Transcript Ho Chi Minh
La Clase de Fleegle Friday, October 3rd, 2008 Today’s Objective The United States and Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam After World War 2 France ruled Vietnam as part of its colony from late 1800’s all the way through World War 2. This part of France’s colony was called “French Indochina” This colony also included Laos and Cambodia Great question Cody Woods… What in the world does France want with Vietnam? France increased its wealth greatly by exporting rice and rubber from Vietnam Vietnam After World War 2 And here lies the problem… The Vietnamese never accepted French rule! So we are all guessing what now? Probably… that various groups of nationalist staged revolts demanding Vietnamese independence. I know it was kind of an obvious answer Vietnam After World War 2 Now let’s meet… Mr. Ho Chi Minh 1930 unites three different Communist groups to form the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) This party is quite amusing…. This was a communist group wanting an independent Vietnam to be controlled by peasants and other workers Wise man once say… Grasshopper good. Ho Chi Minh Vote Chi Minh “Power to the Peasants” Vietnam After World War 2 So real long, mind numbing story made as short as possible… The Indochinese Communist Party (ICP), organized by Ho Chi Minh, creates protests by peasants Vietnam After World War 2 Do you know what the French response to these Vietnamese peasant protests was??? Welcome back… the “?” Vietnam after WW2 What was the French response to the Vietnamese protests? It’s a very easy and obvious answer actually Vietnam After World War 2 So what is next for Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh if the ICP is in jail? Phase 1: In 1940, during World War 2, Japan took over Indochina. Phase 2: 1941 Ho Chi Minh secretly returns to Vietnam and hides in a jungle camp. Phase 3: somehow in this jungle camp, Ho Chi and ICP joins forces with other Vietnamese “hard cores” to form the organization “Viet Minh” Vietnam After World War 2 “Viet Minh” Anyone think its an accident Ho Chi put his own last name in the name of this new organization? Let’s Investigate this name: “Viet Minh” “Ho Chi Minh” Vietnam After World War 2 Mission statement of this secretive? “Viet Minh” To train soldiers to fight and make Vietnam independent Vietnam After World War 2 Warning: Not good News coming… Remember when Japan was an enemy in World War 2? Remember that? You predict the rest of this story with these clues… Aide Ho Chi Minh Japan Weapons United States Vietnam After World War 2 Be very worried here… …”because Japan was an enemy of the United States in World War 2, the US government AIDED, AIDED, AIDED Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh in their fight against Japan” Let me quote from our book Vietnam After World War 2 So Vietnam holds of the Japanese thanks to “just a little” help from the United States…. Naturally of course then, Ho Chi Minh then declares Vietnam an independent country for the first time in Vietnamese history NOT! Vietnam After World War 2 Now enter ….. France back into the picture. Vietnam After World War 2 “if they force us into war, we will fight. The struggle will be atrocious, but the Vietnamese people will endure anything rather than give up their freedom” -- Ho Chi Minh And on that note… 1946 War breaks out between Viet Minh and France Truman and Eisenhower Aid the French Does the title of this section alone make you scratch your head? Now we are aiding the French? Well remember, Truman's main goal was to prevent the spread of Communism. So when he heard about Communism growing in Vietnam he ran to support the French Truman and Eisenhower Aide the French Three Reasons: 1. United States at this time was also dealing with the Soviet Union and the Cold War. Yes, still the COLD WAR Truman and Eisenhower Aide the French 2) The United States thought if they aided the French in Vietnam, then France would support the United States against the Soviet Union. 3) Ultimately they did not want Vietnam to become Communist Truman and Eisenhower Aid the French 1949 while the United States is aiding the French in Vietnam, the spread of Communism grows in China Truman and Eisenhower Aid the French How much aide did we give the French? The United States entered the conflict in Vietnam in 1950 when President Truman offered $10,000,000 dollars in military aide to the French. Once Truman left office, President Eisenhower then moved into office and continued aiding the French. Truman and Eisenhower Aide the French What is the domino theory? A theory stating that if a country fell into communism, nearby countries would also fall into communism Truman and Eisenhower Aide the French US leaders felt if Vietnam fell to Communism the rest of southeast Asia would soon follow. After all Japan was communist. China was communist. Korea was communist. Dividing North and South 1. 2. So great now we are aiding the French, in hopes that… We stop communism France supports the United States in the Cold War. Even with US aide, the French could not defeat the “Viet Minh”. France would eventually meet with the “Viet Minh” in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss peace talks. An agreement was reached that became known as the “Geneva Accords” Dividing North and South Under the “Geneva Accords” an agreement was made to split Vietnam into North and South along the 17th parallel This split was naturally intended to be temporary However….. These “Geneva Accords” would allow for separate governments in the North and South of Vietnam Dividing North and South At this point I think Ho Chi Minh should have bought a lottery ticket. He has led peasant revolts, fled his country for fear of his life, escaped from being arrested from the French, reentered his country, and is now going to be announce as leader of North Vietnam Sooooooooooooooo……….. Ho Chi Minh and the Communist will control North Veitnam Ngo Dinh Diem and the anti-Communist will control South Vietnam Sounds peaceful, thank goodness maybe now we can get out of Vietnam and on to bigger better world issues.? A perfect match??? 6 Flags Magic Mountain “A Night of Magic” Dividing the North and South So that whole “Geneva Accords” and the “temporary” split in government thing? Well you should have known something was up with the phrase…. “meant to be temporary” Vietnam National Elections Census If just one national Vietnamese election would have taken place, Ho Chi Minh (yes the communist) would have received about 80% of the votes. Dividing the North and South In a perhaps one of the most brilliant campaign moves ever in the history of campaigning, Ngo Dinh Diem refuses to hold national elections. Eisenhower sends more aide to South Vietnam describing their mission as “nation building” Dividing the North and South Catchy title huh? “nation building” The Viet Cong Oppose Diem Something you may not want to admit if you were president looking to be re-elect… “my fellow Americans (echo: Americans, Americans, Americans), it has the been the goal (the goal, the goal) of the United States to help the people of South Vietnam, however, we did not know they had a corrupt government” The Viet Cong Oppose Diem So here is a growing list of people unhappy with Ngo Dinh Diem: 1. Ho Chi Minh (ICP and Viet Minh) 2. France 3. The United States 4. And now his own southern part of Vietnam for being corrupt The Viet Cong Oppose Diem South Vietnam now forms yet another new COMMUNIST group, the “National Liberation Front”. This was a group of dissatisfied southern Vietnamese communist. Basically what happens next is… Ngo Diem Dinh sticks his tongue out at him and calls them an offense and slang term “Viet Cong” The Viet Cong Oppose Diem Once word of this Southern Communism takeover reached North Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh, the Northerners welcomed a reuniting of the entire country under communism rule. Ho Chi Minh sends soldiers and supplies through the jungles and mountains of Laos and Cambodia. This path/ route of sending supplies became known as the “Ho Chi Minh Trail” Captain Obvious says… Kennedy Faces Communist Threats Congratulations Mr. Kennedy… you just became president…. Oh by the way, Viet Cong is close to taking over all of Vietnam making it, Japan, Korea, and China all COMMUNIST What do you want to do about that? How does the story end??? Read page 436. You will need to know this for the test.