Vietnam War - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Vietnam War

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Vietnam War Vietnam & France France controlled Indochina Peninsula of Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia Colonialism Ho Chi Minh Rebelled against French rule ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Vietnam War


1
Vietnam War
2
Vietnam France
  • France controlled Indochina
  • Peninsula of Vietnam, Laos Cambodia
  • Colonialism
  • Ho Chi Minh
  • Rebelled against French rule
  • Embraced Communism

3
US Involvement Under Eisenhower
  • Contain Communist expansion
  • Domino Theory
  • If Vietnam became Communist then its neighbors
    would follow
  • Diem Bien Phu
  • Vietminh defeat French forces
  • Result Indochina gains independence

4
Vietnam Divided
5
Eisenhower Continued
  • South Vietnam controlled by Ngo Dinh Diem
  • Anticommunist with American support
  • Diem unpopular in South Vietnam
  • Catholic follower (majority was Buddhist)
  • Vietcong (National Liberation Front)
  • Supplied by N. Vietnam to weaken Diems control
  • Wanted to unite Vietnam under Communism

6
US Involvement Under Kennedy
  • Sent Special Forces into S. Vietnam
  • advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
    (ARVN)
  • Diems regime alienated S. Vietnamese citizens
  • America helps plot overthrow of Diem
  • Diem removed from power and later assassinated

7
US Involvement Under Johnson
  • USS Maddox patrolled Gulf of Tonkin
  • Fired upon by N. Vietnamese boats
  • Maddox retaliates
  • Johnson orders airstrike
  • Asks Congress to use force to defend US troops
  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed
  • Commit US troops to S. Vietnam
  • Fight war against N. Vietnam w/o asking Congress
    for declaration of war

8
Americanizing the War
  • Operation Rolling Thunder
  • First sustained bombing campaign in N. Vietnam
  • General William Westmoreland
  • American commander of troops in Vietnam
  • Wanted to increase military presence to win the
    war

9
Napalm
  • What is it?
  • Jellied gasoline dropped in large canisters
  • Exploded on impact covered large areas in
    flames
  • Effects
  • Severe burns, choking, unconsciousness or death
  • Agent Orange herbicide used to destroy plant
    life
  • Disrupt enemys food supply

10
Effects of Napalm Agent Orange
11
The Vietcong NVA
  • Ho Chi Minh
  • VC NVA tiger
  • US elephant
  • If the tiger stand still, the elephant will
    crush it. But if the tiger keeps moving and
    occasionally jumps on the elephant to take a bite
    out of it, the elephant will slowly bleed to
    death.
  • VC NVA
  • Traveled lightly
  • Wore clothes to blend in
  • Fought mostly at night
  • Used booby traps

12
Tunnel System
13
Do Now
  • At this point what is your opinion about the
    Vietnam War?

14
The Tet Offensive
  • General Westmoreland addresses the nation
  • Vietcong has weakened
  • No longer can mount major attack
  • January 30, 1968 Tet Offensive begins
  • Tet Vietnamese New Year
  • Attacked major cities bases in S. Vietnam
  • US S. Vietnamese eventually drove back VC

15
The Tet Offensive
16
Results of Tet Offensive
  • American public opinion negative
  • Felt betrayed by govt
  • Westmoreland resigns
  • Public sees this as punishment for handling Tet
    poorly
  • LBJ
  • Pursue peace rather than victory
  • Stuns nation announces he will not run for
    president in 1968

17
Vietnam Under Nixon
  • Vietnamization
  • American troops gradually pull out of Vietnam and
    S. Vietnam takes over the fighting
  • peace with honor
  • Nixon orders bombing of Ho Chi Minh Trail
  • Widened the war
  • Nixon announces US will invade Cambodia
  • US ARVN troops invade
  • Results stalemate increased unpopularity in US

18
My Lai Massacre
  • March 16, 1968
  • Lt. William Calley
  • Orders troops to shoot civilians
  • Between 400-500 civilians killed
  • Originally covered up, but media starts leaking
    photos info from the massacre
  • Calley is court-martialed
  • Sentenced to life then reduced to 3 ½ years

19
My Lai Massacre
20
The Pentagon Papers
  • New York Times leaks classified document of all
    US involvement in Vietnam
  • Truman through Johnson all lied to American
    public
  • Nixon tries blocking publication
  • New York Times v. US rules against Nixon
  • 1973 War Powers Act established
  • Restricts presidents powers to engage in foreign
    conflict

21
The Pentagon Papers
Truman
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
All of these men lied to America over Vietnam
22
Vietnam Ends for America
  • January 1973 Paris Peace Accords
  • US, S. Vietnam, N. Vietnam VC at Accords
  • Agree to ceasefire, US troop withdrawal
    exchange of POWs
  • War ends for US continues for Vietnam
  • N. Vietnam breaks ceasefire
  • Captures Saigon official end to war
  • Vietnam united under Communism

23
Summary
  • In the end was the Vietnam War worth fighting
    for?
  • Explain why or why not using specific events.
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