Which 1954 conference in Switzerland aimed to resolve the First Indochina War by temporarily partitioning Vietnam at the 17th parallel?

• A. The Potsdam Conference
• B. The Yalta Conference
• C. The San Francisco Conference
• D. The Geneva Conference (1954)

Answer: (D)

This question tests understanding of how the Geneva Conference of 1954 addressed the First Indochina War. In Geneva, Switzerland, representatives negotiated the Geneva Accords, which called for a ceasefire and a temporary partition of Vietnam along the 17th parallel. The north would be under the Viet Minh and the south under a non-communist government, with nationwide elections planned for 1956 to reunify the country. The partition was intended to be temporary, but the elections never took place, and Vietnam remained divided, helping set the stage for deeper U.S. involvement and the Vietnam War. The other conferences listed occurred earlier and dealt with different issues (postwar Europe and the founding of the United Nations) and were not held in Switzerland or about Vietnam.