Final answer:
The rebellion among the South Vietnamese refers to the Vietcong's insurgent activities against the South Vietnamese government, culminating in the 1968 Tet Offensive. As a South Communist rebel army, the Vietcong attempted to overthrow the unpopular prime minister Ngo Dinh Diem with support from North Vietnam.
Step-by-step explanation:
The rebellion among the South Vietnamese largely refers to the actions and efforts of the Vietcong (VC), a South Communist rebel army. Influenced by the North Vietnamese under H0 Chi Minh's leadership, the Vietcong conducted an insurgency against the South Vietnamese government, particularly during the infamous 1968 Tet Offensive. This offensive was marked by surprise attacks during the lunar New Year, known as Tet, a time when a ceasefire was typically observed. The Vietcong's strategies included recruiting a wide demographic, from women and children to the elderly, to fight against the South Vietnamese and their American allies.
The Vietcong's existence was a response to the repressive and corrupt governance of Ngo Dinh Diem, the South Vietnamese prime minister, who failed to garner the support of many local farmers, students, and Buddhists. As a consequence, numerous South Vietnamese citizens supported the NLF and North Vietnam in attempts to oust Diem's administration. Despite the intense conflict, the ultimate failure of the VC's strategy during the Tet Offensive became evident, as they overestimated the willingness of the South Vietnamese populace to join their uprising against the U.S. and the South Vietnamese government.
The split of Vietnam into a communist north and a non-communist south, following the French withdrawal after their defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, set the stage for these internal conflicts. The subsequent Geneva Accords and the decision to divide Vietnam at the seventeenth parallel—with the promise of national elections which never took place—fueled the North's determination to unite Vietnam under communist rule, ultimately leading to the Vietcong's formation and actions within South Vietnam.