THE VIETNAM WAR

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THE VIETNAM WAR
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History of French Rule
? Controlled Vietnam from 1893-1954
? Vietnamese lost land and culture
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Ho Chi Minh Leads Revolution
? Communist leader formed Vietminh

• Guerilla warfare effective despite American aid

• French withdrew in 1954

Ho Chi Minh
French P.O.W.s after Dien Bien Phu
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Geneva Accords--1954
? Vietnam divided at 17th parallel

• North VietnamHo Chi Minh, communist

• South VietnamNgo Dinh Diem, anti-communist

• Elections to unite country to be held in 2 years

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Growth of Vietcong (National Liberation Front)

• Communists living in south

• Diem refused election

• Unsuccessful Strategic Hamlet Program

• Diem persecutes Buddhists

• 1963Diem overthrown, unstable govt follows

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U.S. Aids South
? Eisenhower sent aid because of domino theory

• JFK sent military advisors (1961-1963)

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Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• U.S. destroyer Maddox attacked in Gulf
• of Tonkin

• Congress gave Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) war
• powers

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American Escalation

• General William Westmoreland, U.S.
• commander

• By 1968, 538,000 Americans serving

• Strategy--bomb North, ground troops South

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Operation Rolling Thunder
? Air bombardment of North Vietnam

• Also focused on Ho Chi Minh Trail

? Unsuccessful
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Ground War

• ? Search and Destroy Missions destroyed villages

• Jungle warfare and defoliants used

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Tet Offensive
? Massive attack by North on Vietnam New Year

• Military victory for South/U.S.

• Morale victory for North

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Reasons for Growing Oppositionto the War

• The unfair nature of the draft

• Conscientious objectors
• felt war was wrong no matter what

• Felt the war was illegal - students

• Against reality of fighting, like My Lai
  Napalm

• Led to protests, rallies and influenced music

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Nixon Elected (1968)
? Vietnamization of warwithdrew troops
? Expanded war into Cambodia and Laos
? Kent Statestudent protestors killed