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Vietnam War IntroductionMs. MarquardtPd. 3 - Honors

+Bell Ringer: Tues. 12/ 20/ 2011Infer & Predict:

1) What kind of war would make a soldier feel this way?

2) What country do you think this soldier was from?

3) What do you think he was fighting for?

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today we went on a mission, and I am not very proud of myself, my friends, or my country.

+The Vietnam War ____ - 1975

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

Why did we get involved in another war overseas?

What were our primary motives?

What was the outcome?

Was it a just / fair war?

+The Vietnam War (in short) Nearly a decade long

Began with a revolutionary movement in Vietnam (a tiny, peasant country) to fight for independence

It was a war of modern military technology (U.S.) vs. organized human beings (Vietnam)

The human beings won

The Vietnam war created the biggest anti-war movement the U.S. had ever seen

+Vietnam Basics Location:

In Southeast Asia, near Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and parts of China

Population 83 Million People Mostly Buddhist Strong minority of

Catholics

Resources Very fertile, hot and wet

climate, many resources

+Vietnam History (Key Points)

Before WWII, France controlled Vietnam

+WWI & Vietnam At the end of WWI, American

President Woodrow Wilson promises to end colonialism.

A young Ho Chi Minh (Communist leader) attends Versaillies Conference hoping to gain Vietnamese Independence from France.

Ho Chi Minh led a revolutionary movement for independence from foreign control

Viet Minh – founded by Ho Chi Minh. Communist/Nationalist

group that opposed the French and later Japanese.

Nationalism – pride in your country, desire for independent homeland for your people.

+Bell Ringer: Wed. 12/21/2011

Choose one of the people you see in this picture. Write what you think they were seeing / feeling.

A critically wounded marine is aided by other marines from "B" Company, September 16th, 1966, two miles South of the de-militarized zone.

+WWII & Vietnam At the beginning of the War,

French still control Vietnam. Vietnamese resistance grows.

Ho Chi Minh Leader of the Viet Minh Wants an independent

Vietnam Opposes French,

Japanese, and AMERICAN

Millions rejoice that their country is free of foreign control at last!

+Declaring Independence

WW2 Ends and September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam independent !! Ho Chi Minh reads from US Declaration of Independence

Some see Ho Chi Minh’s Declaration of Independence as evidence of being a nationalist rather than being a communist. They refer to this example has him expressing his interest in having a relationship with the United States.

BUT, the French want Indochina back, and they do not recognize Vietnamese independence. Reclaim colony.

What should the US do? Support Vietnamese or help France regain its colonial empire?

+Divided American State Department

European Experts in American Government support backing France.

STOP spread of Communism in Asia !!

Asia Experts in American Government support backing Ho Chi Minh

Feel he is a Nationalist

PRO - WAR ANTI - WAR

SO? US Backs France. Truman Adminstration then Eisenhower Administration back France. Due to the following factors:-Korean War, Loss of China to communists, Idea of stopping communism, Cold War, Strong France helps stop communism in Western Europe, Containment, and belief that Ho Chi Minh was more of a communist than nationalist!!

+Other interests / benefits for the US…??

A secret US govt. memo from 1952 talked about SE Asia’s valuable resources:

Rubber

Tin

Oil

were important to the US … if the Vietnam govt. won against France and took over they might be hostile towards the US and not trade with us (Oh NO!)

+First Indo-China War 1945-1954

France vs. Viet Minh French try to keep Vietnam, Viet Minh fight for

Independence 70% of French costs are paid by US

Dien Bien Phu 1954 Final defeat of French by Vietnamese, French

Surrender

1954 Geneva Conference End Hostilities between French and Vietnamese Temporarily divide Vietnam at 17th parallel until

French leave. Elections in 1956

+If Vietnam turns Communist…

Containment theory fails (NOO!)

Domino Theory, fear of monolithic (solid block) communist alliance of China, Vietnam, and USSR

+South Vietnam

Instead of supporting Geneva Agreement and allowing unification elections and a Communist victory, US supports creation of a non-Communist, South Vietnam.

American war in Vietnam is fought to keep South Vietnam Non-Communist!

+JFK & Vietnam

Views Vietnam as important to Cold War like Truman and Eisenhower

Begins Escalation of Troops

Overall picture unsure due to assassination

JFK believed the best way to stop communists in Vietnam was to build South Vietnam into a nation.

+Ngo Dinh Diem

First leader of South Vietnam

Nationalist but strongly anti-Communist

Catholic

Receives strong support from Eisenhower & Kennedy Massive military and financial aid

from US Brutal to communists

Upsets Buddhist Majority

Brother & Sister-in-Law are unpopular

Adminstration is very corrupt

+Assassination of Diem

November 1963

Kennedy either knew of the plot and ignored it or supported it.

South Vietnamese government would never be stable.

Increased American involvement in South Vietnam’s Internal Affairs.

+Check in # 1

When Eisenhower left office, less than 1,000 US soldiers were in Vietnam

At the time of Kennedy’s assassination (1963), over 16,000 solders were in Vietnam.

By 1969, Vietnam had 543,000 US soliders

Many of the solders under JFK were Special Forces and under Johnson, regular ground troops were introduced.

+Golf of Tonkin Resolution President Lyndon B. Johnson took over after Kennedy

assassinated.

North Vietnamese “attack” on two US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin is Johnson’s excuse to get congressional approval for major escalation in Vietnam.

TERMS: Hanoi – refers to North Vietnamese government NVA – North Vietnamese Army VC/Charlie- Viet Cong: Communist rebels in South Vietnam ARVN – South Vietnamese Army POW – Prisoner of War MIA – Missing in Action

+Who did America Fight in Vietnam?

Viet Cong

North Vietnamese Army

Both groups were heavily supplied from USSR via China

+Johnson & Limited War

Johnson was afraid of conflict spreading to involve USSR & China.

Strict rules of engagement – limited targets for US Troops and Air Strikes

Areas of North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos North Vietnamese Communists can attack, move supplies from

and retreat AMERICAN TROOPS CANNOT GO

North Vietnam Wants a unified, Communist Vietnam Wants Americans Out Wants One Vietnam

+Early American Support for War in Vietnam Americans initially

supported the war Hit Song “The Green

Berets” Public is told troops will

be home soon, and the war is almost over.

Vietnam is the first war that is heavily covered by television networks. American public sees

daily images of casualties Public begins to turn

against the war.

+Escalation

Johnson attempts to limit the war while at the same time constantly increasing the number of soldiers in Vietnam

Over 500,000 soldiers by 1969

LBJ would attempt negotiations at the same time he would scale back offensive operations in Vietnam North Vietnamese take

advantage of this.

+Tet Offensive

Tet – most important holiday in Vietnam, Vietnamese New Year. It is the most popular festival in Vietnam.

1968 Cease Fire

1968 Viet Cong attack every

major US base in South Vietnam

North Vietnamese Army takes city of Hue and kills many inhabitants.

US Embassy in Saigon is attacked.

+Effects of Tet

Major Military victory for the US

Viet Cong is devasted

American media turns against the war.

American public turns against the war.

Political and psychological victory for North Vietnam.

American Anti-War Movement Strong anti-war movement in US War divides American population

+Richard Nixon

Elected in 1968

Claims to have a “secret plan” to end war in Vietnam

+Cambodia

Neutral

Viet Cong & North Vietnamese use Cambodia as a sanctuary

US troops cannot enter

Cambodian government is powerless from preventing Communists from entering

Bad history between Vietnam & Cambodia

+Nixon & Cambodia

Nixon: Supports coup that puts

strong anti-Communist government in charge

Expands conflict Secretly bombs and

invades Cambodia

Bombing & Invasion fails to make any significance in war Cambodian communists go

deeper into Cambodia Vietnamese were using

Cambodia to attack Americans

Public Opinion: War is illegal Public is outraged at

expansion of the conflict Massive protests

+Nixon & Ending Vietnam War

Uses combination of increased bombing of North Vietnam and Secret Negotations

Diplomacy with China and USSR

Vietnamization – Nixon’s Plan

Turn the war over to the South Vietnamese Train & equip South Vietnamese to fight the North US Troops withdraw Last US troops leave by 1973

South Vietnam Betrayed? South Vietnam is promised that the US would send troops, money, and

supplies if North Vietnamese launched a massive attack. Nixon resigns due to Watergate Congress and American people do not support further involvement

+1975 & Results of War

North Vietnam takes over South Vietnam US doesn’t prevent the take over. Vietnam is unified under one communist state

Results: 60,000 Americans killed US reluctant to use military power American public is divided Americans don’t trust government Vietnam is Communist Cambodia falls to Communists

Khmer Rouge/Cambodian Communist take power Pol Pot is leader Killing Fields – Genocide of 1/3 of the Cambodian population Vietnam invades and occupies Cambodia to defeat Khmer Rouge

+Vietnam & China

1979 War between Vietnam & China

China improved relations with US after Nixon’s visit

Vietnam moved closer to USSR

China supports Khmer Rouge and is upset that Vietnam defeats it.

China attempts to invade Vietnam to “teach lesson” Chinese leave after 1 month Vietnamese put up much stronger fight than Chinese

expected

+Bell Ringer: Tues. 1/10/2012

Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most outspoken opponents of the Vietnam War. He said:

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”

1) What do you think he meant? Put this quote in your own words.

2) Think of a situation, personally meaningful to you, where this quote would apply.

+TODAY WE WILL:See & Respond

SEE images of the Vietnam War / MLK Jr. & the protest movement in the late 60s

You will RESPOND: Choose a role to step into.

Examples: a protester, MLK Jr, the president, a Vietnamese civilian

Write a poem or a short creative piece in the voice of this person…

we will have to guess who you are.

+Bell Ringer: Wed. 1/11/2012

IMAGINE you are a teenager in the late 1960s…

Knowing what you know now about the results of the Vietnam War, what position would you have taken on the war? FOR or AGAINST ?

What would you have done to make your voice heard?

+WORK that is DUE / LATE :

Winter Break packet / Women’s DBQ (30pts.)

Wrap-up questions on Vietnam War (20 pts.)

+Final Exam Preview: You will get study guides tomorrow…

HOLOCAUST

Anti-Communist efforts Berlin Airlift Korean War Cuban Missile Crisis

Vietnam War

Overarching THEMES ? Patterns in US Policy ?

Prep review by watching KHAN Academy video & Take notes (You write what he writes…)

+Until the Final Exam on Thurs. 1/19 We will be reading about the aftermath of the Vietnam

War and how it connects to what is going on in the US / World today

We will watch a fascinating documentary about a few counter-cultural rebels in the US “the Weather Underground”

We’ll review for the final so bring any questions you may have !!

+Closing Questions

On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following: How was Tet a turning point in the Vietnam War? How did TV affect people’s view of the Vietnam War? What country did President Nixon expand the Vietnam War

into? Which US President is associated with escalating the

number of US troops in Vietnam? What year did the last US troops leave Vietnam?