Vietnam War Years 30 1 Cold War Roots

Vietnam War Years 30. 1 – Cold War Roots of the Conflict

Main Idea Ø United States enters Vietnam War to stop the spread of communism

Why It Matters Now Ø United States still becomes involved in foreign struggles for political reasons

Vietnam Ø From the late 1800 s until WWII, Vietnam is a colony of France • Why is Vietnam worth French colonization? • What Vietnamese resources did France exploit?

French Exploit Region ØFrance gets rich while Indochina is left very poor ØCalls for independence grow ØVietnamese people look for powerful leadership to revolt against France’s rule

WWII: Japanese Occupation Ø 1940: France loses French Indochina to Japan • Vietnam • Laos • Cambodia Ø Japan gains access to region’s natural resources Ø Civilians are oppressed & abused by occupiers

Ho Chi Minh Ø Educated in France and Soviet Union during 1920 s Ø Adopts Communist philosophy Ø Creates Indochinese Communist Party • 1941: Returns to Vietnam to lead resistance against Japanese • Goal: Unite all of Vietnam under communist rule

WWII: U. S. -Vietnam Alliance ØU. S. philosophy: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” ØVietnam opposes Japan, the U. S. opposes Japan ØBy default, U. S. becomes brief allies with Vietnam

WWII: U. S. -Vietnam Alliance ØDuring WWII, U. S. fights alongside Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh ØAllies successfully defeat Japan & other Axis powers ØEnemy of our enemy is no longer our friend…

Post-WWII Indochina Ø After War, France re-colonizes Vietnam Ø 1946: Occupation starts new war between France & Vietnam Ø Vietnam engages in revolution against France much like America’s revolution against Britain

At the same time… Ø France is fighting to keep power in Vietnam AND Ø U. S. is struggling against Soviet Union in Cold War BOTH ARE BATTLES INVOLVING COMMUNIST MOVEMENTS

Truman & Eisenhower Aid the French Ø Why did the US side with the French? • Truman Doctrine • Containment Policy • Both are focused on stopping the spread of Communism Ø Fear of Communist expansion drives U. S. geopolitical decision-making

Truman & Eisenhower Aid the French Ø Both Truman and Eisenhower subscribe to the Domino Theory

U. S. Support of France Ø President Truman gives $10 million to help French in their fight Ø President Eisenhower continues to give money and military advisors

Dividing North & South Ø 1946: Vietnam Ho Chi Minh declares independence Ø France refuses to give up control Ø Fighting rages for next eight years Ø 1954: Geneva Accords divide the country into North and South at the 17 th parallel • North – Communist, led by Ho Chi Minh • South – Anti-communist, led by Ngo Dinh Diem Ø Similarities to Korea after WWII

An Uneasy Peace Ø Buffer zone between North and South • What is it called? • Why is it there? Ø Division is meant to be temporary Ø Sides agree to have unifying election in 1956 • Why is the election called off? • What is the outcome?

Viet Cong Oppose Diem Ø Diem leads an anti-communist government in South, but not quite a democracy Ø Diem is a very corrupt leader Ø Many South Vietnamese start to support communist North • Become known as the Viet Cong, or Vietnamese communists • Goal: unite all of Vietnam under one communist government

President Kennedy Faces Communist Threats Ø U. S. continues to send money & advisors to Vietnam…but no regular troops – yet Ø Kennedy’s communist conflicts continue… • Bay of Pigs invasion • Berlin Wall • Cuban Missile Crisis Ø All of these events fuel fear of communist expansion

Diem Government Falls Ø U. S. advisors dissatisfied with Diem’s corrupt leadership • Encourage him to make changes • He refuses Ø Internal opposition to Diem is growing Ø 1963: U. S. supports military coup in S. Vietnam • Attempt just to remove Diem from power • Diem is killed, instead

U. S. Involvement Deepens Ø JFK is assassinated three weeks after anti-Diem coup Ø VP Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president Ø Johnson is first president to send regular U. S. troops into conflict