Chapter 23 1 Background to Conflict in Vietnam

Chapter 23. 1 Background to Conflict in Vietnam l Before the US got involved in Vietnam l China and France both fought for it.

Chinese Occupation of Vietnam l 200 BC – 939 AD l China controlled Vietnam l Wanted their farm land l Could grow lots of rice!!!

Vietnam Rice Paddies

French Colonization l 1883 l France takes control of Vietnam l Expanded there during European Imperialism l Combined 3 countries to become French Indochina § § § Vietnam Laos Cambodia

Vietnamese Independence l Though controlled by French l l l Vietnam hated France! Wanted independence! 1920 s l Ho Chi Minh l Vietnamese leader who is willing to fight for independence § Problem § He’s Communist!!

Ho Chi Minh has a Chance l 1940’s l Ho Chi Minh wanted to start a revolution against French! l l Japanese had expanded into Vietnam during WWII! l l Didn’t have too! Defeated French for them! 1945 l Japanese surrender in WWII l Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam an independent nation!

Small Problem…. . l 1946 l France doesn’t want to give Vietnam up! l l l They want their rice! Have USA political support. Ho Chi Minh starts his resistance movement called Vietminh. l Based on Communist principles. l This is bad…

What should the USA do? l Nothing…. so things change in Asia. l 1949 l l Mao makes China Communist! 1950 l USA invades N. Korea to stop Communism from spreading! l Communism already spread to § § Indonesia Philippines

America has to make a choice. l 1954 l USA is fighting to a stalemate in Korea l l Cease fire called at 38 th Parallel France is losing to Ho Chi Minh’s Vietminh l Just lost major battle at Dien Bien Phu § l May 7, 1954 § l City in northern Vietnam France surrenders to Vietminh Domino theory § If one country falls to Communism, they will all fall like dominoes! § What do we do? ? ?

The Geneva Convention l May 8, 1945 l International conference called for in Geneva, Switzerland l Need to settle conflict in Indochina. l Meeting led by China, USSR, USA, and Great Britain l China, USSR l Wanted Communism to rule. l USA, Great Britain l Wanted capitalism to rule. l What do you think happens?

Vietnam, 1956 Divided at 17 th Parallel