The Vietnam War. Chapter 30

Transcription

1 The Vietnam War Chapter 30

2 Lecture Questions 1. Who was the communist leader in Vietnam? 2. What position does the U.S. take when Vietnam declares themselves independent of France? 3. What decade did the U.S. begin involvement in Vietnam? 4. What is the domino theory? 5. Who were the vietcong and what strategy did they use in combat? 6. What were some major issues with the South Vietnamese government? 7. What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and why is it called a blank check?

3 Communism Spreads: 1950s o U.S. gets involved in Vietnamese affairs in the early 1950s-stop the spread of communism o Historically, Vietnam controlled by other countries o Nationalism grows, want independence from France (colony) o One of the leaders was Ho Chi Minhfounded the communist party and worked to overthrow French rule

4 Fight for Independence o Minh declares Vietnam independent, France refuses to recognize their freedom o U.S. stands by their former WWII ally, even though we disagree with colonization o French pull out after defeat at Dien Bien Phu o Negotiations/Geneva Accords temporarily divide Vietnam at the 17 th parallel

5 U.S. Involvement o Minh takes control of North Vietnam, U.S. takes control of the South o After French leave, U.S. helps create a new nationalistic government in the south o Armed struggle to reunify the country begins, we start to send troops to help the South Vietnamese government

6 The Domino Theory o U.S. saw Vietnam important to stop the spread of communism o Domino Theory-belief that if Vietnam fell to communism, other southeast nations would follow o North Vietnam becomes communist, allied with Soviet Union and China

7 The Vietcong o Minh leads the North in Guerrilla warfare to reunited the country o New guerrilla army called the Vietcong o Vietcong difficult to defeat, refuse to engage in traditional battles o Called the invisible enemy

8 South Vietnam Government o U.S. supported South Vietnam government becomes unpopular o S.V. bans free elections, religious freedom, fear Minh would win Buddhist monks burn themselves in protest after the South Vietnamese government did not allow them to carry flags on Buddha s birthday.

9 South Vietnam Government o Kennedy approved of a CIAsupported coup to overthrow corrupt prez-successful o Kennedy assassinated before he could withdraw from Vietnam o Johnson continues Kennedy s policies

10 Johnson and Vietnam: o After South Vietnamese government is overthrown, Kennedy is assassinated o Johnson now forced to support a new, weak government in the south o Determined not to allow South Vietnam to fall to communism

11 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: 1964 o In 1964, Johnson announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the U.S. in the Gulf of Tonkin o Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution o Congress handed over its war powers to the president, called a blank check As the Vietnam War continued, many Americans became very critical of it, even comparing it to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

12 The Blank Check o The blank check allowed Johnson to send more troops the help the S.Vietnamese o War never formally declared o By 1967, there were 500,000 American troops in Vietnam

13 A Determined Enemy o U.S. underestimated the Vietcong s strength o Generals used continuous bombing Eddie Adams won a Pulitzer for spot news photography for this image of a Vietcong being executed in Saigon by a South Vietnamese general

14 Lecture Questions 1. What was Operation Rolling Thunder and why did the U.S. military use this as a strategy? 2. What are napalm and agent orange? 3. What did the Vietcong use the Ho Chi Minh Trail used for? 4. What issues led to the credibility gap in the U.S.? 5. Why was the draft considered unfair and how did Americans protest this and the war? 6. What major events occurred in 1968? 7. What are the major effects of the Tet Offensive?

15 Operation Rolling Thunder o Johnson begins Operation Rolling Thunder, bombing campaign of North Vietnam o Back home, protests grew o Seen as a poor man s fight

16 Deadly Bombings o Hoped to destroy morale, kill guerrilla fighters o Used napalm, jellied gasoline, explodes on contact o Agent Orange, chemical that destroys vegetation

17 Supply Trail Vietcong used a network of jungle paths to move supplies from North to South Vietnam, Called the Ho Chi Minh Trail Trail winds through neighboring countries, Cambodia and Laos Johnson refused to bomb trail in these countries

18 The Credibility Gap o In 1965, most Americans supported the war o U.S. government kept reassuring the public that victory was near o Journalists begin to report contradictory stories o A credibility gap developedharder to believe what the Johnson administration said about the war

19 Antiwar Movement Grows o Casualties mounted, more young men are drafted o Draft system criticized as unfair, college students were usually able to defer military service o That left the lower class and African Americans made up the majority of draftees o Some draftees refused to go, burned draft cards, fled to Canada

20 1968: Pivotal Year o Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Robert (Bobby) Kennedy-JFK s brother, running for president o Surprise attack by the Vietcong during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year o The Tet offensive, guerilla fighters attacked almost every American airbases, many of South Vietnamese cities

21 o Support for war dropped o Media became critical of the war effort Effects of Tet o Johnson s approval rating plummeted o Decided not to run for reelection, begin negotiations to end war

22 Lecture Questions 1. Who wins the election of 1968 and what does he do after he wins (in Vietnam)? 2. What was the My Lai massacre? 3. What happened at Kent State University in 1970 and what was it an example of? 4. What is the détente and what happened in China in 1972? 5. What was Nixon hoping to gain by visiting China? 6. What key events force Nixon to end the war in 1973? 7. What was the Khmer Rouge and what nation did they take over? 8. What key events of the Vietnam War made us question our values?

23 Nixon s Presidency: 1968 o Wins the presidency in 1968 o Vietnamization-Promised to withdraw troops and turn power over to the South Vietnamese, restore domestic peace o Does begin to withdraw troops, but increased air strikes, including neighboring Cambodia o Invasion of Cambodia sparks nationwide protests o Pits doves-antiwar against hawks-prowar

24 My Lai Massacre: 1969 o In Nov.1969, Americans learn of a massacre of innocent Vietnamese villagers o Under the command of Lt. William Calley, American soldiers killed an estimated 200 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians at My Lai

25 Kent State Massacre: 1970 o Invasion of Cambodia, My Lai Massacre sparks protests o College students at Kent State University protested on May 4, 1970 o National Guard opens fired on the crowd, killing 4 o Campuses forced to close

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27 Nixon Visits China: 1972 o As part of the détenterelaxation of tensions between the U.S. and USSR and China o Nixon lifts trade and travel restrictions o Nat. Security Advisor Henry Kissinger held secret negotiations with China o In 1972, Nixon visited China, recognized them as a legit nation, relationship improved

28 Impact of Visit o Nixon s rapprochement with China-to bring together, was an attempt to drive a wedge between the USSR and China o Wanted to divide the communist bloc and isolate North Vietnam o Hoped this would influence peace negotiations

29 War Ends: 1973 o Congress angered at Nixon for not telling them before bombing Cambodia o Revoke Gulf of Tonkin Resolution o Pentagon Papers reveal that several of Johnson s advisors questioned the war while publicly supporting it o In 1973 a peace treaty was signed, war ends

30 Another Falls to Communism: Cambodia o Khmer Rouge rises to power in Cambodia, next to Vietnam o Communist government, known for their murder of 1.5 million people, torture, executions, starvation and forced labor o Anti-intellectual, children were taken away from educated parents and brainwashed o Vietnam invades in 1979 and takes over

31 War s Aftermath: A Nation Torn Apart o In 1975, North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam, broke peace treaty o Captured Saigon, forcing U.S. to air evacuate its officials at the embassy o Veterans struggled to adapt to civilian life o 58,000 casualties

32 War s Aftermath: A Nation Comes to Terms o War a cultural phenomenon that called into question American values: o My Lai Massacre o Agent Orange, napalm o fragging -killing officers o heavy drug use among troops o Mistreatment of returning veterans o Led to a distrust between generations and the people and its government o Ultimately leads to Watergate scandal

33 Healing the Nation o o o Many returning veterans struggled to adjust Suffered psychological issues, saw war as a defeat In 1982 the nation dedicated the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a step to coming to terms with the war