The Vietnam War Era

Mr.. Langford’s class

Vietnam

Overview of the war

• Dates: 1945-1975

• The Vietnamese

• The French

• The Americans

• The Chinese

1945 World War II

• The role of the Vietnamese

• Japanese Occupation

• The American Fight

• Who helped who?

1945 and the closing of WWII

• Americans promise to help the Vietnamese

• Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam independent

• Bo Dai turns over control

• Sept. 2, 1945 independence is read by Ho

• The Declaration of Independence influenced by The U.S.

• Free elections to take place

France’s Disposition

• Devastated after the war

• Looking to rally the people

• Wanting to rebuild all aspects of French dominance

• Needed economic stability

France reclaims old territories

• France returns to colonialism for a boost

• Why?

• What is the intention?

• Why won’t it work?

France Re-enters Vietnam

• France attempts restore order

• Receives resistance

• Imposes new sanctions

• Dissolve the potential government

First Indo-China War 1946- 1954

• French bomb a quarter of Haiphong

• All negotiations brake off

• Viet Minh attack the French on Hanoi

• 40,000 Viet Minh troops move to the countryside

• Why?

Indo-China War cont.

• French demand U.S. support – take notice--will be an important decision

• Soviet Union and China support Viet Minh

• Casualties add up for the French

• End of Korean War, now superpowers focus on Indo-China region

Dien Bien Phu

• France’s Last Stand

• April/May of 1954

• Vietnamese fought like guerilla warfare

• French were losing most of the battles

• Navarre Plan– lure Vietnamese into a conventional fight

Dien Bien Phu

• French take an old fort– sat in a valley

• Vietnamese take the hills

• What happened?

• French were completely decimated

• Decisive and final battle

Geneva Accords of 1954

• Vietnam divided at 17th parallel

• Elections for all of Vietnam in 1956

• Ngo Dinh Diem appointed Premier of South Vietnam

• French ends colonialism in Southeast Asia

North Vietnam

• Looked forward to the elections

• Developed a stronger party

• Received aid from Communist countries

• Ho Chi Minh led the North

• Built up a stronger and bigger army

• Why?

South Vietnam

• Led by Ngo Dinh Diem

• Supported by the U.S.

• Developed an army

• Asked for help in training

• Diem resumed a tight control of govt.

• Why?

U.S. begins involvement

• Domino Theory

• Zero Sum Game

• Gave millions in aid to the South

• Sent “Advisors”

• What else was happening at home to feed involvement?

Advisors

• Who were they?

• What did they do?

• What did they “really” do?

• Why were they important?

• Who was the President at the time?

Advisors

Kennedy’s New Secret

• Kennedy never knew about Vietnam until his inauguration

• He informed his VP of the situation

• Allowed more aid for Vietnam

• Allowed more troops to be sent

• Hamlet program

Village Lady

Johnson’s turn

• Took over after the assassination of Kennedy

• Vowed to keep the current plan

• Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• 1965--escalation of troops

• Nearly 500,000 troops were in Vietnam by 1967

Nixon’s Chance

• Nixon wins election in 1968

• Takes the first chance a peace

• Has one of the best people--Kissinger

• 1973 Tries for peace in Paris

• Talks fail

President Nixon

Ford’s Finally

• Takes over the Presidency after resignation

• Resumes talks for peace

• Begins to withdraw more troops

• May 1975 All troops are withdrawn

• Fall of Saigon

Fall Of Saigon

Summary

• U.S. needs help of Vietnamese in WWII

• French reclaim old colony

• U.S. support French

• Geneva of 1954

• U.S. gets involved

• U.S. withdraws

• 1975 Vietnam becomes one country