The Result of Decisions in Geneva In the spring and summer of 1954 French and Vietminh forces were battling fiercely over who would be in control of Vietnam. Things were beginning to look very bleak for the French forces trying to quell the uprisings of the Vietminh in their colonial possession of Indochina. General Navarre who headed up the military operations in that region was sure that if a major victory was not achieved soon then the situation in Vietnam might become out of control. So Navarre in an effort to solidify his presence in the north moved 12,000 troops into the city of Dien Bien Phu. Here the troops would have to defend an airstrip that Navarre was playing out to his advantage in the skies and a very important supply line. Meanwhile the Geneva conference had begun again in April. Vietminh general Giap decided to commence his attack on Dien Bien Phu while the conference was under way. If Giap could take the city of Dien Bien Phu and force the French into submission then he would have a great deal to work with in the Geneva Conference. This victory for the Vietnamese proved to be very influential in the accords, but it also showed how the Vietminh could actually defeat a modern European army.The Geneva Accords viewed this problem in Vietnam on May 9, 1954 and after considering that the Vietminh were in control of over 80% of the nation and the fact that the French were in desperate need of help with the matters of controlling their colonial possession of Vietnam. After reaching an agreement on July 19, 1954 the French and the Vietminh decided that a ceasefire was to take effect and a temporary line was drawn at the 17’Th parallel separating Vietnam in half. Allowing the Vietminh to control the north and the French the south. The accords gave everyone 300 days to travel to the side of the nation they desired, called for no new military bases or alliances to be set up, and stated that no new forces could b...
