Transcript The Vietnam War 1954-1975

The Vietnam War
1954-1975
Chapter 31
Background Vietnam
• Indochina wanted freedom from the
French after WWII.
• The Vietminh, led by Ho Chi Minh
defeated the French at the Battle of…
• With the Geneva Accords, Indochina was
divided into…
• Elections were never held in Vietnam.
Background (continued)
• Communist influence dominated the North
led by Ho Chi Minh.
• South Vietnam was led by Diem who was
a non-communist.
• Even though Diem was corrupt, the US
supported him because…
• Military advisors were sent to SVN to…
Background (continued)
• President in 1954?
• Eisenhower felt defense of SVN was
critical because of the “domino theory” –
define.
• Tensions between the North and South
escalated into a Civil War with the US
tied…
Guerrilla Warfare
• Ho Chi Minh led a guerrilla warfare type
of fighting. Define.
• His army was called the…
• SVN continued to rely on US aid, and
when Kennedy became president, he
continued to…
Kennedy
• Kennedy and the Democrats felt it was
important to take a tough stance against
the communist because…
• Diem, the southern leader, was not
popular because he was Catholic in a
Buddhist country.
• A Buddhist monk set him self on fire…
Buddhist Monk Protests Diem’s
Rule
Diem’s Assassination
• In November, 1963 Diem was…
• Without Diem’s leadership, SVN became
increasingly…
• With Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson
inherited…
Johnson and Vietnam
• Under Johnson’s leadership, the US role in
VN…
• Johnson pushed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution
and ordered US troops to take whatever action
was needed to prevent attacks.
• With the GoT resolution, Congress basically
gave the president…
• Impact GoT resolution – 1965- 185,000 troops
1968 – 500,000 troops
Connection to Today?
Why did America lose in Vietnam?
• The US was much more powerful than North
Vietnam. Why did the US lose?
1. The Vietcong were willing to sustain…
1. It was difficult to know who…
1. Guerrilla warfare techniques…
1. Decreasing popular support in…
Who was the Enemy?
Vietnam Divides the U.S.
• At first, Americans supported the Vietnam
“conflict.”
• As television brought images of the war every
night, public opinion…
• Young men in college could be “deferred”
(delayed) from the draft if…
• This led to a higher percentage of African
Americans being…
Muhammad Ali Refuses to be Drafted
Protests
• College protests often became the focus
of…
• “Teach-Ins” became a popular method to
show one’s opposition to…
Hawks v. Doves
• The Doves opposed the war because:
1. It was…
2. It was too…
• The Hawks supported the war because:
1. The US had…
2. Fear that communism…
Hawks
Views of Vietnam
1968
• 1968 marked the decade’s most
tumultuous year. Why
1. Tet Offensive occurred – the Vietcong
invaded…
2. Johnson’s popularity declined and he
declared he would…
3. Assassinations of…
4. Protest at Democratic National
Convention…
King’s Assassination
Robert Kennedy’s Funeral
Election of 1968
• Repub – Richard Nixon
• Demo – Hubert Humphrey
• American Independent Party – George
Wallace
• Wallace pulled support from Nixon, gaining
13% of…
Nixon’s election and Wallace’s strong
showing represented a silent majority…
The War Winds Down
• Nixon moved to decrease US
involvement in Vietnam with the policy of
Vietnamization:
1. Reduce…
1. Train…
•
Nixon also sent his secretary of state…
My Lai
• Even as US troops were scaling back, the
US led invasion of My Lai occurred.
• US troops killed at least 200 Vietnamese
civilians…
• The US leader, Lt. Calley, was…
My Lai Massacre
War Dissent (Opposition) Increases
• War dissent increased when President
Nixon ordered the…
• At Kent State University, college students
protested the war. National guard troops
fired at the…
• Ten days later at Jackson State College,
two….
Four Dead in Ohio
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Tin soldiers and Nixon's
comin'.
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the
drummin'.
Four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it.
Soldiers are gunning us down.
Should have been done long
ago.
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the
ground?
How can you run when you
know?
• Gotta get down to it.
Soldiers are cutting us down.
Should have been done long
ago.
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you
know?
Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'.
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the
drummin'.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
Four dead in Ohio.
The Youth Movement
• Many baby boomers, reaching teen years during
the 1960s, felt disillusionment with the Vietnam
War.
• Two factions of youth groups opposed the war.
#1 – the New Left – openly opposed the war,
organized…
#2 – the Counterculture (hippies) – were tired of
Vietnam, racism, materialism, etc. They often
“dropped out”…
America Leave Vietnam
• As Vietnamization was put in place,
American troops gradually…
• April 1974 (know date) all American troops
were…
• Within one year, all of Vietnam…