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The Vietnam Conflict 1954-1973

The Vietnam Conflict 1954-1973. Notes #1. The “decade of change”. Vietnam had once been a French colony in Indochina In 1954, Vietnamese nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh, defeated their French rulers

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The Vietnam Conflict 1954-1973

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  1. The Vietnam Conflict 1954-1973

  2. Notes #1

  3. The “decade of change” • Vietnam had once been a French colony in Indochina • In 1954, Vietnamese nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh, defeated their French rulers • At the Geneva Conference that followed, Vietnam was divided into two states: Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Communists in the north and pro-Western established in the south • After the Geneva Conference, the U.S. replaced France as South Vietnam’s principal supporter

  4. President Diem (1955-1963) • Ho Chi Minh control N. Vietnam, the US installs a Catholic president in a Buddhist country in S. Vietnam • Very unpopular, especially with Buddhist monks • Diem was assassinated on November 2, 1963 (same month and year as JFK) • LBJ inherits the war, “We are not going to send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves”

  5. The “Climate” of South Vietnam • South Vietnam included Communists (Vietcong) that supported N. Vietnam • They began a guerilla war against the government of S. Vietnam • They would be the ones to overthrow the government and assassinate the president in 1963

  6. The War under JFK (1960-1963) • According to the Domino Theory: if Vietnam fell to Communism, Southeast Asian countries would also fall • Kennedy sent aid and US military advisers to assist S. Vietnam in fighting the Vietcong • Kennedy also felt that a strong democracy in S. Vietnam might serve as a model for other developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America

  7. The War under Johnson (1963-1968) • Under LBJ, the US became even more deeply involved in Vietnam • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: 1964, N. Vietnamese attacked US ships in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin • Congress gave Johnson “full military powers” to stop N. Vietnamese aggression • Years later, it was revealed that US ships were actually in N. Vietnamese waters in cooperation with S. Vietnamese warships that were bombing N. Vietnam

  8. Johnson Escalates the War • Although Congress hadn’t officially declared war, Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to “escalate” the war • He ordered massive bombing raids over N. Vietnam • He sent more combat troops to S. Vietnam (by 1968; half a million US soldiers) • New weapons like napalm (sticky gasoline-based jelly that burns) inflicted great damage to Vietnamese • Also herbicides like Agent Orange destroyed the jungle cover used by the Vietcong to hide

  9. The Tet Offensive (1968) • The Vietcong launched a massive offensive throughout S. Vietnam seizing many major cities including Saigon (the capital) • The offensive marked a turning point in the war • It showed that victory was far away and disproved the rhetoric of the American government – the government said the Vietcong were weak, under-supplied, disorganized, and low on morale

  10. Notes #2

  11. Roy Benavidez (1935-1998) • In May 1968, facing constant enemy fire, he carried wounded members of his platoon to rescue-helicopters. • Although critically wounded, he saved eight men • Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Reagan in 1981 • Benavidez died in San Antonio in 1998

  12. Increasing Difficulties • By the end of 1968, the US dropped more bombs on Vietnam than all of WWII • The war cost $25 billion a year • Despite efforts, the US was unable to win for three reasons: • Popularity of the Nationalist Cause • The difficulties of guerilla warfare • Growing discontent: the anti-war movement

  13. Popularity of the Nationalist Cause • N. Vietnamese and many S. Vietnamese saw Ho Chi Minh as the “father” of Vietnam • Corruption was widespread • After 1967, S. Vietnam was ruled by a military dictator

  14. The Difficulties of Guerilla Warfare • American soldiers were unfamiliar with the language, people, or physical environment • They couldn’t tell the “friendly” from the enemy • Vietnam provided ideal cover for guerilla warfare and secret enemy movements • Vietnam’s location made it easy for Communists to send a steady flow of supplies to neighboring countries

  15. My Lai Massacre • March 16, 1968 • “This is what you’ve been waiting for - - search and destroy - - and you’ve got it” • The massacre of 300 apparently unarmed civilians including women, children, and the elderly • An error in the chain of command results in some being shot in the back of the head, others rounded up and shot in ditches, and at least one rape and murder

  16. The Draft • In response to an increase of US military presence in Southeast Asia, the draft was reinstituted during the war • 26th amendment: reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 – this gave young men being drafted a way to influence policies

  17. The Anti-War Movement • The media had a great influence in shaping public opinion • President Johnson told Americans they were winning, but journalists reported otherwise = the credibility gap • Many Americans lost faith in the government • Mass anti-war movements occurred throughout the country • American “doves” wanted the US to withdraw • The “hawks” supported the war

  18. Notes #3

  19. The War under Nixon (1969-1973) • Division about the war, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and violent at the Democratic N.C. in 1968 led to the election of Republican Richard Nixon • He claimed “peace and honor” in Vietnam • However, the war dragged on for five more years under Nixon

  20. “Vietnamization” • During Nixon’s presidency, Henry Kissinger adopted a complex approach to Vietnam consisting of “Vietnamization” (increasing bombing and diplomacy) • Anti-war protestors were shocked by his escalation of the war with the bombing of Cambodia

  21. Kent State University, Ohio • In 1969, national guardsmen shot at and killed four student demonstrators at Kent State University • College campuses across the nation closed down due to student demonstrations and sit-ins • Students engaged in mass marches in Washington, D.C. and other major cities

  22. The Silent Majority • President Nixon insisted that most Americans supported the war • They referred to their supporters as the “silent majority” • Leaked government papers known as the Pentagon Papers, were published in 1971 • The government tried to stop the publication, they showed that several presidents before Nixon lied to the American people about Vietnam • None wanted the disgrace of defeat of the Vietnam War

  23. The Fall of Saigon: End of the War • After Nixon introduced “Vietnamization”, forces were gradually reduced • Nixon agreed to pull out remaining troops and N. Vietnam agreed to release American POWs • After the US withdrawal, fighting still continued • By 1975, what remained of the S. Vietnamese Army was incapable of prevention • In April 1975, the fall of Saigon (today Saigon is called Ho Chi Minh city) • Government officials, military officers, and soldiers faced “re-education camps” or torture, disease and malnutrition

  24. The Legacy of the Vietnam War • Death and Destruction: 58,000 Americans died, over a million Vietnamese killed • Impact: End of the Great Society, government is affected by public opinion, crisis of American self-confidence, made aware of limits of US power • Limits on Presidential Power: War Powers Resolution (1973) set limits on presidential power during conflict – after 60 days must have Congressional approval

  25. Notes #4

  26. Post-War Literature, Art, and Music • The Beat Generation (1950s) rebelled against conformity, founded by Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac • Joseph Heller’s Catch 22(1961) and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) challenged mainstream thinking by exposing the absurdity of armed conflict • Philip Roth’s American Pastoral (1997) and Portnoy’s Compliant (1969) dealt with human consciousness, sexuality, and middle class radicalism in the 1960s

  27. Post-War Music • In the early 1960s, Motown Sound from Detroit included the Temptations, the Four Tops, and the Supremes • Artists and song writer Bob Dylan brought influence of folk music to rock and roll • In 1964, the Beatles launched the “British invasion”, following by the Rolling Stones, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Country Joe and the Fish, the Crosby, Stills, CCR, Nash and Young also became icons of the counter-culture and anti-war movement

  28. Visual Arts • Perhaps more than literature and popular music, the visual arts went in diverse directions • “Action painters” like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko expressed feeling with movement of color and texture • Andy Warhol created “Pop Art” by using symbols from mass-produced consumer culture • Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein were also pop artists

  29. Vietnam Memorial • “The Wall” 1. be reflective and contemplative in character; 2. harmonize with its surroundings; 3. contain the names of those who had died in the conflict or who were still missing; 4. make no political statement about the war.

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