Vietnam Conflict Background French IndoChina included the countries
Vietnam Conflict
Background � French Indo-China included the countries of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam � Richest part was Vietnam �Rubber plantations in the south �Iron and coal mines in the north � Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the independence movement to free Vietnam from French control
War with France 1946 -1954 � France v Vietminh (Nationalists) and Vietcong (Communist) � “War of the Flea” used by the Vietcong �Used guerilla warfare, booby traps, etc � 1954: French are surrounded and surrender at Dien Bien Phu
� US involvement is based on the Domino Theory: �If one nation falls to communism, the nations around it will fall as well � Peace Conference between France and Vietnam �Vietnam is divided at the 17 th parallel �N. Vietnam will be communist led by Ho Chi Minh �S. Vietnam will be noncommunist led by an American backed government �Ho Chi Minh invades S. Vietnam as soon as he returns home
US Intervention � Late 1950’s US sends military advisors to help the S. Vietnamese � August 1964: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution �A US ship was attacked and Congress gave President Johnson the authority to send troops to Vietnam � Late 1965: 185, 000 US soldiers in Vietnam � 1968: 500, 000 US soldiers in Vietnam
� Tet Offensive �Viet Cong campaign to drive the Americans out of Vietnam �It failed but it led the American people to begin questioning Pres. Johnson’s belief that America was winning the war �Leads to anti-war protests because Americans feel we are not close to winning the war
American Soldiers � What they believed � What they experienced �Prevent the spread of Communism �Protect the people and villages of S. Vietnam �Duty to their country �Guerilla warfare in the dense jungle �Booby traps and difficulty distinguishing between friend and foe
S. Vietnamese Civilians � What they thought � What happened to the land �Indifferent �Agent orange wiped out the dense forests of Vietnam �Saturation bombing was used throughout North and South Vietnam
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