1955 State of Vietnam referendum

Common card · No. 437600

A referendum was held in the State of Vietnam (South Vietnam) to determine whether the country was a republic or monarchy. It was primarily a contest between Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm, who proposed a republic, and former emperor Bảo Đại, who had abdicated in 1945 and at the time of the referendum held the title of chief of state. The referendum was the last phase in the power struggle between Bảo Đại and his prime minister. In June 1954, Bảo Đại had appointed Diệm in recognition of his staunch anticommunist and anticolonialist stance, as well as his potential to secure American aid. The country was then going through a period of insecurity, as Vietnam had been partitioned as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords that ended the First Indochina War. The State of Vietnam controlled the southern half of the country, pending national elections that were intended to reunify the country under a single government. Still, the Vietnamese National Army was not in full control of southern Vietnam...

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