Leninism in Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh, by William J. Duiker (Hyperion, 720 pp., $35)

ONE of the great moving forces of the world in the early 20th century was the resentment felt by Asians towards those European powers that had seized their territories. Intelligent young people from these old, proud countries seethed with rage at the effrontery of the white men. The other side of this anger was shame—shame that one’s culture had proved too feeble, one’s countrymen too supine, to resist the alien onslaught.

About the Author

John Derbyshire

Mr. Derbyshire is a former contributing editor of National Review.

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Ho Chi Minh, by William J. Duiker (Hyperion, 720 pp., $35)

ONE of the great moving forces of the world in the early 20th century was the resentment felt by Asians towards those European powers that had seized their territories. Intelligent young people from these old, proud countries seethed with rage at the effrontery of the white men. The other side of this anger was shame—shame that one’s culture had proved too feeble, one’s countrymen too supine, to resist the alien onslaught.