is the end of a colonial empire, but the First Indochina War also marks a hot period in consideration of the Cold War.