Download - Vietnam – a French Colony no more
Vietnam – a French Colony no more
France, after ruling Vietnam or over 100 years was defeated by Gen. Giap at battle of Dien Bien Phu-forced to leave Vietnam.
The Vietminh take over and declare Vietnam Independent
France & Vietnam signed Geneva Peace Accords of 1954-split Vietnam along 17th parallel.
The United States Steps in
Geneva Accords stated that in 1956 Vietnam would hold elections to reunify country.
US worried Ho Chi Minh was too popular and would win so the US doesn’t allow elections to take place
Why? Domino Theory
North vs South The North led by
Ho Chi Minh Communist Vietminh Supported by the
Viet Cong in the South later called the National Liberation Front
South led by Ngo Dinh Diem
Supported by US US supported
creation of counter-revolutionary group in S. Vietnam
Pros of GW in Vietnamo Easy to slip into a
village; look like civilians
o More cooperation from other Vietnamese
o Easy supply systemo Territory and
topography already known
o Used rainy season as cover
o Easy to attain civilian help in ambushes and information
Cons of GW in Vietnamo Un-organization easily
occurso Renegade or untrained
troops confuse strategyo High rates of civilian
casualtieso Can ruin economic
developmento It is a long drawn out
process; low moralo Can kill own civilians
with unremembered booby traps and mines
o Extended from N Vietnam to S Vietnam
o Est. 1959 and used by N. Vietnamese troops for a major military supply route
o Goes through Laos and Cambodia on its way to S. Vietnam
o main route for invasion of S. Vietnam in 1975
The Ho Chi Minh Trail
o built in the time of the French
o joined village to village and often passed beneath American bases
o not only fortifications for Viet Cong guerillas, but also center of community life
o several stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people, supplies and weapons
o connected isolated pockets of Viet Cong territory enabled the guerrillas to mount surprise attacks and vanish without trace
The Underground Tunnels
o Punji sticks were sharpened sticks of bamboo concealed and designed to pierce the enemy’s feet; many times they were contaminated to cause disease
o Bamboo maces swung down onto soldiers who triggered tripwires; also used crossbows
o Land mines were a favorite of guerilla forces and they were taken from the U.S.S.R., the French, and even U.S. troops
Anti-Personnel Weapons
Kennedy & Johnson Kennedy increased
aid to Diem Sent military
advisors to help train S. Vietnamese troops
Expands conflict Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution in 1964 gave Johnson broad military powers
US Tactics -copy slide Agent Orange – a leaf
killing toxic chemical devastated landscape and ruined villages
Napalm – a gasoline based bomb stuck to leaves and skin
Search and destroy – uprooting villagers by day and evacuating at night
War at Home - copy Great Society Suffers – money spent on war
and not on helping poor at home Living- room war – media heightens
American concern Manipulatable Draft – different
qualifications, if in college could put off service or join National Guard or Coast Guard
African Americans were disproportionately drafted
Tet Offensive This offensive by the Viet Cong in S.
Vietnam shows Americans at home that “We are not winning this war”
Turning point in public opinion LBJ decides not to seek reelection
Protests at Home New Left organization SDS –
Students for a Democratic Society demanded participatory democracy & Free Speech
20,000 Marched on the White House in 1965
Resistance – “Hell No We Won’t Go!” Doves vs. Hawks
Kent State Tragedy Students in Ohio
protest the secret bombings in Cambodia
Governor sends in National Guard
Shooting erupts 4 students are killed Colleges across
country are shut down
American Policy changes Martin Luther King Jr. & RFK are
assassinated Nixon wins Presidential election Pull out begins 500,000 troops to
25,000 over 3 years - Vietnamization Secret bombings of Cambodia and
Laos
Atrocities My Lai Massacre Massacre of 100
innocent civilians by American troops
“Kill anything that breathed”
Court martial - Lt. Calley
The War America Lost
American forces are not able to American forces are not able to defeat the North Vietnamesedefeat the North Vietnamese
1973 US pulls out1973 US pulls out1975 North Vietnamese invade and 1975 North Vietnamese invade and
capture Saigon.capture Saigon.