The connection between the Confucian literates and the Western-educated intelligentsia in patriotic movements in Vietnam and their generation transfer in the early 20th Century

Abstract

At the end of the 19th century when antiFrench movements failed and saving-thecountry ideology in Vietnam reached an impasse, “tan thu” (New Books) and “tan van” (New Literature) from China and Japan were introduced to and actively adopted by patriotic literates. New ideology from these documents led to tremendous changes in the literates’ thoughts. Hitherto, they chose to follow the path of Japan in their Meiji Restoration and that of Western capitalist democracy.

Patriotic movements in the early 20th century organized and led by the literates separated themselves into two trends: violent and renovative orientations with the leadership of Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chau Trinh respectively. However, the two orientations had a commonality in their patriotic activities which made possible for the Confucian literates and the Western-educated intelligentsia to meet and cooperate.

The connection between the literates and the intelligentsia manifested itself clearly in Dong Du movement, Duy Tan movement, proactive activities of newspapers and activities of Tri Tri Societies. They all commonly attempted at solving historical needs which faced the country at that time: Independence and Development.

That the encounter between the two groups was simultaneously a transfer among the generations was a very special historical phenomenon. It manifested the inevitable transformations of history and thus obeyed objective rules. It also created prerequisites for the development of nationalist democratic movements in the early 20th century which put the proletariats onto political stage to successfully solve the historical needs in Vietnam.