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Where is Vietnam?

Explore the history of Vietnam from its occupation by China to its colonization by France. Learn about the Vietnamese Civil War and the Vietnam War. Discover the political and military movements that shaped Vietnam's trajectory.

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Where is Vietnam?

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  1. Where is Vietnam?

  2. VIETNAM BEFORE THE WAR • Under Chinese Rule and Occupation (111 BC – 938 AD) • Vietnamese Independence (938-1860) • French Indochina “French Occupation (1860-1954) (Japanese Occupied Vietnam in the early 40’s until their defeat in WWII) • Vietnamese Civil War 1956 -1975 aka Vietnam War

  3. Indochina: • In its broadest sense, Indochina includes most of Southeast Asia; In its strictest sense, it is a political distinction created by France to include its colonial possessions of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (also known as French Indochina).

  4. 1945 (Sept. 2): Ho Chi Minh, in the absence of both Japanese and French imperialists, declares Vietnam an independent nation, with a declaration modeled on our own. 1946: The French under President Charles De Gaulle return to Indochina with full military force, and with support of the U.S. Timeline to War:

  5. Question: Why would the U.S. support the re-colonialization of Vietnam in 1946? • Hint: What was going on in Europe at this time (1946)? • The Cold War! The U.S. needed French support for the Marshall Plan and NATO. • The First Indochina War (’46-’54) was fought by Cold War antagonists: • U.S.S.R. and China supported Vietminh. • The U.S. supported France.

  6. Related Vocabulary: • Vietminh: • League for the Independence of Vietnam…nationwide political movement against the French led by Ho Chi Minh. • Containment: • U.S. foreign policy of committing political and economic resources to stop the spread of Communism. (first articulated by George F. Kennan) • Domino Theory: • Belief that Communism had to be stopped or it would spread (like dominoes falling).

  7. First Indochina War (1945-1954) ended with the Geneva Accords, which split Vietnam in two at the 17th parallel and recognized independence of Laos and Cambodia. Timeline to War:

  8. Geneva Accords: A Communist government under Ho Chi Minh would control north. A national government under Emperor Bao Dai and Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem would control south. Capitals established in Hanoi and Saigon. Elections would be held in 1956 with the aim of unification. Timeline to War:

  9. Relevant Vocabulary: • National Liberation Front: • The “Vietcong.” Communist movement in S. Vietnam; guerrilla fighters loyal to Ho Chi Minh. • NVA: • North Vietnamese Army (loyal to Ho Chi Minh). • ARVN: • Army of the Republic of Vietnam (S. Vietnam) allied w/ the U.S. and French.

  10. “It was patriotism, not Communism, that inspired me.” Ho Chi Minh

  11. The Geneva Peace Accords • The Geneva Peace Accords, signed by France and Vietnam in the summer of 1954, provided for the temporary partition of Vietnam at the 17th parallel, with national elections in 1956 to reunify the country. • In the North, a communist regime, supported by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, set up its headquarters in Hanoi under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh.

  12. Opposition to Geneva Accords • The United States prevented the elections that were promised under the Geneva conference because it knew that the Communists would win. • Eisenhower cited the “Domino Theory” as a rationale for not having elections (he feared that Ho Chi Minh would win) • Comm’s notorious for rigging “free” elections • Uncle Ho was a popular leader, even among those that did not support Communism.

  13. A New Nation in the South • Using SEATO for political cover, the Eisenhower administration helped create a new nation in southern Vietnam. • In 1955, with the help of massive amounts of American military, political, and economic aid, the government of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) was born. • The following year, Ngo Dinh Diem, a staunchly anti-Communist figure from the South, won a dubious election that made him president of South Vietnam

  14. The Domino Theory • American policymakers developed the “Domino Theory” as a justification for the involvement. This theory stated, “If South Vietnam falls to the Communist, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, India and Pakistan would also fall like dominos. The Pacific Islands and even Australia could be at risk”.  

  15. South Vietnam Under Diem • Diem claimed that his newly created government was under attack from Communists in the north. • In late 1957, with American military aid, Diem began to counterattack. • He used the help of the CIA (through Operation Phoenix) to identify those who sought to bring his government down and arrested thousands. • He passed a repressive series of acts known as Law 10/59 that made it legal to hold suspected Communists in jail without bringing formal charges.

  16. Opposition to Diem • The outcry against Diem's harsh and oppressive actions was immediate. • Buddhist monks and nuns were joined by students, business people, intellectuals, and peasants in opposition to Diem’s corrupt rule. • The more these forces attacked Diem's troops and secret police, the more Diem complained that the Communists were trying to take South Vietnam by force. This was "a hostile act of aggression by North Vietnam against peace-loving and democratic South Vietnam."

  17. The National Liberation Front • The Communists supported the creation of a broad-based united front to help mobilize southerners in opposition to the government in South Vietnam. • On December 20, 1960, the National Liberation Front (NLF) was born. • It brought together Communists and non-Communists in an umbrella organization that had limited, but important goals • Anyone could join as long as they opposed Ngo Dinh Diem and wanted to unify Vietnam.

  18. Washington White Papers • In a series of government "White Papers," Washington insiders denounced the NLF, claiming that it was merely a puppet of Hanoi. They called it the "Viet Cong," a derogatory and slang term meaning Vietnamese Communist. • The NLF, on the other hand, argued that it was autonomous and independent of the Communists in Hanoi and that it was made up mostly of non-Communists. Many anti-war activists supported the NLF's claims.

  19. December 1961 White Paper • In 1961, President Kennedy sent a team to Vietnam to report on conditions in the South and to assess future American aid requirements. • The report, known as the "December 1961 White Paper," argued for: • An increase in military, technical, and economic aid • The introduction of large-scale American "advisers" to help stabilize the Diem regime and crush the NLF.

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