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!!!Vietnam!!!

French Indochina Since the late 1880’s, France had controlled the countries of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The French, using imperialism, had taken over these countries for much needed resources.

WWII • During WWII the French surrendered to the Germans. After this, the Japanese invaded French Indochina. • Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians helped the allies (like the Australians in this picture) fight against the Japanese.

After WWII • The Japanese were defeated! • The main Vietnamese leader at this time was Ho Chi Minh, a man who had for years been trying to get independence from France. • After WWII, the Vietnamese thought that they would gain their Independence.

• However, the French were embarrassed about losing to the Germans so early in the war. • Though many countries allied with France suggested they give up their colonies, France moved troops right back into French Indochina after the war – angering many who thought they had fought for their independence.

America’s Reaction • America wanted allied colonies to gain their independence. The Americans gave the Philippines their independence right after WWII. • However, most Americans did not care, they were tired of war and many Americans could not care about a country so far away, and with nothing to do with American interests.

First Indochina War December 19, 1946 – August 1, 1954. • Because the French kept their colonies – many Vietnamese became upset. • Ho Chi Minh – the main leader of Vietnamese resistance to Japan, became a believer and supporter of COMMUNISM – which had just begun to spread in China, on the Vietnamese northern border.

• North Vietnam, less modern and less “French” than the south, turned Communist and waged a guerrilla war against the French. • The French had a hard time fighting. Guerrilla warfare tactics made it hard to identify the enemy from the civilians (north and south Vietnamese look the same) and the Vietnamese knew the land better. • The French also were fighting a determined enemy that wanted their independence, and an enemy well supplied from Communist China.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu March 13 – May 7, 1954 • With thick Jungle in the north, the French began to rely on small forts around the country – this way they could send troops to specific spots. • However, the North Vietnamese managed to get heavy weapons that easily destroyed these forts.

The End • France was tired of giving money to an unwinnable cause. In 1954 the pulled out of Vietnam all together – leaving the country separated between north and south. • The north was Communist • The South was still allied to France – and America

What should America Do? • On a separate sheet of paper; • We’ve talked about containment before, it worked in Korea, but at a cost. • What should the U. S. do? Should we just send aid to those in Vietnam fighting the communists? Should we send troops? Should we just let Vietnam fall to the Communists? Defend your answer in 1 paragraph, using previous knowledge about the containment of Communism.