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The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War. Colonial Vietnam. In 1883 France gained control of Vietnam, making it part of French Indochina One of the leaders of the nationalist movement in Vietnam that wanted to regain independence was Ho Chi Minh, who eventually became a follower of communism

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The Vietnam War

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  1. The Vietnam War

  2. Colonial Vietnam • In 1883 France gained control of Vietnam, making it part of French Indochina • One of the leaders of the nationalist movement in Vietnam that wanted to regain independence was Ho Chi Minh, who eventually became a follower of communism • During WWII Japan took control of Vietnam. • In 1941 Ho Chi Minh and others created a group called the Vietminh to resist Japanese occupation • When the Japanese surrendered in WWII the Vietnamese declared independence, but the French retook control.

  3. Vietnam After WWII • Ho Chi Minh believed that the US would support the Vietnamese independence movement, but President Truman supported the French control, believing that the French would stop the spread of communism. • In 1953 President Eisenhower pledged continued support to the French, believing in the domino theory – that communism would continue to spread throughout Southeast Asia like dominoes falling in a row • In 1954 the French surrendered to the Vietminh at Dien Bien Phu and Vietnam was divided into 2 parts: North Vietnam controlled by Ho Chi Minh, and South Vietnam led by Ngo Dinh Diem.

  4. Growing Conflict in Vietnam • In 1955 there was an election in South Vietnam and Diem supposedly won more than 98% of the vote, leading American officials to become disappointed in his corrupt and brutal leadership. • However, American leaders still preferred Diem’s corrupt government over a communist takeover • By 1959 the Vietminh was providing weapons to rebels in the South, a group that became known as the Vietcong– a group united in overthrowing Diem

  5. Increasing US Involvement • In 1955 President Eisenhower began supplying South Vietnam with money, weapons, and military advisors in their fight against the North • In December 1961 President Kennedy sent 3000 “advisors” to Vietnam, and by 1963 that number was up to 16,000. • Meanwhile Buddhists in South Vietnam were protesting against the Diem government, many by setting themselves on fire. • These photos led to public opinion around the world turning against Diem. • In November 1963 US leaders supported the overthrow of Diem, and later that month he was assassinated (not something the US supported).

  6. Increasing US Involvement • By 1964 President Johnson was convinced that only expanded US military involvement would keep Vietnam from becoming completely communist • On August 2, 1964 the USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese forces in the Gulf of Tonkin • The President claimed that the Maddox had been attacked unprovoked and that other American ships had been targeted, but the Maddox had been on a spying mission and had fired first, and there was no evidence of additional attacks by North Vietnam. • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – enabled the President to take “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States” • SHEG – Gulf of Tonkin

  7. The Air War • Operation Rolling Thunder – a bombing campaign over North Vietnam in March 1965, designed to take out military bases, airfields, and even bridges, roads, and power plants • One of the main targets was the Ho Chi Minh trail – a network of paths that the North Vietnamese used to send weapons, soldiers, and food to the Vietcong in South Vietnam • Much of the Ho Chi Minh trail was jungle so the American forces began using chemicals like Agent Orange and Napalm to clear the jungles. • However, Operation Rolling Thunder did not weaken the North Vietnamese • The Vietcong made quick repairs, used underground bunkers • The North Vietnamese received massive support from the Chinese and the Soviet Union

  8. The Ground War • By 1967 there were 486,000 American troops in Vietnam • General William Westmoreland ordered thousands of “search and destroy” missions to drive the enemy forces out of their hideouts. • Search and Destroy • American soldiers faced constant danger of ambush, mines, and booby traps, and the terrible conditions of the jungles of Vietnam

  9. US Forces Mobilize • The US military began drafting soldiers early on, but increased the draft in 1969 • A lottery system was created and men were chosen based on birth dates chosen at random. • Many American men escaped the draft by refusing to register (under threat of jail time) or by fleeing to Canada. • Many Americans, including women, served in non-combat roles in Vietnam

  10. US Force Mobilize • As the war dragged on many Americans began to question American involvement in Vietnam, thanks in part to the television coverage of the war. • Vietnam War Footage • Doves – people opposed to the war for many reasons • Vietnam was not crucial to national security • People believed that the majority of people in Vietnam wanted to unite under a communist government • African-Americans who found it unfair to fight for freedom in a foreign country when their own freedom was being denied • Concern that the war was draining resources from the Great Society • Hawks – people who supported the war’s goals

  11. Protest Music Project

  12. The Tet Offensive • On January 31, 1968 several Vietcong fighters attacked the US Embassy in Saigon (South Vietnam) • This attack marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive – a series of massive attacks by the Vietcong in South Vietnam, named for the Vietnamese New Year • The Tet Offensive was a failure for the Communists because the cities and bases captured were quickly recaptured by American troops. • However, the Tet Offensive shattered the belief held by many Americans that the war was nearing an end and that the Communist forces were weakening. • Walter Cronkite on Vietnam • Public criticism of the war and of LBJ grew louder and more intense • Even Johnson’s Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara began openly looking for ways to begin peace negotiations to end the war

  13. Johnson Seeks a Solution • In 1968 General Westmoreland asked LBJ for 206,000 more troops, which outraged many Americans • LBJ knew that more troops would not end the war so he called for peace talks between the US and North Vietnam. • However, the talks fell apart over 2 issues • 1) The US wanted all NV troops out of SV • 2) NV would not accept a temporary SV government that included a leader hand picked by the US

  14. Election of 1968 • Even though he was eligible to run again for president, LBJ decided not to run. • Several Democrats emerged to run including Robert Kennedy, the brother of JFK. • Kennedy was the favorite to win the nomination and won the California primary. • RFK Assassinated • At the Democratic Convention in Chicago the delegates chose LBJ’s Vice President Hubert Humphrey as their candidate, but outside protestors from across the country gathered to demand an immediate end to the Vietnam War • 1968 Chicago Riots

  15. Election of 1968 • Democrat: Hubert Humphrey – defended LBJ and his policies in Vietnam • Republican: Richard Nixon (again) – promised “law and order” and claimed to have a secret plan to end the war that he could not share because he didn’t want to interfere with Johnson’s efforts. • Independent: George Wallace – opposed to the Civil rights movement and against war protestors. • While the popular vote was close, Nixon won the electoral college, despite Wallace becoming one of the most successful third party candidates ever, getting 14% of the vote.

  16. Widening the War • After winning election, Nixon set out to end the war in Vietnam • Vietnamization – Nixon’s hope to turn over more of the fighting to the South Vietnamese soldiers while gradually bringing American troops home. • When Nixon took office in 1969 there were 540,000 US troops in Vietnam. By 1972 the number was 24,000. • Antiwar activists opposed Vietnamization and demanded an immediate end to the war • While decreasing troop involvement in Vietnam Nixon actually expanded the war into Cambodia in 1969, and Laos in 1970 to try to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail.

  17. Increasing Protests • When the public discovered Nixon had expanded the war into Cambodia protests intensified throughout the nation • In May 1970 students set fire to the campus ROTC building at Kent State University in Ohio. Two days later students gathered for an antiwar rally and federal troops intervened after students threw rocks at the soldiers. The soldiers fired, killing four students. • These and other protests on college campuses shocked Americans and caused temporary shut downs of schools across the nation. • Other more violent protestors included the Weathermen, a group that set off more than 5000 bombs in places like the Pentagon, the Capitol, and the NYPD

  18. Troubling Revelations • In 1969 Americans learned about the My Lai massacre – US troops entered the village of My Lai on a search and destroy mission and soldiers killed at least 450 women, children, and elderly men. • The government had worked to keep My Lai a secret but when Americans found out public opinion of the war continued to plummet. • In 1971 the NY Times released the Pentagon Papers – documents that revealed that the government had been misleading the American people about the war. The documents were leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, a former official at the Department of Defense who had come to be against the war.

  19. Election of 1972 • Republican – Richard Nixon, who argued that he was close to achieving peace in Vietnam • Democrat – George McGovern, insisted that the Vietnam War end immediately. • 26th Amendment – lowered the voting age to 18. McGovern thought this would increase his chances of winning since many young people supported the end of the war • A few weeks before the election, Nixon’s National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger announced that the US and NV had come to an agreement on peace terms, propelling Nixon to a huge win.

  20. Peace Agreement • Despite Kissinger’s announcement, peace talks stalled until January 1973 when the US agreed to withdraw all troops from Vietnam and help rebuild Vietnam • Both sides agreed to release all prisoners of war (POW’s) • Missing from the agreement: the political future of South Vietnam.

  21. Legacy of Vietnam • 1) North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in April 1975 • The US government rushed Americans that were still working in Saigon out of the city • On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam surrendered and a communist government was set up for all of Vietnam • 2) Cambodia erupts in violence • In 1975 commuinst forces known as the Khmer Rouge took control. The Khmer Rouge killed over 1.5 million Cambodians to subdue the government and ruled until a 1979 invasion by Vietnam.

  22. Legacy of Vietnam • 3) Lives lost • 185,000 SV soldiers • 450,000 SV civilains • 1 million Vietcong and NV soldiers • 58,000 American soldiers • 4) Effects on American veterans • Thousands of paralyzed and disabled veterans • Cancer and birth defects from exposure to Agent Orange • Welcomed back to the US with protests, abuse, and anger • Post-traumatic stress disorder

  23. Legacy of Vietnam • 5) Damage to the American economy • $150 billion spent on the war, which led to an increase in the national debt and inflation • 6) War Powers Act of 1973 • Reaffirmed right of Congress to declare war and sets a 60 day limit on the presidential commitment of US troops • 7) Increased distrust of the American government • 8) Changed the way Americans view conflicts in foreign nations

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