Cold War Roots of the Conflict

The Vietnam War Years:(1954-1975)

Chapter 30, Section 1

Essential Question:

• What justifies a country going to war?

Edward Lansdale• U.S. Military Officer

in South Vietnam in June 1954

• Mission: Stop the Spread of Communism into South Vietnam (from North Vietnam)

• Believed U.S. Could Stop the Spread of Communism by:– “Winning the Hearts

and Minds of the People”

– Giving Generous Economic and Military Aid

Ngo Dinh Diem• Leader of South

Vietnam

• Opposed Communism

• U.S. Supported Ngo Dinh Diem

• The South Vietnamese Citizens HATEDHATED Ngo Dinh Diem

Where is Vietnam?

French Indo-China• France Owned

French Indo-ChinaFrench Indo-China Since the Late 1800’s:– Vietnam– Laos – Cambodia– (Imperialism) (Colonies)

• France Wanted Vietnam for Rice and Rubber (Economic)

• The Vietnamese People Hated the French

Ho Chi Minh• Leader of North

Vietnam

• In 1930, Ho Chi Minh Formed the Indochinese Communist Party

• Wanted Freedom from France:– Wanted Communism– Wanted the Peasants and

Workers to Run the Country (Majority of the People)

France’s Reaction• Ho Chi Minh & the

Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) Organized Protests for Independence

• France Reacted by Arresting Leaders of the ICP & Executions

• Ho Chi Minh was Sentenced to Death (Escaped Out of the Country)

• What is this Very Similar Too?

World War II• During WWII, France

Got it’s Butt Kicked by Germany

• Japan Took Over French Indo-China

• Ho Chi Minh Returned to Vietnam During WWII:– Formed the Viet Minh– Fought for

Independence from Japan

• U.S. Supported Ho Chi Minh Against Japan (U.S. Enemy)

Japan’s Empire 1942

World War II Ends• Japan Loses WWII

• Ho Chi Minh Declares Independence for French Indo-China

• France was Angry: France Wants Their Colonies Back!

• France & Vietnam Go to War in Vietnam (1946-1954)

France Struggles to Win• France Struggled to

Win the War in Vietnam – Asks the U.S. for Help

• U.S. Agreed to Help France:– Cold War was Going On

(Containment)– Fear of the Spread of

Communism in Asia (China & North Korea Turned)

– Wanted France to Help U.S. Against the Soviet Union in Europe

– Did NOTNOT Want Vietnam to Become Communist

– Gave France $10 Million Dollars in Military Aid (Weapons) to Help France

The Domino Theory• U.S. Belief That if a

Country Became Communist, Nearby Neighboring Countries Would Then Also Become Communist

• Cold War Theory

• U.S. Feared if Vietnam Became Communist, So Would Other South Eastern Asian Countries

The Geneva Accords (1954)

• France Could NOTNOT Defeat the Viet Minh

• Both France & Vietnam Agreed to a Peace Agreement to End the War in 1954

• Geneva AccordsGeneva Accords:– Vietnam Would Be

Divided into North & South Vietnam by the 1717thth North Parallel Line TEMPORARILYTEMPORARILY

– Both Sides Agreed to Hold an Election in 1956 to Reunify the Country

– North Vietnam: Communism

– South Vietnam: Democracy

Ngo Dinh Diem• Leader of South Vietnam

Refused to Have an Election in 1956 (Violation of the Geneva Accords)

• U.S. Supported Diem

• Diem Would Have Lost to Ho Chi Minh

• South Vietnamese People Hated Diem:– Did Not Establish a

Democracy in S. Vietnam– Ran a Corrupt Government– Jailed, Tortured & Killed

Opponents Against Him

Viet Cong• South Vietnamese Who

Believed in Communism & Hated Diem

• Fought to Overthrow Diem’s Government in South Vietnam and Reunite Vietnam to be Communist

• North Vietnam Supported the Viet Cong with War Supplies and Soldiers

• U.S. Would Struggle Fighting the Viet Cong

The Ho Chi Minh Trail• Secret Underground

Tunnel System Used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese to Attack South Vietnam

• Used to Move Supplies and Troops Secretly

• Built Through Laos & Cambodia

• Why?

Fidel Castro• Leader of Cuba

• Story of Cuban Revolution

• U.S. Supported Castro to Overthrow Cuban Government

• Castro Betrayed U.S. by Making Cuba Communist

Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)

• U.S. Trained Cuban Exiles Who Fled Cuba to Invade Cuba & Overthrow Castro

• Why Doesn’t the U.S. Just Attack Cuba with it’s Own Army?

• There was a Spy! Cuba Was Waiting for the Invasion

• Attack Failed! U.S. Looks Really Bad!

The Berlin Wall• The Soviets Built the

Berlin Wall in 1961

• East Germans (Berlin) Were Escaping into West Germany

• Soviets Built the Berlin Wall to Prevent East Germans Living in East Berlin Escaping West

• Cold War Tensions Increased Between the U.S. & the U.S.S.R.

The Berlin Wall

Hypothesize

• Why Do YOUYOU Think the Berlin Wall Symbolized Communist Oppression?

Fidel Castro’s Fears• After the Bay of Pigs

Invasion, Fidel Castro Feared a U.S. Invasion

• Asked the Soviet Union for Military Aid

• The Soviet Union Secretly Placed Nuclear Missiles in Cuba

• Could Attack the U.S. in Minutes

The Cuban Missile Crisis• U.S. Found Out About the

Soviet Missiles in Cuba: – Cuba is Located 90 Miles

Away From Florida– Could Strike the U.S. in

Minutes– Could Start WWIII

• JFK Told Cuba They Must Remove the Missiles or Else

• Cuba Refused

• “The Greatest Danger of All Would be to do Nothing”

• If YOUYOU Were JFK, What Would YOUYOU Have Done?

JFK Orders a Naval Blockade

• John F. Kennedy Decides to Order a Naval Blockade of Cuba

• No Soviet Ships Allowed In or Out of Cuba Until Cuba Agrees to Remove the Missiles

• Peaceful Tactic/ Avoids War for Now

• YouTube JFK Speaking to the Country!

Thirteen Days• For 1313 Days, the

U.S. & the Soviet Union Waited for the Other Side to Blink

• The World Waited for World War III to Break Out

• Nuclear War!

• Thirteen Days is a Great Movie About the Cuban Missile Crisis

World War III?

• Ask Your Grandparents What Schools Did in Case of a Nuclear Attack

• I Call it the, “Bend Over and Kiss Your Butt Good-Bye” Policy

The 13th Day• On the 1313thth Day,

After the U.N. Meeting, the Soviet Union Turned Their Ships Around

• Soviet Union Agreed to Remove Missiles From Cuba

• U.S. Agreed to Remove Nuclear Missiles from Turkey (Close to the U.S.S.R.) 66 Months Later

• WWIII Was Avoided

Back to Vietnam…• In South Vietnam,

More and More Citizens Hated Diem

• U.S. Told Diem to Make Political, Economic & Political Changes

• Diem Refused

• U.S. Supported a Military Coup to Overthrew Diem

JFK Assassinated• Diem Was

Assassinated Despite JFK’s Wishes

• 3 Weeks Later, JFK Was Assassinated

• LBJ Took Over as President

• LBJ Wished to Fight in Vietnam to Stop the Spread of Communism

Hypothesize

• Why do YOUYOU think many Americans disagreed with the United States’ involvement in Vietnam?

Essential Question:

• What justifies a country going to war?