1954-1975

CH. 19 VIETNAM WAR INTRO

Essential Question: What are the causes of the Vietnam

War?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR?

•First TV War

•Split the country

•Military Draft and High Casualties

•Long and Expensive

VIETNAM

• Located next to China, Laos, and Cambodia

• 92 million people (14th largest)

• Communist government

• Increase in international involvement, but still have many struggles• Previously a French

colony

HO CHI MINH

• Led the fight against Japan in WWII

• Studied in Europe

• President of North Vietnam

• Led the revolution against France• Died in 1969 with war

still going on

NGO DINH DIEM (NGOH DIN DEE-EM)

• First President of South Vietnam

• Supported by U.S.

• Roman Catholic, gave high ranking jobs to family

• Brutal and Repressive government• Assassinated in 1963

PROTESTING DEIM

CAUSES OF WAR

• Truman Doctrine- prevent spread of communism• Domino Theory- Eisenhower believed if

one country fell to communism, the whole are would fall to it• Support of France in Indochina War-

U.S. financed much of the war• Vietnam was split in 2- Communist/non-

communist• Broken Geneva Accords- South refused

elections

QUICK REVIEW

• Where is Vietnam?• What country once colonized Vietnam?• Who was Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem ?• What was Diem like?• What started the Vietnam War?

In the peace accord that followed, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam gained independence from France.

GENEVA ACCORDS OF 1954

Vietnam was divided into two countries.

Ho Chi Minh’s communist government ruled North Vietnam.

An anticommunist government, supported by the U.S., ruled South Vietnam.

SOUTH REFUSED ELECTIONS

VIETMINH & VIETCONG

• Vietminh- Communist fighters led Ho Chi Minh in North Vietnam

• Vietcong- Communist fighters in the South fighting to overthrow the Diem government, supported by Vietminh

The United States supported South Vietnam in several ways.

• formed the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, which opposed communism

• gave economic and military aid

• sent Special Forces soldiers to “advise” South Vietnamese troops

President Kennedy sent Special Forces troops to help fight the Vietcong, the guerilla fighters of the National Liberation Front.

The Diem government remained unpopular, however, and the Kennedy administration worked behind the scenes to remove Diem from power.

President Johnson faced a crisis after he took office.

North Vietnam attacked a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin.

THE GULF OF TONKIN RESOLUTION

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave Johnson tremendous war powers.

Only 2 Senators voted No

• It allowed him to commit U.S. troops to South Vietnam.

• It enabled him to fight a war against North Vietnam without asking Congress for a declaration of war.

GULF OF TONKIN CONTROVERSY

• President Johnson wanted to expand military involvement

• LBJ stated on national TV that the USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnam

• Maddox was actually on a spy mission and fired first

• Remind you of anything?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• 1) Should the U.S. government be involved in removing corrupt presidents from office? Explain.

• 2) What conclusions can you make about the U.S’ feelings towards communism that we would support a man like Diem?

• 3) Why do you think the U.S. would support France over Vietnam? What historical similarities did the U.S. share with Vietnam?

• 4)What sort of impact did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution have on the presidency?