Transcript Origins of the Vietnam War

ORIGINS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
Unit 7, Day 4 and 5
ORIGINS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
In the 1800s, the French controlled Indochina–
today’s Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
 Ho Chi Minh wanted to end French colonial rule
starting in the late 1800s. WWII put the conflict
on hold, but afterwards France tried to assert
their dominance again.

Ho Chi Minh was communist, and although the U.S.
supported de-colonization, they supported
communism less.
 Both Truman and Eisenhower sent military aid to
the French with the goal of containing the spread of
communism. This would hopefully stop the ‘domino
effect’ started by China.

DOMINO THEORY
AMERICA AND THE WAR IN
INDOCHINA

At Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the French held up for
56 days of attacks by the Vietminh.


The Vietminh were supporters of Ho Chi Minh and
his communist ideals.
The next day, a peace conference was held in
Geneva, Switzerland.
Under the Geneva Accords, the French granted
independence to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia;
 North and South Vietnam were divided at the 17th
parallel;
 Anticommunist government instilled in South
Vietnam, with elections to be held in 1956.

AMERICA OPPOSES COMMUNISM IN
VIETNAM
 The
United States supported the South
Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dien
Diem.
 Diem was appointed as the leader in South
Vietnam, rather than elected.
 A group of rebels known as the Vietcong
emerged.
 Kennedy sent in special forces to support the
ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam),
and when Diem’s leadership lapsed, Kennedy
had him removed from power.
JOHNSON LEADS THE NATION INTO
WAR

On August 2nd, 1964 the U.S.S. Maddox was
patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of
North Vietnam.


It was caught amidst N. Vietnam torpedo boats, and
although it was not hit, it was seen as an act of
aggression.
Shortly after, Johnson asked Congress to
authorize the use of force to defend American
troops. This became known as the Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution.

This act gave Johnson broad war powers, such as the
ability to commit troops to combat without asking
Congress for a declaration of war. Sound familiar?
U.S. INVOLVEMENT GROWS
“AMERICANIZING” THE WAR
In response to a Vietcong attack, Johnson
initiated Operation Rolling Thunder.
 It was a sustained bombing campaign against
North Vietnam.



Its goal was to persuade North Vietnam to stop
reinforcing the Vietcong in the South.
U.S. troops commanded by General William
Westmoreland used napalm and Agent Orange
against the Vietminh and the Vietcong.


Napalm was dropped to set fires;
Agent Orange was a plant herbicide to kill the crops
of the Vietnamese, causing starvation.
“AMERICANIZING” THE WAR
 Both
the Vietminh and the Vietcong
proved elusive and very determined.

Their troops traveled light with very
little food.
 Their
biggest advantage, though,
was the underground networks of
tunnels and attacked using guerilla
warfare tactics.
VIETCONG UNDERGROUND TUNNELS
PATRIOTISM, HEROISM AND SINKING
MORALE
Over time, American troops began to wonder
whether or not a non-communist government in
South Vietnam was important to the U.S.’
interests.
 Johnson’s Great Society was using a lot of money
domestically, but so was the Vietnam War.

Heavy government spending;
 Rising prices;
 Inflation


These led Johnson to enact tax hikes and
ultimately cut back on his Great Society.
DOUBT GROWS ON THE HOME
FRONT
 Hawks,
those who are pro-war, felt
that U.S. involvement in the
Vietnam War was necessary to help
contain communism.
 Doves,
those who favor peace, saw
the Vietnam War as a localized civil
war that the U.S. and its troops
should not be involved in.
THE WAR DIVIDES AMERICA
ANTIWAR PROTESTS INCREASE
By 1965, most of the soldiers who were serving in
Vietnam had been drafted, and not volunteers.
 The number of African Americans drafted also
increased, causing many to see the process as
unfair.
 Growing disdain for the war stemmed from the
growing number of deaths seen in Vietnam. As
more people died, the end seemed further away.
 This, combined with a growing disparity
between government and journalist reports
(known as a “credibility gap”), angered many
Americans.

THE TET OFFENSIVE
Early in 1968, the U.S. knew a communist attack
on South Vietnam was going to take place. The
only question was when.
 On January 30th, 1968, the North Vietnamese
launched an attack on strategic locations across
South Vietnam to encourage SV citizens to rebel
against the ARVN and US forces, which became
known as the Tet Offensive.
 Although the plan did not work, and U.S. forces
held off the north Vietnamese and Vietcong, it
demonstrated that there was no end in sight for
the war.

1968 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Ultimately, growing disapproval for the war led
Johnson not to run for re-election in 1968.
 One viable candidate was then NY senator
Robert Kennedy– JFK’s brother.


However, after a campaign speech in California, he
was assassinated by a Jordanian immigrant.
A few months before, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
had also been assassinated in Memphis.
 These assassinations coupled with violence at the
Democratic National Convention demonstrated a
need for a strong leader in November, 1968.

1968 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
 At
their national convention, the
Republicans chose Richard Nixon as their
candidate.

 In
He promoted “peace with honor” regarding
Vietnam, meaning he intended to remove U.S.
troops, but for the peace terms not to discredit
the U.S.
another close election, Richard Nixon
won the election, beating Democratic
candidate Hubert H. Humphrey.
REVIEW TODAY’S TOPICS
1)
What effect did the TET Offensive have on
public opinion in the United States?
increased support for United States involvement
B. Gen.Westmoreland’s popularity grew
C. increased protests against United States
involvement
D. ended draft riots
A.
2)
Powers granted by which document allowed
President Johnson to escalate the conflict in
Vietnam?
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
B. Warren Court
A.
C. New Frontier
D. 25th Amendment
THE WAR’S END AND IMPACT
VIETNAMIZATION
Nixon began removing troops from Vietnam
shortly after becoming president.
 He promoted a policy of removing troops from
Vietnam and turning control and combat duties
over to the South Vietnamese, known as
Vietnamization.
 However, Nixon was still committed to ending
the communist threat in SE Asia, and ordered a
secret bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in
neighboring Cambodia.

KENT STATE MASSACRE
Peace negotiations with the Vietnamese were
moving too slowly for Nixon, so he turned his
attention to helping pro-American Cambodian
government against the Khmer Rouge.
 Nixon ordered an invasion of Cambodia, where
many college-aged students reacted by organizing
protests.

Two campuses were rocked by violence– Kent State
and Jackson State when armed police and National
Guard members opened fire against the protestors.
 Four students died at Kent State, 2 at Jackson State.

MY LAI MASSACRE AND THE PENTAGON
PAPERS

In 1971, two events increased American pressure
to remove troops from SE Asia– the My Lai
Massacre and the Pentagon Papers.


The My Lai Massacre occurred in 1968 and was an
attempt to eliminate North Vietnamese presence in
the SV village of My Lai. However, U.S. troops ended
up killing unarmed civilians, thinking they were in
cahoots with the NV.
The American public found out about the
massacre in 1971, and were enraged by the
inadequate military investigation.

Shortly after, the Pentagon Papers were published–
outlining U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Nixon tried
to block their publication in the NY Times, making
the public even more distrustful.
PARIS PEACE ACCORDS

In January 1973, the Vietcong, U.S., North
Vietnam and South Vietnam met to negotiate
peace. These were the terms of the agreement:
Cease-fire (no more fighting);
 U.S. would withdraw troops from SV and exchange
POWs;
 NV would be allowed to stay in SV;
 Noncommunist government would remain in SV until
there was a political settlement.


However, neither side honored their terms of the
agreement and in 1975, the SV capital of Saigon
fell to the North Vietnamese.
WAR’S LASTING EFFECTS

There were many effects of the Vietnam War,
very few of them positive:
Communism did spread in SE Asia, but not to the
extent that many believed;
 Vietnam veterans were not granted the same fanfare
as the troops returning from WWI and WWII;
 Congress passed the War Powers Act– required the
prez. to consult Congress within 48 hours of
committing troops to a conflict;
 Johnson’s Great Society was never completely
fulfilled due to lack of available funds.
