Vietnam Conflict 1956 1975 Background of Vietnam v

Vietnam Conflict 1956 -1975

Background of Vietnam: v France took control of Vietnam in the late 1800 s (a French colony, called French Indochina). Why? v Independence movements by the Vietnamese to oust the French v most prominent movement was led by Communist leader Ho Chi Minh, and other rebel fighters.

France and Vietnam After WWII ended, France refused to recognize Ho Chi Minh’s declaration of independence and began to drive Ho Chi Minh’s rebels forces into North Vietnam. Minh gains support from Communist China Fighting between France and Vietnam lasted until 1954, when France suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Divided Vietnam v The Geneva Accords of 1954 declared a cease-fire and divided Vietnam officially into North Vietnam (under Minh and communist forces) and South Vietnam (under Ngo Diem, an anti-communist South Vietnamese leader) v Dividing line was at the 17 th parallel. v The Geneva Accords stipulated that Vietnam was to be reunified under free elections to be held in 1956.

“Domino Theory” v France’s exit from Vietnam leaves an unstable country with communist forces attempting takeover. v President Eisenhower’s coins the terms “Domino Theory”: the fall of one country to communism would trigger other nations to turn to communism as well. v This theory is based on the policy of…?

US and Vietnam v US followed through with their domino theory policy and began to offer support to the anticommunist politician Ngo Dinh Diem. v The South Vietamese under the leadership of Diem, will take on the Viet Cong (Vietnamese Communists) under the leadership of Ho Chi Mihn.

The Diem Regime Ho Chi Minh-backed National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) invades South Vietnam v Diem’s regime proved corrupt, oppressive, and extremely unpopular. v Buddhist self-immolation protests (see right) shocked Americans. v the US continued to prop up S. Vietnam($$), attempting to contain communism in SE Asia

How America Gets Fully Involved v In 1962 JFK sent American “military advisors” to train the South Vietnam army to fight the Viet Cong. v US realizes the Diem regime was failing and distasteful to Americans. v 1963: Kennedy approves a CIA backed coup (a sudden and illegal seizure of power from a government) that overthrew Diem, leaving a power vacancy in South Vietnam. v “you break it, you buy it” – America will have to fill this “power vacuum”.

Johnson and US Escalation v In 1964 North Vietnamese forces allegedly attacked US Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. v This led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolutions which gave President Johnson authorization without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of military forces in Vietnam. v LBJ began to send US troops to Vietnam, escalating the war.

US in Vietnam v Operation Rolling Thunder was a bombing campaign in 1965 over North Vietnam. v the conflict escalated, Robert Mc. Namara, Sec. of Defense was main planner of strategy and troop increases. v By the end of 1966 there were nearly 400, 000 US troops in Vietnam.

Tactics v The US used the strategy of attrition, attempting to crush the Vietnamese by continual attack and wearing them down with large causalities. v The Viet Cong used guerrilla tactics to demoralize and frustrate the troops. Lots of booby traps, mines, and Punji traps (sharp spikes hidden in pits…see video!) v The Viet Cong were also spread out and had a rural presence which made it hard to bomb since there was a lot of jungle coverage. v The US turned to unconventional weapons such as napalm and the herbicide defoliant Agent Orange but still made little progress. (see movie clip from Forest Gump!)

The Tet Offensive v In 1968 the Viet Cong launched a massive campaign called the Tet Offensive attacking nearly thirty US targets and dozens of other cities in S. Vietnam all at once. v Although the US pushed back the offensive and won a tactical victory the American media coverage characterized the conflict as a defeat. v Public support for the war plummeted.

Public outcry increased after photos of the My Lai Massacre were published (see video explanation)

The Antiwar Movement v A large antiwar movement gained momentum as student protesters, countercultural hippies, and many mainstream Americans opposed the war. v Protests against the war and the military draft grew increasingly violent, resulting in police brutality outside the Democratic National Convention in 1968 (see video) as well as the death of four students at Kent State University in 1970 when the Ohio National Guard fired on the crowd of student protesters, killing 4.

Draft Controversies v The draft was unpopular, as deferments (exemptions) were given to enrolled college students or other kids that might have “connections”. v To expand your learning about this controversy…make sure to complete the exit ticket analyzing song lyrics to “Fortunate Son”!

Vietnamization and US Withdrawal v Nixon promoted a policy of Vietnamization of the war, a term used to describe the process of withdrawing US troops gradually and handing over management of the “war effort” and fighting of Viet Cong to the South Vietnamese fighter. (the ARVN. . . the South Vietnamese army)

What do you think this political cartoon express about Nixon’s “Vietnamization” policy?

Secrets Revealed v Nixon also illegally expanded the geographic scope of the war by authorizing the bombing of Viet Cong sites in Cambodia and Laos, two nations west of Vietnam. v The revelation of these illegal bombings, along with nearly 2 decades of other lies told to the American public by presidents all the back to Truman were made public in the publication of the secret Pentagon Papers in the US newspapers in 1971. v This publication caused an enormous scandal in the US and forced Nixon to push for a

The Cease-fire and Fall of Saigon v There were some secret negotiations between the US and North Vietnamese representatives in 1972 v This cease-fire was signed between North and South Vietnam in January (Paris Peace Accords of 1973) v According to the agreement, if the North violated the cease fire, the US would return to the fight (this never happens) v The last US troops left in March 1973, the last soldiers and embassy advisors in 1975.

Cease-fire and Fall of Saigon v North Vietnam stepped up their attacks on the South and finally launched an all-out offensive in the spring of 1975. v April 1975 the S. Vietnam capitol of Saigon fell to the Viet Cong, who reunited the country under Communist rule as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. v Millions of South Vietnamese left with American personal, evacuations boats, etc. v Hundreds of thousands of those that remained were sent to “reeducation camps” or killed by the Communists.

War Powers Act v The Wars Power Act-said the President could not send troops anywhere without Congressional approval. (reversed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution)

President Carter and “Draft Dodgers” v President Carter promised amnesty (meaning a full pardon of crimes to a large group of people) to all persons that illegally evaded the Vietnam draft, by escaping to Mexico, Canada or other methods. No fines or time served, and these “deserters” names will be cleared. v Why might this decision be controversial?

Legacy of Vietnam v 58, 000 US soldiers died and thousands were wounded. Cost the US millions of dollars… v Americans began to distrust and question the government honesty during wars. v Limited press coverage and censorship of war coverage is now the “norm” v 26 th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, widespread protests of the youth of America made this possible. v Draft ended. Today American boys at 18 must register, but no active draft exists. v Vietnam today remains communist today, but is a thriving capitalistic economy, with textile and tourism industry. Poverty remains, but the cities have far more middle and upper class than 50 years ago.

Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D. C.