Vietnam War
The french connection
- French had gained control of Indochina in a series of colonial wars in the mid-late 1800s.
- During WWII Vichy France worked with Japanese forces in controlling Indochina during WWII.
- After Japanese surrender, the French fought to retain control of their former colony against the Viet Minh independence movement, led by Communist party leader Ho Chi Minh.
- After the Viet Minh defeated the French colonial army at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the French withdrew, and the colony was granted independence.
Combodia, Loess, Indochina, Vietnam. Considered to be french Indochina (communist.)
Vietnam was partioned temporarily into a Northern and a Southern zone of Viet-nam at the 17th parallel.
The North was to be ruled by Ho Chi Minh, while the south would be under the control of Emperor Bao Dai.
In 1955, Prime Ministe Ngo Dinh Diem became president of a new South Vietnamese republic.
Geneva Conference
- The Geneva Conference of 1954 set up elections to unify the country by July, 1956.
- Such elections were never held because neither side wanted to lose.
Who fought in the Vietnam War
- The US Armed Forces.
- The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN- The south Vietnamese Army)
The NLF, a group of South Vietnamese guerrilla fighters (Vietcong)
-The people's Army of Vietnam (PAVN- The North Vietnamese Army, Pronounced Palvin.)
Escalation
- President Truman began US involvement by sending money to help the French.
- President Eisenhower continued US support by sending military advisors to give temporary support to Diem's government in the South.
- President Kennedy continued sending advisors as well as special operation forces (green berets).
- President Johnson sent more and more combat forces.
Kennedy and Vietnam- Kennedy strongly believed that if South Vietnam was a stable and democratic country, it would keep communism out.
- Aid to the South was often made on the condition that the government would undertake certain political reforms.
- South Vietnamese President Diem did not work well with the US.
- He would often go through the motions of these US prescribed reforms, but ended up embarrassing the US.
-Diem did not believe that US ides of democracy were suited for his government.
- With CIA backing Diem was overthrown by the SC military and killed due to his actions and beliefs.
Diem vs. the Buddhists
The Buddhist crisis in other words, was a series of repressive acts between the Buddhist monks and the South Vietnamese. Happened on May 8th, there were many shootings and killings that happened. There was to be a ban of the Buddhist flag. Diam was pro catholic and didn't trust the Buddhist people.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- Several US ships were supposedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Gulf of Tonkin.
- Most experts today do no think the ships were attacked.
- This was Johnson's Ploy to get more involved in Vietnam.
- On August 7. 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving President Johnson power....It passed and was for Johnson and helped support him.- Only two people in congress voted against it.
What did the Resolution really do?
- On August 36, 1964 President Johnson was nominated as the Democratic candidate for the presidency of the US.
- Johnson was defeated by Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election.
- President Johnson and General William Westmoreland kept saying that with more troops we will win the war.
- Most Americans tended to believe this at first.
- The American public's faith was shattered, on January 30, 1968, when the enemy, supposedly on the verge of collapse, mounted the Tet Offensive in which nearly every city in South Vietnam was attacked. Named after the lunar new year festival which is the most important Vietnam holiday in South Vietnam.
- Although we crushed the enemy militarily, the surprising huge offensive attack from an enemy that was supposedly almost defeated convinced many Americans that victory was impossible.
General William Westomoreland:
Loess during Tet Offensive
- US, Korea, Australia, and South Viet Nam were allies.
- North Vietnam and Viet Cong were non allies.
- Still very scary to the US that they were able to regroup and attack major cities.
- There was an increasing sense among many people that the government was misleading the American people about a war without a clear beginning or end.
- When General Westmoreland called for still more troops to be sent to Vietnam after the Tet Offensive, more and more people started protesting.
- The support of the government and war effort suffered even more when the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers.
- It was a top-secret historical study about the war, that showed how the government was misleading the US public in all stages of the war.
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the code name for the non-stop bombing raids in North Vietnam conducted by the US armed forces.
- Its purpose was to destroy the will of the North Vietnamese to fight to destroy industrial bases and defenses and to stop the flow of men and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Ant-WarWhy were so many people against the war?
1. Tet Offensive.
2. Pentagon Papers.
3. Injuring/killing innocent people.
4. Supporting a bad government in South.
5. The power of the press.
Mt Lai Massacre March 1968
- US soldiers killed 504 Vietnames Civilians.
- The dead civilians included 50 age 3 or younger, 69 between 4 and 7, and 27 in their 70's, or 80's.
- Women were raped and bodies mutilated.
How did people get out of serving?
- Went to Canada or Sweden.
- Went to college (student deferment.)
- Got married.
- Medically unfit for service.
- Joined the National Guard or Peace Corps.
- Claimed to be homosexual.
- Being rich.
PEACE??
-The peace agreement did not last.
- In March, 1975, the North invaded the South.
- The South was not strong enough and fell quickly.
- Saigon, the South's capital fell on April 30, 1975.
- US did not live up to it's promise to come to their aid if the North attacked.
- North Vietnam united both North and South Vietnam on July 2, 1976 to form the Socialistic Republic of Vietnam.
- Saigon was re-named Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the former president of North Vietnam.
Vietnam Deaths:
- US had 58,202
-AVRN had 223,748
- NVA/VC had 1,100,000
War Power Act of 1973
Limits the power of the President of the US to wage war without the approval of congress.
It requires the President to consult with Congress prior to the start of any hostilities as well as regularly until US armed forces are no longer engaged in hostilities.
President must remove US armed forces from hospitalized if congress has not declared war or passed a resolution authorizing the use of force within 60 days.
Vietnam Remembered
Vets were not treated well when they returned to the US
The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial (Wall) was built as a remembrance of those who died in the Vietnam War.
Napalm/ Agent Orange:
- Dropped by American planes.
- When dropped and hits the ground it turns into a fire and starts burning.
- Would accidentally kill Americans sometimes.
- Intended to burn and kill enemies.
Viet Cong:
- Guerrilla fighting force.
- Would hide in tunnels under the ground.
- Known as tunnel rats.
- Would usually swim under water to get to their tunnels.
Korea War
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People's Army poured across the 38th parallel.
This is the boundary between the Soviet backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south.
As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the the forces of international communism itself.
After some early back and forth across the 38th parallel the fighting stalled and casualties mounted wutg nothing to show for them.
Lasted from 1950-1953. 5 million people died.
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