Download The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War
By going to war in Vietnam,
the U.S. hopes to contain
communism
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Began during WWII when
Japan captured the French
Colony of Indochina in
Southeast Asia
Vietnamese forces led by Ho
Chi Minh fought against the
Japanese (Vietcong)
After WWII, Ho Chi Minh
declared Vietnam independent
France was unwilling to give up
Vietnam because it was rich in
resources
Ho Chi Minh fought the French
in a long and bloody battle
defeating them in 1954
The Two Vietnams
• Vietnam, a former French
colony, was divided into two
sections in 1954.
• Vietnam was divided at the
17th parallel
· North Vietnam, led by Ho
Chi Minh, was a popular
nationalist/communist
leader and backed by the
Soviet Union.
· South Vietnam, led by
Ngo Dinh Diem, was
democratic and backed
by the U.S.
· Many South Vietnamese distrusted Diem and joined the
Vietcong, a communist guerilla group supported by North
Vietnam.
An
execution
of a
Vietcong
prisoner
Feb. 1,
1968
 After
WWII, stopping the spread of
communism was the principal goal of
the U.S.
 The U.S. wanted to prevent the Domino
Theory – If one S.E. Asian nation fell to
communism, it would lead to the fall of its
neighbors
 The U.S. supported France because of the
Domino Theory
· By 1968,
over half a
million
Americans
were
fighting in
the
Vietnam
War.
· As the fighting escalated, the U.S. relied on the draft for
raising troops.
Ngo Dinh Diem ruled the
South as a dictator while
the U.S. troops advised
him
 U.S. supported him
simply because he wasn’t
a communist
 As opposition to Ngo
Dinh Diem grew, America
supported the overthrow
of this dictator
 Ngo Dinh Diem was
assassinated the same
month as Kennedy – in
1963
 President Lyndon B.
Johnson allowed for
more American
involvement
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August 1964, North
Vietnamese patrol boats
attacked two U.S. destroyers
in the Gulf of Tonkin
Congress authorized the
president to send U.S.
troops to fight in
Vietnam
By 1965 – 185,000 American
troops were sent to Vietnam
By the end of 1966 –
400,000 troops in Vietnam
1967 – 500,000 troops in
Vietnam
The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution gave the President
the power to draft more US
soldiers
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A network of roads, paths,
and bridges that was used
by the North Vietnamese
troops to bring supplies
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Americans dropped
more bombs on North
Vietnam from 19651968 than they
dropped on the Axis
during WWII
The Tet Offensive
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The Tet Offensive:
Took place on January 30 and 31, 1968
Surprise attack on U.S. military bases in more than 100
cities and towns in South Vietnam
It was the Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar new year
Viet Cong had smuggled weapons into South Vietnamese
Cities
Soldiers came in dressed in civilian clothes to launch the
attack
The Vietcong killed enemy soldiers, government officials,
school teachers, doctors and priests.
It was a military defeat for the communists, they did not
gain any cities, and lost 45,000 soldiers.
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Made Americans question
the wisdom of the U.S.
mission in Vietnam
U.S. soldiers were fighting a guerilla war in unfamiliar
jungle terrain
 South Vietnamese government supported by the U.S was
unpopular
 Support for the Vietcong grew and the Soviet Union
began sending support to Ho Chi Minh
 Agent Orange - a herbicide used to kill plant life –
made many American soldiers sick
 Napalm – an explosive used to burn thick jungle foliage
– made many soldiers ill
 Unable to win a decisive ground victory, the U.S. turned
to air power
 The U.S. bombed millions of acres of farms and forests
causing greater opposition to the American and South
Vietnamese governments
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Effects of
Agent Orange
Agent Orange was the nickname given to a herbicide and defoliant used
by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam
War.
Agent Orange was used from 1961 to 1971, and was by far the most used of the
so-called “rainbow herbicides” utilized during the program. Degradation of Agent
Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) released dioxins, which have
allegedly caused harm to the health of those exposed during the Vietnam War.
Below are a few photos of the innocent children affected by Agent Orange
Effects of Agent Orange
Even though the Vietnam War
ended 30 years ago, the US’s
saturation chemical bombing is
still wreaking havoc on
millions, including the newly
born — making them thirdgeneration victims. Nobody
knows when the congenital
deformities, one of many
horrific health consequences of
the toxic chemicals, will end.
The war became
increasingly unpopular at
home – Nixon won
reelection for promising
peace in Vietnam
 Supporters of the War =
hawks
 Those opposed to the War
= doves
 Excessive pressure for
Nixon to remove troops =
Vietnamization, began
in 1960’s
 The Last troops were
brought home in 1973
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1.5 million Vietnamese and
58,000 Americans lost their
lives
 In 1975, the North
Vietnamese overran South
Vietnam – Saigon fell and
became a communist
government
 Twenty- sixth
Amendment was passed in
1971 lowering the voting
age from 21 to 18
 War Powers Act – limits
the President’s war-making
powers - 1973
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 Ended
the Vietnam
War in 1973
 U.S.
agreed to
remove troops from
Vietnam