vietnam war - mpsaz.org

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Vietnam War

(1964 - 1973)

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Indochina

The countries make up Indochina are:

• Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

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Indochina includes Laos,

Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Indochina was

a French

colony most of

the late

1800s–WW II.

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HO CHI MINH

• 1919, at the end of WWI Ho Chi Minh tried to secure Vietnam’s independence as part of the treaty of Versailles – He later became a Communist

because that philosophy called for an end to all colonialism.

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WWII

At the beginning of WWII the Japanese Army invaded and conquered the Indochina Peninsula

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WWII

• Ho and his communist followers organize guerilla operations to fight the Japanese

• They provided the Allies with intelligence assistance believing they would help them become independent of France.

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French Rule in Vietnam

• Sept. 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independentcommunist nation.

• He asked for U.S. help in the quest for independence from the French.

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• The U.S. refused.

• 1950, U.S. began economic aid to France to contain communism.

• Domino theory—countries can fall to communism like a row of dominoes.

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The Fight Against Communism: France vs. Viet Minh Forces

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• Viet Minh launched a guerilla war against the French

• The French were defeated 1945

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• After the war a conference was held in 1954 in Geneva, Switzerland. The goal was to create a treaty for an orderly transfer of power from the French to the Viet Minh.

• The United States intervened

• They refused to allow Communists to take over all of Vietnam

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• Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at 17th parallel

• Communist Viet Minh would rule the northern half of the country

• A democratic group supported by the U.S. would administer the southern half

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Divided Vietnam

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The Siege of Dien Bien Phu: A French Military Disaster

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Vietcong - Communist opposition group in South.

They were very good at hit-and-run tactics, and skilled in staging

ambushes and land-mine warfare.

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Vietcong• They were active mostly at night, appearing

and disappearing like ghosts

• One of their favorite tactics was to set an ambush by placing an electronically controlled mine or booby trap on a trail used by American patrols, then the Viet Cong ambushers would hide nearby and detonate the mine by remote, when the patrol arrived, shoot a brief burst of automatic rifle fire at the same time and vanish into the jungle.

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• ―In seconds, nine of my men were wounded, five of the gravely, and we never saw the enemy, never had a chance to shoot back‖

• They seldom wore uniforms and were indistinguishable civilians

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The border between North and South Vietnam was only 39 miles long.

Ho Chi Minh used the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply the Vietcong with weapons and men

Ho Chi Minh Trail

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Ho Chi Minh Trail

• An elaborate system of roads, depots, and rest areas

• The main supply route from North Vietnam into South Vietnam for Communist troops.

• Mainly in the neutral countries of Laos and Cambodia

• Thanks to the trail the Communists would attack South Vietnam from anywhere along its western border.

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Pair Share

Who are the communists in the South who fight against the Diem government?

• VietcongWhat is the Domino Theory?• The idea that if one country falls to communism

nearby countries will also fall. What is the Ho chi Minh Trail?• a route the communists use to move supplies and men

into South Vietnam through neutral countries.What is the name of the nationalist leader who fought

against the French and then the U.S.?• Ho Chi Minh

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Why did the U.S. become involved in the conflict in Indochina?

• they wanted to stop the spread of communism

What did the Genva Accords do?

• divide Vietnam at the 17th parallel

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End

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War Expands

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Ho Chi Minh(North Vietnam)

Ho Chi Minh

• Communist nationalist

• war hero

• popular because of land distribution

• brutal and repressive

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Ngo Dinh Diem (South Vietnam)

• Ngo Dinh Diem– anti-communist– imprisoned people

who opposed him– took land from

peasants– did not hold

promised elections– did not institute a

democratic form of government

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Eisenhower, and

John F. Kennedy

backed Diem

financially

and sent military

advisers.

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Johnson Expands U.S. Involvement

• Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) thought U.S. could lose international prestige if communists won.

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The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• Vietcong were accused of torpedoing the USS Maddox and the USS C. Turner Joy in international waters. (The Gulf of Tonkin)

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• President Johnson (LBJ) asked Congress for power to repel enemy.

• 1964, Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave LBJ broad military powers.

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• U.S. combat troops were sent to SouthVietnam to battle Vietcong.

• By 1967, 500,000 U.S. troops were in Vietnam.

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Problems with the War

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An Elusive Enemy• Vietcong used Guerrilla

surprise hit-and-run, ambush tactics, moving among civilians.

• Tunnels (Vinh Moc Tunnels) to help withstand air strikes, launch attacks, and to connect villages.

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• The terrain was laced with booby traps and land mines laid by U.S. and Vietcong.

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The metal to make these traps came from bomb

scrap.

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The Battle for “Hearts and Minds”

• U.S. wanted to stop Vietcong from winning support of rural population.

• U.S. did not succeed

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• Weapons for exposing tunnels often wounded civilians and destroyed villages.

– napalm: gasoline-based bomb that set fire to jungle causing deforestation.

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• Agent Orange: leaf-killing, toxic chemical that caused birth defects.

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Pair Share

What was Guerrilla Warfare?• Surprise hit and run attacksWhat is Napalm & Agent Orange• Chemicals used to get rid of the leaves in the trees

so people had no place to hideWhy was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed?• It was passed by Congress because the U.S. said

North Vietnam had torpedoed U.S. ships in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.

What did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution do?• Allowed the U.S. to use military force in Vietnam

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• Search-and-destroy missionsmoved civilians suspected of working for the North and destroyed their property.

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• Villagers went to cities and refugeecamps.

• 1967, there were over 3 million refugees.

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Pair Share

Why was the U.S. unable to win the ―hearts and minds‖ of the Vietnamese people?

• We used Napalm and agent orange, destroyed villages we thought were protecting Vietcong, killed civilians because we thought they were Vietcong.

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Sinking Morale of U.S. Soldiers

• Guerrilla warfare, jungle conditions, and not being able to tell the enemy from the civilians lowered morale.

• Many soldiers turned to alcohol and drugs.

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Fulfilling a Duty

• Most U.S. soldiers believed in the justice of halting communism.

• Fought courageously, took patriotic pride in fulfilling their duty.

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Pair Share

What made this war particularly difficult for American’s to fight?

• hot humid climate, constant rain, could not tell an enemy from a civilian and the hit and run tactics of the enemy

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End•

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The Cost of War

• War began to cost more with the increase of troops.

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The Living-Room War

• Combat footage was on the nightly TV news shows.

• TV showed grim pictures of the war.

• Critics said there was a credibilitygap between administration reportsand events.

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Draft

• Selective Service System, draft, called men 18–26 to military service.

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• Thousands looked for ways to avoidthe draft – went to Canada

– many—mostly white, affluent—received college deferment.

– some received a religious deferment

– joined a branch of the military before they could be drafted.

• 80% of U.S. soldiers came from lower economic levels.

Draft Dodgers and Soldiers

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• Defense Department corrected problem by instituting draft lottery in 1969.

1969

Draft Lottery

The Lottery

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• A large glass container held 366 blue plastic balls containing every possible birth date and affecting men between 18 and 26 years old.

• This drawing determined the order of induction

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Anti-war Protest Movement

•Students

protested

campus

issues and

the Vietnam

war.

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The Movement

Grows

• In 1965, protestmarches and rallies drew tens of thousands.

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Antiwar Protest: The Vietnam Moratorium

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War Divides the Nation

Dovesstrongly opposedwar and believed U.S. should withdraw.

Hawksfavored sending greaterforces to win the war.

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Johnson Remained Determined

• LBJ continued a slow escalation and was criticized by both Hawks and Doves.

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Tet Offensive

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Tet Offensive A Surprise Attack

• 1968, villagers went to cities to celebrate Tet. (Vietnamese New Year)

• Vietcong were among the crowd.

• They attacked over 100 towns and 12U.S. air bases.

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• Tet offensive lasted 1 month before U.S. and South Vietnam regained control.

• Westmoreland declared attacks were a military defeat for Vietcong.

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Change in Public Opinion

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Tet Changes Public Opinion

• Televised accounts of the Tet Offensive turned American public opinion against the war.

• Mainstream media openly criticized war.

• Before Tet, most Americans were Hawks.

• After Tet, Hawks and Doves were both 40%.

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Violence Continues to Grip

Colleges• There were major

demonstrations on over 100 college campuses.

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Violence on Campus • National Guard killed 4 in

confrontation at Kent State University.

• Guardsmen killed 2 during confrontation at Jackson State in MS.

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Pair Share

What was the Tet Offensive?

• Surprise attack on U.s. military bases and over 100 cities at the beginning of the Vienamese New year.

How did it changed people’s view of the war?

• People lost faith in our ability to win and wanted out!

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The End of The War

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The Vietnam Peace Accords 1973(Paris Peace Accords)

• The U.S. and South Vietnam agreed to a cease-fire with North Vietnam

• The U.S. agreed to withdraw Troops

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The Fall of Saigon• The North invaded the South in 1975 • The U.S. refused to help South Vietnam and

enforce the peace treaty.• The American Embassy fell and the South

surrendered.

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• 58,000 Americans died in war.

• Over 2 million North and South Vietnamese died

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• One result of the Vietnam War was the Twenty-sixth Amendment (voting at 18).

• If boys were old enough to go to war and die they are old enough to vote.

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America and the Vietnam War

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Pair Share What is the ―draft‖?

• selecting men to serve in the military

How was the draft made more fair?

• a lottery system was introduced

Why did the Tet Offensive change people’s view of the war?

• people saw the battle on TV and it looked bad

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Pair Share

Who were the Doves?• People strongly opposed to the war who believed the

U.S. should withdrawWho favored sending in greater forces to win the war? • HawksWhat did the 26th amendment do?• gave the right to vote to 18 year oldsWhat happened to South Vietnam after the war?• the north invaded the south and the south

surrendered