Jessica M. Chapman is Assistant Professor of History at Williams College.

Chapman delivers a nuanced yet accessible analysis of the political scene in 1950s-era southern Vietnam. This book will be of interest to those who wish to learn more about the origins of US involvement in Vietnam prior to the war. Readers will gain an understanding not only of Ngo Dinh Diem, but also of the other major noncommunist politico-religious groups struggling for power.... Summing Up: Highly recommended.(Choice) Skillfully argued, Cauldron of Resistance marks an impressive advancement in the study of Ngo Dinh Diem and the Republic of Vietnam. All readers will find Chapman's work informative. Historians in particular will appreciate the author's recreation of the political landscape of southern Vietnam during the formative years of Diem's rise to power. All libraries are incomplete without this book.(H-War) While many aspects of the Vietnam War remain controversial, there is consensus that the United States intervened in Vietnam without much understanding of its enemy or ally. This gap in knowledge of Vietnam and its players, particularly of the noncommunist side, also exists in the historiograhy. Fortunately, scholars are beginning to address this gap. Jessica M. Chapman's solidly researched monograph makes a valuable contribution to this endeavor. Drawing from archives in the United States, France, and Vietnam, the book provides a detailed narrative of the complex and tumultuous political situation in southern Vietnam (1953–1956), a decade before American intervention.... This is an excellent book that provides insight into the history of Vietnam and its war. I highly recommend its use in upper-level and graduate classes on the war.(Journal of American History)

• Introduction1. Anticolonialism in Vietnam's Wild South2. The Crucible of Southern Vietnamese Nationalism and America's Cold War3. "Sink or Swim with Ngo Dinh Diem"4. The "Sect" Crisis of 1955 and America's Miracle Man in Vietnam5. Destroying the Sources of Demoralization: Ngo Dinh Diem's National Revolution6. A Different Democracy: South Vietnam's Referendum to Depose Bao Dai7. The Making of a Revolution in South VietnamConclusionAppendix: Select Vietnamese Names with DiacriticsNotesBibliographyIndex

Jessica M. Chapman is Assistant Professor of History at Williams College.

Chapman delivers a nuanced yet accessible analysis of the political scene in 1950s-era southern Vietnam. This book will be of interest to those who wish to learn more about the origins of US involvement in Vietnam prior to the war. Readers will gain an understanding not only of Ngo Dinh Diem, but also of the other major noncommunist politico-religious groups struggling for power.... Summing Up: Highly recommended.(Choice) Skillfully argued, Cauldron of Resistance marks an impressive advancement in the study of Ngo Dinh Diem and the Republic of Vietnam. All readers will find Chapman's work informative. Historians in particular will appreciate the author's recreation of the political landscape of southern Vietnam during the formative years of Diem's rise to power. All libraries are incomplete without this book.(H-War) While many aspects of the Vietnam War remain controversial, there is consensus that the United States intervened in Vietnam without much understanding of its enemy or ally. This gap in knowledge of Vietnam and its players, particularly of the noncommunist side, also exists in the historiograhy. Fortunately, scholars are beginning to address this gap. Jessica M. Chapman's solidly researched monograph makes a valuable contribution to this endeavor. Drawing from archives in the United States, France, and Vietnam, the book provides a detailed narrative of the complex and tumultuous political situation in southern Vietnam (1953–1956), a decade before American intervention.... This is an excellent book that provides insight into the history of Vietnam and its war. I highly recommend its use in upper-level and graduate classes on the war.(Journal of American History)

• Introduction1. Anticolonialism in Vietnam's Wild South2. The Crucible of Southern Vietnamese Nationalism and America's Cold War3. "Sink or Swim with Ngo Dinh Diem"4. The "Sect" Crisis of 1955 and America's Miracle Man in Vietnam5. Destroying the Sources of Demoralization: Ngo Dinh Diem's National Revolution6. A Different Democracy: South Vietnam's Referendum to Depose Bao Dai7. The Making of a Revolution in South VietnamConclusionAppendix: Select Vietnamese Names with DiacriticsNotesBibliographyIndex

Jessica M. Chapman is Assistant Professor of History at Williams College.

Chapman delivers a nuanced yet accessible analysis of the political scene in 1950s-era southern Vietnam. This book will be of interest to those who wish to learn more about the origins of US involvement in Vietnam prior to the war. Readers will gain an understanding not only of Ngo Dinh Diem, but also of the other major noncommunist politico-religious groups struggling for power.... Summing Up: Highly recommended.(Choice) Skillfully argued, Cauldron of Resistance marks an impressive advancement in the study of Ngo Dinh Diem and the Republic of Vietnam. All readers will find Chapman's work informative. Historians in particular will appreciate the author's recreation of the political landscape of southern Vietnam during the formative years of Diem's rise to power. All libraries are incomplete without this book.(H-War) While many aspects of the Vietnam War remain controversial, there is consensus that the United States intervened in Vietnam without much understanding of its enemy or ally. This gap in knowledge of Vietnam and its players, particularly of the noncommunist side, also exists in the historiograhy. Fortunately, scholars are beginning to address this gap. Jessica M. Chapman's solidly researched monograph makes a valuable contribution to this endeavor. Drawing from archives in the United States, France, and Vietnam, the book provides a detailed narrative of the complex and tumultuous political situation in southern Vietnam (1953–1956), a decade before American intervention.... This is an excellent book that provides insight into the history of Vietnam and its war. I highly recommend its use in upper-level and graduate classes on the war.(Journal of American History)

• Introduction1. Anticolonialism in Vietnam's Wild South2. The Crucible of Southern Vietnamese Nationalism and America's Cold War3. "Sink or Swim with Ngo Dinh Diem"4. The "Sect" Crisis of 1955 and America's Miracle Man in Vietnam5. Destroying the Sources of Demoralization: Ngo Dinh Diem's National Revolution6. A Different Democracy: South Vietnam's Referendum to Depose Bao Dai7. The Making of a Revolution in South VietnamConclusionAppendix: Select Vietnamese Names with DiacriticsNotesBibliographyIndex