Why were most but not all Southeast Asian societies reduced to colonies?

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The French Governor General and the Vietnamese EmperorThe twelfth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, Khai Dinh (1885–1925), had to find ways to get along with the French governor general (in this picture, Albert Sarraut) if he wished to preserve his dynasty. Seen here in 1917 or 1918, he had adopted Western leather shoes but otherwise tried to keep a distinct Vietnamese identity in his dress. (© Maurice-Louis Branger/Roger-Viollet/Getty Images)

AAT THE BEGINNING OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY only a small part of Southeast Asia was under direct European control. By the end of the century most of the region would be in foreign hands.