vietnam. moving toward conflict french rule in vietnam –france ruled most of indo china –1940-...
TRANSCRIPT
Vietnam
Moving Toward Conflict• French rule in Vietnam
– France ruled most of Indo China– 1940- Japanese took control of
Vietnam– Indo Chinese Party led by Ho Chi
Minh came back to Vietnam• Formed Vietminh• Goal: free Vietnam from foreign rule• Run off the French- U.S. supports
France to stop the threat of Communism
• Vietminh drive the French out- 1954
1. What is the name of the Vietminh leader whose goal it was to free Vietnam from foreign rule
Geneva Accords
• France, Great Britain, Soviet Union, US, China, Laos
• Result: Divided Vietnam at 17th Parallel– North Vietnam- Communist– South Vietnam- Anti-Communist– Must hold national election in 1956
2. What were the provisions of the Geneva Accords?
The United States Steps In
• Ngo Dinh Diem (South) cancels the 1956 national election- afraid Ho Chi Minh (North) might win
• Diem allowed corrupt government– Restricted Buddhist practices
3. Why did Ngo Dinh Diem cancel the 1956 election?
VIETCONG• 1957- Communist groups form in the
South- Vietcong• Ho Chi Minh sent supplies to the Vietcong
through the Ho Chi Minh Trail• By 1963- 16,000 U.S. troops were in
South Vietnam• Nov. 1, 1963- U.S. supported military
coup toppled Diem’s regime- assassinated
4. What was the name of the communist group that formed in the South?
5. What happened to Ngo Dinh Diem?
President Johnson Expands the Conflict
• Each regime in South Vietnam was more unstable than the next– Became pure chaos – The Vietcong’s strength grew
6. Why did the Vietcong’s strength grow?
Gulf of Tonkin-Aug. 2,1964
• North Viet. Patrol boat torpedoed a US destroyer in the Gulf and the U.S. fired back
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
• President Johnson wanted power to “take all necessary measures to repel any attack against the United States
• Congress grants Johnson broad military powers in Vietnam
7. How was Johnson able to send troops to Vietnam without declaring war?
US Involvement and Escalation
• Troop buildup accelerates– End of 1965- 180,000 US Troops in Vietnam– Gen. Westmoreland requested additional
troops– By 1967- 500,000 US troops
8. Who was in charge of troops in Vietnam?
Fighting Tactics• Jungle Warfare
– Vietcong used “hit and run” ambush attacks due to lack of high powered weaponry
– US attacks in cities and country sides– Difficult to discern friend from foe– Vietcong developed an elaborate tunnel
system– Terrain laced with booby traps– 1967- over 3 million Vietnamese
refugees in South Vietnam
9. What kind of attacks were the Vietcong known for?
Sinking Morale• Many soldiers required by law to fight but didn’t
support the war• Turned to alcohol, marijuana, and drugs• A few murdered their superior officers• Instability of South Vietnam government- civil war
within a civil war• U.S. confused and angry
10. What caused soldier morale to decrease?
The Living Room War
• TV images shown on the news contradicted the government’s optimistic war scenario
• Johnson was losing credibility
11. How was the Vietnam War different than any other war?
Activism• SDS-Students for a Democratic
Society
• FSM-Free Speech Movement
• Spoke out across the country with protests, marched, & rallies (“Hell no, we wont go”)
Protestor
Draft Rally
1968 Tet Offensive • It was their new year-Jan. 30th and
there was a truce for no attacks• They were having funerals for their
losses but the coffins were full of weapons.
• They attacked 100 towns and12 U.S. air bases
• It lasted a month-US minds are changed
12. What was the Tet Offensive?
Saigon during the Tet Offensive
1968-Elections• Robert Kennedy & Eugene
McCarthy-Democratic• June 5-Kennedy is assassinated
while giving a victory speech in LA by Sirhan Sirhan from Palestine
• So then Hubert Humphrey is Democratic nominee
13. What happened to Robert Kennedy?
• War protestors wanted to make the Democrats Look bad, so they started riots in Chicago and showed disorder and chaos
• It worked & Nixon becomes President
• 1st thing he does is announce troops will withdraw from Vietnam
14. What did Nixon announce when he became president?
• Nixon turns to Henry Kissinger for advice & he suggests Vietmanization-slow withdraw
• Over the next 3 years 500,000 became less than 25,000 there
• Wanted ‘peace with honor’
15. What is Vietnamization?
• My Lai Massacre-US troops killed over 200 innocent civilians
• 1970-invaded Cambodia to stop supply line
• Protests begin-1.5 million across 1,200 campuses
Carrying the Wounded
• Final Push• U.S. dropped 100,000 bombs on North Vietnam
in 11 days stopping on Christmas Day• Both sides were ready to sign a peace
agreement• January 27, 1973 signed peace agreement• March 29, 1973-last troops came home• North Vietnamese break treaty and invade
South Vietnam, U.S. refuses to help• All of Vietnam becomes communist• Communists imprison 400,000 South
vietnamese• 1.5 Million people flee Vietnam.
Disagreement• Meaning of the war?-morally
wrong or moral cause
• Why was the US there-not our war or job to police the world
• Domino theory disproved b/c communism didn’t spread
Memorial-1982
• Wall in Washington with the names of the 58,000 dead carved on its surface
• 303,000 injured not on the wall• 15% had post-traumatic stress
syndrome
Changes• Stopped the draft
• War Powers Act-had to give 48 hours notice before sending troops & cant stay more than 90 days w/out approval