The Comparison Of Description Of Vietnam War In Chinese,French,American And Vietnamese Secondary School's History Textbooks

As one of the most important region wars during the Cold War,the Vietnam War was the consequence of strife among several countries.Therefore,different country has its own emphases and points of views while researching and describing this war.This phenomenon seems more evident in the description of secondary school's history textbooks.In Chinese textbooks,the description towards the Vietnam War leans to classify.All four editions of textbooks definite this war as a war between invaded aggressor and anti-aggressor unanimously.And all the descriptions aim to explain the reason of this classification.The French textbooks prefer to interpret the war.The lesson is a part of Research Study.The textbook provides different kinds of historical materials and demand the students to interpret them.While analyzing and discussing,they could find out the origins and the influences of the war.They could also realize why the United States lost the war.And by this way,they form their own point of view toward these historical events.The American textbooks think highly of reflection.They do not pay much attention to the battlefront,but to the influences towards the American society form the war.Learning these historical events aims to reflect the political system,the foreign policy and the social problems of the United States.The textbook from Vietnam concenters in political education.It highlights the leadership of Vietnam Communist Party,and emphasizes their winding path towards the independence through the war.About the same war,it seems so different in each country's textbooks.Behind those differences,there are so many issues.The creation of country's character,the different concept about history,the purpose of education,the influence of the international relationships and the demand of current situation and strategy,all could affect the description of textbooks.We hope to provide a new idea of Vietnam War research in comparing its description in those countries' textbooks,and to explain the reasons that cause the difference of description.We also hope to provide some different thinking about secondary school's history education in China throughout the research of textbooks about the Vietnam War.