Untitled Document

SECTION 2

Source	Thanh 1990 (3 Sept 1945 & 1984)	Isaacs 1947 (1 Oct 1945)	Porter 1979 (1948)	Hồ Chí Minh's Selected Writings 1960 (1920-1969)	Borton 2003 (n.d.)
6	But for more than 80 years, the French colonialists used the banner of freedom, equality, and fraternity to steal our country from us and oppress our people. Their actions were totally contradictory to humanity and justice.	Nevertheless for more than eighty years the French imperialists, abusing their “liberty, equality, and fraternity,” have violated the land of our ancestors and oppressed our countrymen. Their acts are contrary to the ideals of humanity and justice.	Yet, during and throughout the last eighty years, the French imperialists, abusing the principles of “Freedom, equality and fraternity,” have violated the integrity of our ancestral land and oppressed our countrymen. Their deeds run counter to the ideals of humanity and justice.	Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French imperialists, abusing the standard of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and oppressed our fellow-citizens. They have acted contrary to the ideals of humanity and justice.	–
7	Politically, they did not give our people any democratic freedoms. They promulgated uncivilized laws. They established three different systems in the central region, south, and north in order to block the unification of our country and prevent our people (nation) from uniting.	In the political domain, they have deprived us of all our liberties. They have imposed upon us inhuman laws. They have established three different political regimes in the North, the Center, and the South of Viet Nam in order to destroy our historic and ethnic national unity.	In the political field, they have denied us every freedom. They have enforced upon us inhuman laws. They have set up three different political regimes in Northern, Central and Southern Viet Nam (Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina) in an attempt to disrupt our national, historical and ethnical unity.	Politically, they have deprived our people of every democratic liberty. They have enforced inhuman laws; they have set up three different political regimes in the North, the Centre and the South of Viet Nam in order to wreck our country’s oneness and prevent our people from being united.	–
8	They built many more prisons than schools. They beheaded our patriots and put down our rebellions in a sea of blood.	They have built more prisons than schools. They have acted without mercy toward our patriots. They have drenched our revolutions in rivers of blood.	They have built more prisons than schools. They have callously ill-treated our fellow compatriots. They have drowned our revolutions in blood.	They have built more prisons than schools. They have mercilessly massacred our patriots. They have drowned our uprisings in seas of blood.	–
9	They stifled public opinion and implemented foolish policies. They used opium and liquor to weaken our race.	They have subjugated public opinion and practiced obscurantism on the broadest scale. They have imposed upon us the use of opium and alcohol to weaken our race.	They have sought to stifle public opinion and pursued a policy of obscurantism on the largest scale; they have forced upon us alcohol and opium in order to weaken our race.	They have fettered public opinion and practiced obscurantism. They have weakened our race with opium and alcohol.	–
10	Economically, they exploited our people to the bone, causing poverty and hardships for our people and ruining our country.	In the economic domain, they have exploited us without respite, reduced our people to the blackest misery and pitilessly looted our country.	In the economic field, they have shamelessly exploited our people, driven them into the worst misery and mercilessly plundered our country.	In the field of economics, they have sucked us dry, driven our people to destitution and devastated our land.	–
11	They robbed us of our land, forests and mines (mines) and raw materials. They had a monopoly on printing money and monopolized imports and exports. They imposed hundreds of irrational taxes, which impoverished our people, particularly the farmers and merchants.	They have despoiled our ricelands, our mines, our forests, our raw materials. They have retained the privilege of issuing bank-notes and a monopoly of foreign trade. They have invented hundreds of unjustified taxes, condemning our countrymen, especially the peasants and small merchants, to extreme poverty.	They have ruthlessly appropriated our rice fields, mines, forests and raw materials. They have arrogated to themselves the privilege of issuing banknotes, and monopolised all our external commerce. They have imposed hundreds of unjustifiable taxes, and reduced our countrymen, especially the peasants and petty tradesmen, to extreme poverty.	They have robbed us of our ricefields, our mines, our forests and our natural resources. They have monopolized the issue of bank-notes and the import and export trade. They have invented numerous unjustifiable taxes and reduced our people, especially our peasantry, to extreme poverty.	–
12	They prevented our bourgeoisie from becoming wealthy (advancing). They ruthlessly exploited our workers.	They have prevented our capital from fructifying; they have exploited our workers in the most barbarous fashion.	They have prevented the development of native capital enterprises; they have exploited our workers in the most barbarous manner.	They have made it impossible for our national bourgeoisie to prosper; they have mercilessly exploited our workers.	–