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The Vietnam War

Explore the background, major events, and key figures of the Vietnam War, including Ho Chi Minh and the fight for Vietnamese independence. From the French colonial rule to the US involvement, learn about the impact and consequences of this conflict.

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The Vietnam War

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  1. The Vietnam War

  2. Ho Chi Minh 1. Background • 938 - 1885 - Independent nation • 1885-1940 - Colonized and rule by France • 1940-1945 - Vietnam Conquered by Japan • 1945 - Japan defeated. Viet Minh (under the Leadership of Ho Chi Minh) proclaim Vietnamese independence

  3. Declaration of September 2, 1945 • All men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free. . . .Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French imperialists, abusing the standard of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and oppressed our fellow citizens. They have acted contrary to the ideals of humanity and justice.In the field of politics, they have deprived our people of every democratic liberty.They have enforced inhuman laws; they have set up three distinct political regimes in the North, the Center, and the South of Viet-Nam in order to wreck our national unity and prevent our people from being united . . .For these reasons, we, members of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam, solemnly declare to the world • that:Viet-Nam has the right to be a free and independent country—and in fact it is so already. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to mobilize all their physical and mental strength, to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their independence and liberty.

  4. Ho Chi Minh

  5. 1. Background • 1954 - French defeated at Dienbienphu • 1954 - Geneva peace conference • Vietnam divided • Election scheduled for 1956

  6. 1. Background • US Supports No Dinh Diem to be the South Vietnamese President. Diem was: • Catholic • Closely tied with the French colonial government • Corrupt

  7. 2. Kennedy and Vietnam • Continued Support of Diem through 1963 • Sent 16,000 “advisors” to Vietnam • Approved a CIA sponsored coup to replace Diem in November, 1963 • By JFK’s assassination, South Vietnam was less stable than ever

  8. 3. Lyndon Johnson and escalation of US involvement in Vietnam • The Tonkin Gulf incident and Resolution, - August 1964 • Operation Rolling Thunder - March 1965 • Escalation of US Role in Vietnam: • 1963 - 16,000 • 1966 - 275,000 • 1969 - 543,00 • Lyndon Johnson Press conference July 28, 1965 explains the reasons the US was in Vietnam. • How does Johnson see this conflict? • What is Johnson missing about the conflict? • How does this relate to the Cold War mindset discussed in class?

  9. The challenge of fighting in Vietnam • The US relied on a strategy termed “Search and Destroy” • American soldiers fought against guerrilla insurgents - not generally a regular army • This led to incredible stress on American soldiers and horrendous civilian casualties such as the Mai Lai Massacre in 1968

  10. 1967-68 • In 1967 the military claimed that we were winning the war and that the enemy was defeated • "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing." General William Westmoreland, Commander of military operations in Vietnam, November 21, 1967

  11. The Tet offensive • Three months after Westmoreland’s assessment, the Tet offensive demonstrated that the enemy was not defeated

  12. The Tet offensive • Tet turned many more people against the war including the influential CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite “We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders, both in Vietnam and Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds. . . .For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate.” February 27, 1968

  13. Following the Tet offensive, Lyndon Johnson decides not to seek a second term in 1968. • “If I have lost Cronkite, I have lost the nation.”

  14. 4. Nixon and Vietnam, 1969-1973 • The Secret Plan

  15. Increased Bombing • Increased civilian casualties

  16. 4. Nixon and Vietnam, 1969-1973 • Increasingly Americans turned against the War

  17. 4. Nixon and Vietnam, 1969-1973 • Vietnamization • By 1972, only 90,000 US troops remained in Vietnam • All US Troops withdrawn by 1973

  18. South Vietnam falls to a North Vietnamese invasion, 1975

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