Political Warfare in Republican Vietnam

This work examines the development of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces as a national institution, explores the historical origins of the political warfare system, and appraises the way that system developed military morale, encouraged popular support, and attempted to weaken enemy resolve. The system of political control over the military that was developed in Soviet Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution--and in Republican China in the 1920s where it influenced both the Nationalist and Communist movements--was embraced by North Vietnam in the 1940s and South Vietnam in the 1960s. The book assesses the overall effectiveness of political warfare activities in the Republic of Vietnam's army, the advice and support offered by the U.S. military to the South Vietnamese political warfare establishment, and the consequences of the way the war ended for the members of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces who served in the political warfare system.