Small and Medium Enterprises in Indias Economic Growth

Small and Medium Enterprises in Indias Economic Growth Small and Medium Enterprises in Economic Growth of India: Directions towards Sustainable Development Manvendra Pratap Singh, Arpita Chakraborty,  Dr. Mousumi Roy Abstract The inclusive growth is prerequisite in any of fast growing developing economies. Micro small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) play vital role in the socio-economic development of the country. In 2011-12, 36.18 mn enterprises were operational and employed around 80.5 mn people of country, second largest after agriculture sector (MSME Annual Report 2011-12). They accounts for 40 percent of India’s total exports, contributing 45 percent to Indian manufacturing output. With all the good things the darker side of MSME, it attracts only 2.33 employees per unit (on an average), they contributes mere 17 percent to the Indian GDP. This paper will highlight the reasons behind the shining India and Bharat. This paper will also focus on the facilities, scheme provided by the central or state government of country, its implementation and possible solutions for empowerment and spreading its boundaries beyond the country through international cooperation scheme. Keywords: MSME, International Cooperation, regional Economics Introduction Indias economic growth is expected to pick up a faster pace in 2013-14 and record six per cent plus levels of gross domestic product (GDP), according to Mr C Rangarajan, Chairman, Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC). Country reported to expand at a better growth rate as compared to its three BRIC peers China, Russia and Brazil in May 2013, as per HSBC survey. India witnessed an improvement in its business climate on the back of increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and greater revenue receipts by the Government. The ‘BluFin Business Cycle Indicator (BCI)’, reflects macroeconomic developments on a monthly basis, stood at 165.3 points in July 2013, 5.3 percent higher compared to July 2012 which implies that business performance is comparatively better than previous year. In economic development scenario, India is leading from all fronts i.e. 2013 FDI confidence Index stands 5th, 2013 Deliotte Manufacturing Competitive Index stands 4th, 2013 KPMG Change Readiness Index stands 65th. 2013 Global Innovation Index stands 66th. While on societal development front, India’s condition is not upright. As per the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) Human development Index 2013 India stands 136th. In inequality Index, India stands 91st, in gender inequality 132nd, value of multidimensional poverty index is 0.283 on basis of year 2005/2006. A major cause of poverty among India’s rural, urban poor both individuals and communities, is lack of access to regular job opportunity, productive assets and financial resources. High level of inadequate health care, illiteracy and extremely limited access to social services are common among poor people. Seven states – Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Prad esh – account for 61 per cent of Indias total poor. Chhattisgarh is the poorest state in the country with approximately 40 per cent of its population being below the poverty line (www.downtoearth.org ). According to NSSO 66th Survey 2010, around 52.9 percent of population engaged in primary sector (agriculture and allied sector) contributing 19 percent to gross value added (GVA) of country, 22.7 percent of working population engaged in secondary sector which contributes 28 percent in GVA and 24.4 percent of population engaged in tertiary sector (Services) contributes 53 percent in our GDP. Considering NSSO 66th Survey, around 75 percent working population engaged in primary and secondary sector of the economy, and resides countryside or in outskirts of cities. While considering the basic amenities in such areas are vulnerable i.e. health care centres, schools, sanitation facilities etc. These differences demarcate a thin line between Shining India (Cities) and Bharat (Village s, towns and outskirts of cities) in terms of societal development and economic parity. Literature review In dynamic economic world, business innovation and competitiveness helps Small and medium enterprises to grow leap and bound. According to the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, 2013, Developing nations are emerging as potential manufacturing destinations like china ranked 1st as best manufacturing destinations while other developing nations are India, Brazil, Vietnam Indonesia etc. GMCI, 2013 report envisaged that in next five years the above mentioned nations will be key manufacturing hubs along with three leading manufacturing powers i.e. USA, Germany and Japan- remained ranked in top 10 most competitive nations today. Across the world, more than 95 percent of the enterprises are SMEs and employs 60 percent of total private employment (Ayyagari et al. 2011). SMEs by number dominate the world stage, Japan has highest number of SMEs registered among the industrialized nation accounts for 99 percent of total enterprises (Edinburgh Group Report, 2011). India had 26.1 million SMEs (MSME, 4th census) and employed around 59.7 million people of the country, second largest employer after agriculture sector. In European Union, jointly 27 countries accounts for 99.8 percent of total enterprises, employs 67 percent of all workers and contributes 58 percent of gross value added. (Edinburgh Group Report, 2011). The SMEs are lacking in knowledge and information base which reflected in poor work practices mainly the managerial and technical abilities among owners and managers. They mainly fall sort of environmental awareness and its impact and focused toward short term gains over long term objectives because of limited resources and lower capital-output ratio compared to a competitive large unit. Mainly SMEs are reluctant to the programs and policies i.e. waste management circle initiated by National Productivity council because of lack of their nature (Dasgupta, 1999). For example, Henriques and Sadorsky (1996) explored the effect of self-reported community pressure on Canadian firms’ decisions to adopt an environmental plan. The effect of self-reported community pressure (presence versus absence) on Mexican firms’ decisions to adopt certain environmental management practices. Analysis: Urban and Rural working Population across the sectors: In India, services sector mainly includes hotels restaurants, Banking Finance Securities Insurance (BFSI), Information Technology (IT) Information Technology Enabled services (ITES), Education, Health etc. According to NSSO 66th Survey, contribution of services sector is 53 percent as gross value added to the economy and employed only 24.4 percent of working population. Figure 1 shows the distribution of population employment per 1000 distribution in all three sectors of economy. Primarily comparing Round 66 and Round 68, finds out that rural primary sector population is shifting toward secondary and tertiary sector mainly men are relocating toward secondary and women are relocating toward tertiary sector. Considering the fact, urban population i.e. men and women are relocating toward secondary sector with marginal increment. With such development in secondary sector, more than 60 percent of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) approvals have been extended to IT/ITES sector, the manufacturing sector left with one third of total approvals (Deepak Shah, 2009). It may affect growth and competitiveness of manufacturing sector which shows huge potential in terms of engaging new skilled pool of population into itself. According to NSSO 66 Round Survey (Figure 2), while comparing secondary sector of economy, particularly, manufacturing (D) Construction (F) for rural and urban India, employment opportunities are relatively more in urban areas compare to rural areas because of basic facility location factors. With respect to social security, from entire workforce mere 8 percent workers entitled for statutory social protection (i.e. risks as sickness, maternity, disability and old age) through central and state level rules on conventional social security (NCEUS, 2006). Around 86 percent of total workers who employed in unorganized sector lag behind for basic social security benefits. As per (Figure 3) MSME Annual Report 2012-2013, rural registered MSME units are lesser than urban units while unregistered Micro and Small (MS) rural units are far more than urban units. Another important aspect of Indian MSME sector is that micro and small enterprises are more than medium enterprises and employed more number of population compared to medium enterprises where labor efficiency, economics of scale and environmental friendliness would not be considered as a parameter of growth. The overall labor efficiency is gloomily low which signifies poor quality of employment mainly because of informal employment called casualization. In manufacturing sector, 88 percent of employment lies under such category (Kannan (2011). According to planning commission estimates,  casual workforce earnings were only one-fourth of the wages of regular (full time) workers (Rs. 51 as against Rs. 200) in 2004-05. Prevalence of poverty among casual workforce, self-employed and regular was as high as 32 per cent, 17.5 per cent and 11 per cent respectively with an average of 20.51 per cent for all employed workers. (Planning Commission, 2008, Chapter 4, Annexure 4.7). MSMEs financing and credit trends: While considering the outstanding bank credits to micro and small enterprises (Figure 4) are on higher side with year on year increase of average 33.3 percent, which reflects the position of respective enterprises and condition of workers working for such enterprises, because it’s obvious that if an enterprise is falling sort of funds to manage its outstanding credit taken from various banks, how it will take care of its enterprise and workers. It reflects that mainly MS enterprises are dragged behind due to falling short of funds and other finance facilities which requires to compete with established local and global players in respective market. Conclusion: According to NAS data the service-sector has achieved an average annual compound growth rate of 8.7 per cent annum between 1999-2000 and 2009-10 as against 7.7 per cent achieved by manufacturing during the same period. Manufacturing sector in urban India has grown at a faster rate (2.8 per cent) relative to all India (1.7 per cent) over the period 1999-2000 and 2009-10. Unlike service sector has practiced skill scarcity and growth in service sector is reasonably more skill demanding than manufacturing sector at higher skill levels. Indian policy makers needs to focus on manufacturing sector like china counterpart which leads in exports and generated huge and stable employment environment by focusing on MSME model (Ramaswamy, 2012). Microenterprise development could generate income and enable poor people to improve their living conditions, has only recently become a focus of the government. The government initiatives and scheme like cluster development program, integrated industrial development scheme and credit guarantee fund scheme etc which stimulates inter-firm linkages and network have assisted MSMEs to move up in the value chain and gain competitive advantage, given access to technology upgraded production technology in sector should be spread across the industrial zones of the country by conducting workshops and training camps to reap the bene fits (IBEF, 2013). The report of Task Force on MSME (2010) provides roadmap for the enhancement and up gradation of MSME sector and mainly emphasized on following key issues: Public Procurement Policy: Government Departments and PSUs to reach atleast 20 percent of their annual volume purchase from MSEs Government should focus on rehabilitation of sick SME units and enhance schemes in context of National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC). Enable conducive environment for legal and fiscal instruments to incentivize SMEs for their corporation as entities. Assurance for strict adherence to stipulated targets by commercial banks for SMEs. References: ATKearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, Back to Business: Optimism and Uncertainty (2013) Ayyagari, M., Demirgà ¼Ãƒ §-Kunt, A. and Maksimovic, V. (2011), Small vs. Young Firms Across The World – Contribution to Employment, Job Creation, and Growth, Policy Research Working Paper 5631 (The World Bank Development Research Group). Deepak Shah (2009), Special Economic Zones in India: A Review of Investment, Trade, Employment generation and Impact Assessment, Indian Journal of Agriculture Economics, Vol 64, No. 3, July-Sept 2009. Das Gupta N, 1999. Energy efficiency and environmental improvements in small-scale industries: present initiatives in India are not working. Energy Policy (27) 789-800. Edinburgh (2011), Growing the global economy through SMEs. Goyal M, (2013, June 09). SMEs employ close to 40 percent of Indias workforce, but contribute only 17 percent to GDP. The Economic Times retrieved from http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-06-09/news/39834857_1_smes-workforce-small-and-medium-enterprises. Henriques, I., Sadorsky, P., 1996. The determinants of an environmentally responsive firm: an empirical approach. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 30, 381–395. HSBC EXPAT Explorer Survey 2013 Report: http://www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/files/pdfs/overall-reports/2013/report.pdf Human Development Report 2013. The rise of south: Human Progress in Diverse World. Kannan, K.P. (2011) ‘How Inclusive is Inclusive Growth in India’ paper presented at the International Expert Workshop on ‘Inclusive Growth: From Policy to Reality’, jointly organized by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada and Indian Institute for Dalit Studies (IIDs), New Delhi; 11-13 December, 2011, New Delhi. KPMG Change Readiness Index (2013), KPMG International  MSME Annual Report 2012-13 NCEUS (2006) Social Security for Unorganized Workers, New Delhi, National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector, New Delhi, Government of India. NCEUS (2007) Report on Conditions of Work and Promotion of Livelihoods in the Unorganized Sector, New Delhi, Government of India and Academic Foundation. NSSO (2005) Income, Expenditure and Productive Assets of Farmer Households (Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers), 59th Round, Report No. 497, New Delhi, National Sample Survey Organization. Planning Commission (2008), Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) –– Volume I, Inclusive Growth, –– Volume III, Agriculture, Industry, Services and Physical Infrastructure, New Delhi, Planning Commission, Government of India. Ramaswamy K V, Agarwal Tushar (2012), Services-led Growth, Employment and Job Quality: A Study of Manufacturing and Service-sector in Urban India, WP-2012-007. Rs 27 per day: Indias new rural poverty line, 23 July, 2013, Down To Earth, http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/indias-new-rural-poverty-line-rs-27-day Samuel R A, Global competitiveness Index Report 2013 Zaidi L, (2013). Proceeding from International Conference on Technology and Business Management.

The Discovery of DNA

It is amazing how important things are being discovered by persons who spend most of their lives dedicated to research. It is perhaps more amazing how a scientist discovers one thing while trying to discover other things. Imagine if no one was patient enough to conduct experiments to prove their assumptions. If that was the case, we would not know today that DNA is the genetic material. This paper will discuss how DNA was discovered, its structure and the scientists who contributed to the discovery.Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is considered as the molecular blueprint of life that can be passed to the next generation. It was discovered in 1953 (University of Georgia, 2007) from experiments seeking to understand bacterial pneumonia which claimed many lives during the twentieth century. During these experiments, researchers stumbled into discoveries which later on became the reagents for further experiments leading to the discovery of DNA as the genetic material (O’Connor, 2008).D NA looks like a twisted ladder wherein rungs are secured by two out of four molecules that are interlocking. These molecules are nucleic acid bases. The four molecules include thymine, adenine, cytosine, and guanine (University of Georgia, 2007). Certain scientists have been notable for conducting experiments leading to the discovery of DNA. One of these was Oswald Avery whose team was trying to find out how to treat lobular pneumonia. From his experiments, he proved that DNA indeed carries genetic information.During that time, many people believed that the gene would be made up of protein and not nucleic acid (WGBH, 1998). Another scientist which contributed to DNA discovery was Frederick Griffith who, in 1928, conducted an experiment utilizing pneumonia bacteria and mice. Recent studies pointed that Griffith’s experiment was one of many others hinting that DNA was the hereditary material. Griffith assumed from his experiment, wherein he used a smooth (S) and rough (R) strai ns of Streptococcus pneumoniae on a mice, that polysaccharide coating was the cause of the illness to the mice.Further into his experiment, he found out that something in the living cell, and not the polysaccharides, caused the disease. Later on he speculated that the R strain bacteria he injected into the mice has absorbed the dead S strain bacteria’s genetic material. Furthermore, he speculated that the protein contained in the chromosomes was not the genetic bacteria due to the finding that heat denatures protein (Biology at Clermont College, n. d. ). At first, Avery was skeptical of the results of Griffith’s experiment. However, other researchers further studied Griffith’s findings.In 1931, Sia and Dawson found out that transformation, a process wherein one strain absorbs the genetic material of another strain and becomes that bacterium, could also take place in liquid cultures of pneumococci and mice. In 1948, Linus Pauling found out that proteins are shape d in alpha helix, which looks like a spring coil. Another significant discovery took place two years later, when Erwin Chargaff discovered an important foundation of the description of DNA: nitrogen bases in DNA varied, but some bases occur in one-to-one ratio.Pauling’s findings have further aroused interest into two researchers, namely: Francis Crick and James Watson. They were not the only ones interested in studying DNA. Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin from London were also studying DNA. Franklin discovered the possibility that DNA can occur in two forms. It depends on the humidity of the air. Franklin figured out that the molecule’s phosphate was located on the outside. Watson and Crick, determined to redeem their studies after a failed model, conceptualized that there are two chains of nucleotides in the molecule.These two chains were in a helix, as what Franklin has discovered, but one chain was moving to the opposite direction of another. Furthermore, they believed that the strands of DNA molecule served as the template for the other. The strands separate during cell division. In addition, a new half is built on each strand. The team found out that this was the way DNA reproduces without change in its structure (WGBH, 1998). The discovery of DNA was considered as the most important biological work and it has paved the way for further experiments and studies. Crick and Watson won the Nobel Prize for their findings. References Biology at Clermont College. (n.d). DNA structure and function. Retrieved January 30, 2009, from http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/dna.htm O’Connor, C. (2008). Discovery of DNA as the hereditary material using Streptococcus pneumoniae. Nature Education, 1(1). University of Georgia. (2007). Study suggests how DNA building block might have formed. Retrieved January 30, 2009, from http://www.world-science.net/othernews/071102_adenine.htm WGBH. (1998). Watson and Crick describe structure of DNA. Retrieved January 30, 2009, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/do53dn.html

What You Do Not Know About Spacex Falcon Heavy Essay Samples May Shock You

What You Do Not Know About Spacex Falcon Heavy Essay Samples May Shock You What is Actually Going on with Spacex Falcon Heavy Essay Samples The fourth flight proved to be an overall success. Saudi Arabia's Arabsat is expecting its Lockheed Martin-built industrial communications satellite to keep in geostationary orbit for as much as 15 decades. The expense of the program was extremely large. However you must trade off the price, very low flight rate, against building the payload in more compact pieces. Considering its track record, however, it appears safe to say the business is well-suited to making it take place. Let's look at the fundamental statistics. It's really hard to underestimate the value of this event for the history. A really tremendous quantity. The Basics of Spacex Falcon Heavy Essay Samples The capability to reuse rockets would result in a substantial decrease in cost of space launches. That's a large differential and within this space, it makes a signi ficant difference. The middle unit will incorporate a strengthened frame to support both side boosters. I hope it makes it far enough past the pad so that it doesn't lead to pad damage. By way of example, Falcon Heavy was initially supposed to launch for the very first time in March. To begin with, Falcon Heavy is among the most effective rockets existing today. Falcon Heavy is a little step on such journey, but it's still a huge machine. As soon as the Falcon Heavy does successfully launch, it'll be the most effective rocket on Earth being used. As time passes, SpaceX plans to lessen the price of Falcon Heavy launches due to their reusable boosters. Following that, they'll be transported to Cape Canaveral. Almost all of that propellant weight is going to be consumed in the first couple of minutes of the flight. The central heart of the rocket will stay connected to the payload for a bit longer and then separate also. Landing this booster was always likely to be more difficult due to the greater speed. Moreover, rocket boosters for solid fuels need timely updates, and external fuel tanks have to be changed each time. That is the sum of fuel needed for an ASDS landing. The Falcon Heavy isn't only the strongest rocket in the SpaceX arsenal it's been called the most effective rocket this generation has ever seen. Generated a significant thunderhead of steam. Details of Spacex Falcon Heavy Essay Samples To begin with, sensors picked up a problem with ground equipment in a dress rehearsal. In addition, it has no actual mission at this time. Being in a position to show you can land that sort of spacecraft puts you on a track people have to take seriously. The issue of all contemporary rockets is they are, in reality, disposable. How to Choose Spacex Falcon Heavy Essay Samples Musk plans to send the vehicle into orbit around sunlight. So, Musk's very first step was to create an inexpensive rocket. There's a genuine good likelihood that that vehicle doesn't make it to orbit. The genuine public excitement lies past the ISS and Mars missions, however, according to Musk. Still, two out of three isn't bad once you launch the most effective rocket on earth. In truth, it is the most effective operational rocket on the planet by a factor of two, boasting more than 5 million lbs of thrust. The 230-foot tall three-booster launcher is thought to be the most effective rocket on earth. But this also suggests that the ship needs to be in a position to survive reentry at interplanetary, as opposed to orbital, velocities. The ship is really the more intricate portion of the equation. The organization has confirmed that the launch was postponed until next calendar year. Nell explained more on the subject of the rocket inside her preview of the launch here. Its very first stage includes three Falcon 9 cores that are intended to go back to Earth after launch much enjoy the business's solo Falcon 9 flights. Fingers crossed for a prosperous test! The launch appears to have gone amazingly well. It is planned for a few weeks after the test. And not only for the launch.

Biography of Ho Chi Minh, President of North Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh (born  Nguyen Sinh Cung; May 19, 1890–September 2, 1969) was a revolutionary who commanded the communist North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War. Ho Chi Minh also served as the prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He is still admired in Vietnam today; Saigon, the citys capital, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honor. Fast Facts: Ho Chi Minh Known For: Ho Chi Minh was a revolutionary who led the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.Also Known As: Nguyen Sinh Cung, Nguyen Tat Thanh, Bac HoBorn: May 19, 1890 in Kim Lien, French IndochinaDied: September 2, 1969 in Hanoi, North VietnamSpouse: Zeng Xueming (m. 1926–1969) Early Life Ho Chi Minh was born in Hoang Tru Village, French Indochina (now Vietnam) on May 19, 1890. His birth name was Nguyen Sinh Cung; he went by many pseudonyms throughout his life, including Ho Chi Minh, or Bringer of Light. Indeed, he may have used more than 50 different names during his lifetime. When the boy was little, his father Nguyen Sinh Sac prepared to take the Confucian civil service exams in order to become a local government official. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minhs mother Loan raised her two sons and daughter and was in charge of producing the rice crop. In her spare time, Loan regaled the children with stories from traditional Vietnamese literature and folk tales. Although Nguyen Sinh Sac did not pass the exam on his first attempt, he did relatively well. As a result, he became a tutor for village children, and the curious, smart little Cung absorbed many of the older kids lessons. When the child was 4, his father passed the exam and received a grant of land, which improved the familys financial situation. The following year, the family moved to Hue; 5-year-old Cung had to walk through the mountains with his family for a month. As he grew older, the child had the opportunity to go to school in Hue and learn the Confucian classics and the Chinese language. When the future Ho Chi Minh was 10, his father renamed him Nguyen Tat Thanh, meaning Nguyen the Accomplished. Life in the United States and England In 1911, Nguyen Tat Thanh took a job as a cooks helper aboard a ship. His exact movements over the next several years are unclear, but he seems to have seen many port cities in Asia, Africa, and France. His observations gave him a poor opinion of French colonials. At some point, Nguyen stopped in the United States for a few years. He apparently worked as a bakers assistant at the Omni Parker House in Boston  and also spent time in New York City. In the United States, the young Vietnamese man observed that Asian immigrants had a chance to make a better life in a much freer atmosphere than those living under colonial rule in Asia. Introduction to Communism As World War I drew to a close in 1918, leaders of the European powers decided to meet and hash out an armistice in Paris. The 1919 Paris Peace Conference attracted uninvited guests as well—subjects of the colonial powers who called for self-determination in Asia and Africa. Among them was a previously unknown Vietnamese man who had entered France without leaving any record at immigration and signed his letters Nguyen Ai Quoc—Nguyen who loves his country. He repeatedly attempted to present a petition calling for independence in Indochina to the French representatives and their allies but was rebuffed. Although the political powers of the day in the western world were uninterested in giving the colonies in Asia and Africa their independence, communist and socialist parties in Western countries more sympathetic to their demands. After all, Karl Marx had identified imperialism as the last stage of capitalism. Nguyen the Patriot, who would become Ho Chi Minh, found common cause with the French Communist Party and began to read about Marxism. Training in the Soviet Union and China After his introduction to communism in Paris, Ho Chi Minh went to Moscow in 1923 and began to work for the Comintern (the Third Communist International). Despite suffering frostbite to his fingers and nose, Ho Chi Minh quickly learned the basics of organizing a revolution, while carefully steering clear of the developing dispute between Trotsky and Stalin. He was much more interested in practicalities than in the competing communist theories of the day. In November 1924, Ho Chi Minh made his way to Canton, China (now Guangzhou). For almost two and a half years he lived in China, training about 100 Indochinese operatives and gathering funds for a strike against French colonial control of Southeast Asia. He also helped organize the peasants of Guangdong Province, teaching them the basic principles of communism. In April 1927, however, Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek began a bloody purge of communists. His Kuomintang (KMT) massacred 12,000 real or suspected communists in Shanghai  and would go on to kill an estimated 300,000 across the nation over the following year. While Chinese communists fled to the countryside, Ho Chi Minh and other Comintern agents left China entirely. On the Move Ho Chi Minh had gone overseas 13 years earlier as a naive and idealistic young man. He now wished to return and lead his people to independence, but the French were well aware of his activities and would not willingly allow him back into Indochina. Under the name Ly Thuy, he went to the British colony of Hong Kong, but the authorities suspected that his visa was forged and gave him 24 hours to leave. He then made his way to Moscow, where he appealed to the Comintern for funding to launch a movement in Indochina. He planned to base himself in neighboring Siam (Thailand). While Moscow debated, Ho Chi Minh went to a Black Sea resort town to recover from an illness—probably tuberculosis. Declaration of Independence Finally, in 1941, the revolutionary who called himself Ho Chi Minh—Bringer of Light—returned to his home country of Vietnam. The outbreak of World War II and the Nazi invasion of France created a powerful distraction, allowing Ho Chi Minh to evade French security and reenter Indochina. The Nazis allies, the Empire of Japan, seized control of northern Vietnam in September 1940 to prevent the Vietnamese from supplying goods to the Chinese resistance. Ho Chi Minh led his guerrilla movement, known as the Viet Minh, in opposition to the Japanese occupation. The United States, which would formally align itself with the Soviet Union once it entered the war in December 1941, provided support for the Viet Minh in their struggle against Japan through the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA. When the Japanese left Indochina in 1945 following their defeat in World War II, they handed over control of the country not to France—which wanted to reassert its right to its Southeast Asian colonies—but to Ho Chi Minhs Viet Minh and the Indochinese Communist Party. Japans puppet emperor in Vietnam, Bao Dai, was set aside under pressure from Japan and the Vietnamese communists. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, with himself as president. As specified by the Potsdam Conference, however, northern Vietnam was under the stewardship of Nationalist Chinese forces, while the south was under the control of the British. In theory, the Allied forces were there simply to disarm and repatriate remaining Japanese troops. However, when France—their fellow Allied Power—demanded Indochina back, the British acquiesced. In the spring of 1946, the French returned to Indochina. Ho Chi Minh refused to relinquish his presidency  and was forced back into the role of guerrilla leader. First Indochina War Ho Chi Minhs first priority was to expel the Chinese Nationalists from northern Vietnam, and in February 1946 Chiang Kai-shek withdrew his troops. Although Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Communists had been united with the French in their desire to get rid of the Chinese, relations between the parties broke down rapidly. In November 1946, the French fleet opened fire on the port city of Haiphong in a dispute over customs duties, killing more than 6,000 Vietnamese civilians. On December 19, Ho Chi Minh declared war on France. For almost eight years, Ho Chi Minhs Viet Minh fought against the French colonial forces. They received support from the Soviets and from the Peoples Republic of China under Mao Zedong after the Chinese Communists victory over the Nationalists in 1949. The Viet Minh used hit-and-run tactics and their superior knowledge of the terrain to keep the French at a disadvantage. Ho Chi Minhs guerrilla army scored its final victory at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, a masterpiece of anti-colonial warfare that inspired the Algerians to rise against France later that same year. In the end, France and its local allies lost about 90,000 troops, while the Viet Minh suffered almost 500,000 fatalities. Between 200,000 and 300,000 Vietnamese civilians were also killed. France pulled out of Indochina completely. Under the terms of the Geneva Convention, Ho Chi Minh became the leader of northern Vietnam, while U.S.-backed capitalist leader Ngo Dinh Diem took power in the south. Vietnam War At this time, the United States subscribed to domino theory, the idea that the fall of one country in a region to communism would cause the neighboring states to topple like dominoes as well. In order to prevent Vietnam from following in the steps of China, the United States decided to support Ngo Dinh Diems cancellation of the 1956 nationwide elections, which would very likely have unified Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh responded by activating the Viet Minh cadres in South Vietnam, who began to wage small-scale attacks on the Southern government. Gradually, U.S. involvement increased, until the country and other U.N. members were involved in all-out combat against Ho Chi Minhs soldiers. In 1959, Ho Chi Minh appointed Le Duan the political leader of North Vietnam, while he focused on rallying support from the Politburo and other communist powers. Ho Chi Minh remained the power behind the president, however. Although Ho Chi Minh had promised the people of Vietnam a quick victory over the Southern government and its foreign allies, the Second Indochina War, also known as the Vietnam War, dragged on. In 1968, he approved the Tet Offensive, which was meant to break the stalemate. Although it proved a military fiasco for the North and the allied Viet Cong, it was a propaganda coup for Ho Chi Minh and the communists. With U.S. public opinion turning against the war, Ho Chi Minh realized that he only had to hold out until the Americans got tired of fighting and withdrew. Death Ho Chi Minh would not live to see the end of the war. On September 2, 1969, the 79-year-old leader of North Vietnam died in Hanoi of heart failure, and he did not get to see his prediction about American war fatigue play out. Legacy Ho Chi Minhs influence on North Vietnam was so great that when the Southern capital of Saigon fell in April 1975, many of the North Vietnamese soldiers carried posters of him into the city. Saigon was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1976. Ho Chi Minh is still revered in Vietnam today; his image appears on the nations currency and in classrooms and public buildings. Sources Brocheux, Pierre. Ho Chi Minh: A Biography, trans. Claire Duiker. Cambridge University Press, 2007.Duiker, William J. Ho Chi Minh. Hyperion, 2001.Gettleman, Marvin E., Jane Franklin, et al. Vietnam and America: The Most Comprehensive Documented History of the Vietnam War. Grove Press, 1995.