World History 3201 Flashpoint #2 Vietnam
KEY TERMS: Viet Cong : Communists in South Vietnam who opposed the Diem (Capitalist South Vietnamese Leader) government. Viet Minh : Vietnamese nationalists who fought against the Japanese and French for Vietnam s independence.
Flashpoint #2 The War in Vietnam Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) under communist leader Ho Chi Minh, defeated France and gained its independence in 1954 Following the victory, Vietnam was temporarily divided Elections to reunite the country, scheduled for 1956, never occurred North Vietnam, under Ho Chi Minh, became a communist state and South Vietnam, under Ngo Dinh Diem, was a anticommunist state and puppet of USA Diem refused to allow free elections thus Vietnam remained divided. North Vietnam began supporting the communist opposition group in the South : Viet Cong.
The War in Vietnam By 1959, guerilla forces were launching major attacks throughout South Vietnam US became involved in war to limit the spread of communism (Containment)
The U.S. believed in something called the domino theory. According to this theory the fall of one nation to communism would lead to nearby countries becoming communist. Thus if Vietnam fell to communism so would nearby countries
U.S. Involvement 1960: the U.S. began sending (800) military advisors to help the south Vietnamese army Following Kennedy s assassination in 1963(16,000 advisors), the new President Lyndon Johnson did not want to be accused of being soft on communism. He got the American Congress to give him the power to use force in Vietnam (Gulf of Tonkin Resolution) By 1965 the U.S. 500,000 troops fighting in Vietnam.
The War in Vietnam North Vietnam won war for a number of reasons 1. Their army was better prepared than the South Vietnamese 2. Ho Chi Minh and his followers were fighting a war of liberation 3. Americans were fighting for the abstract idea of stopping communist aggression 4. Americans were divided over war and US involvement in it
Vietnam War Video 5min video on the fighting in the Vietnam War * Last minute is GRAPHIC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virmjcz2g da
RESULTS In 1975 North Vietnam occupied South Vietnam and reunited the country More than a million Vietnamese were killed The economies of the North and South were drained Communism was not contained The war proved that containment through military force was unworkable and that American military power was not invincible.
American Protests to Vietnam War Sit-ins at army recruiting offices Some violent protests and public burnings of draft cards and American flags Demonstrations at military bases Many draft dodgers fled the country (mostly to Canada) Some Americans went to jail, rather than fight in Vietnam Political supporters of the war were harassed 1970: Kent State University, Ohio Four unarmed student protestors were killed by National Guard
Pictures of Protests
Songs of the Vietnam War The use of song became a very popular way for people to protest. Famous protest songwriters include Bob Dylan, and John Lennon GIVE PEACE A CHANCE- John Lennon At the end of his week-long "bed-in" in 1969 with his new wife Yoko Ono, John Lennon had recording equipment brought into the hotel room. John recorded this song. It was the height of the Vietnam war, and this song became an anthem of the peace movement that summer. It has lived on in its authentic quality since then during peace movements all over the world. Everybody's talking about Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism, Thisism, that-ism, ism ism ism / All we are saying is give peace a chance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfkl7g0gkc4
Paris Peace Accord (1973) Ended the war in Vietnam Called for withdrawal of all American troops Exchange of all prisoners of war Withdrawal of foreign forces from Laos and Cambodia Consultations between North and South Vietnam Re: general elections Two Vietnams left to determine their own destiny
Costs of Vietnam War 1. 57,000 Americans killed 300,000 wounded 2500 missing in action and never accounted for 2. Estimated that 50,000 American Vietnam veterans have committed suicide since their return from war 3. Many more veterans have problems with substance abuse 4. The US spent over $150 billion on the war effort Very short video clip (Family Guy) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4122-oppmm
Cost of Vietnam War (con t) 5. Over one million Vietnamese dead Half of them civilians Hundreds of thousands of refugees Economics of North and South Vietnam were drained Americans prestige and popularity declined around the world Economy of the US slid into a recession after the war (the U.S. spent 150 billion on the war effort)