Communism as a political philosophy has had both critics and nationalist supporters throughout recent history. As a tool for recent nationalist movements, one of the most compelling examples is how communism was introduced and used by Ho Chi Minh to help Vietnam become a unified, independent nation in the 1970s. Ho Chi Minh, a Marxist Leninist, charismatic and populist leader, adopted communism through his experiences, struggles and challenges. Communism ended up playing a major role in bringing Vietnam's independence and freedom from the French and subsequent colonialist rulers. Ho Chi Minh used communism to help the Vietnamese develop feelings of patriotism and nationalism towards the country. Ho Chi Minh created several organizations to educate and then mobilize Vietnamese under communism. Its first organization was the Revolutionary Youth League, which educated the Vietnamese people on the foundations, ideological aspects and goals of communism. The second organization was the Vietnamese Communist Party, which emphasized the advantages of communism both economically and physically over the French colonialists. Third, the Vietminh provided the military opportunity for the Vietnamese people to practice communism and rebel against the French colonialists. The successes of these communist organizations helped Ho Chi Minh successfully unite Vietnam and gain freedom from France. From the 17th century onwards, Vietnam never had a stable period of peace or prosperity. Vietnam fell into a civil war between the 16th and early 19th centuries between three powerful lords, Trinh and Nguyen, and the Tay Son brothers. Subsequently, French influence and invasions took control of Vietnam and established Fre...... middle of paper. The results of the successful implementation of communism in Vietnamese society led to the Vietnamese people successfully defeating the French colonialists in the First Indochina War and unifying Vietnam in the Second Indochina War. These victories symbolize how the effects of communism were able to unite people based on their similarities. The ideologies of communism appealed to all Vietnamese people because they all suffered economically and politically at the hands of the French. Thanks to these attractive communist ideologies, Ho Chi Minh was able to bring the Vietnamese together on nationalistic and patriotic terms. Overall, although there were ideologies that came into play at the same time as communism, it was Ho Chi Minh who successfully ushered in his Marxist-Leninist ideology that allowed Vietnam to unite and liberate Vietnam..