End  of  the  Cold  War  

World  History  

Events  Leading  Up  To  The  End  of  the  Cold  War  •  Escala:on  in  Vietnam  (LBJ)  •  Tet  Offensive  •  Cambodian  Genocide  

– Pol  Pot  •  1969:  America  (lost  the  space  race…but…)  got  to  the  moon  in  1969!  – Inspired  by  President  Kennedy  –  though  he  did  not  live  to  see  it  happen.  

•  Soviet  Union  invades  Afghanistan  •  1979:  Iranian  Hostage  Crisis  •  Mikhail  Gorbachev  elected  in  1985  to  Soviet  Union  •  1989  –  Fall  of  the  Berlin  Wall  •  1991  –  Soviet  Union  Dissolves    

•  Vietcong - Communists group that formed in South Vietnam, began attacks on the Diem government

•  They used guerilla warfare • Received support from Communist Ho

Chi Minh • Ho Chi Minh Trail: Paths the Vietcong

used to distribute arms and lead surprise attacks

The Vietcong

Opening to Vietcong Tunnel System

Underground view of tunnels

1965:  Gulf  of  Tonkin  Resolu:on:  Congress  gave  US  President  authority  to  take  any  measures  necessary  to  keep  peace  an  Asia  (where  Vietnam  is!)  

•  President  Johnson  (LBJ)  escalates  the  number  of  American  troops  in  Vietnam  

Fighting in Vietnam

Fighting in the Jungle

Fighting in the Jungle

•  Vietcong: hit-and-run tactics •  Land mines •  Vietcong receiving supplies from China

and U.S.S.R. • New weapons: Napalm and Agent Orange •  Search and Destroy Missions • Helicopter

Napalm

Agent  Orange  

U.S. At War With Vietnam

•  1965: Operation Rolling Thunder: first sustained bombing of North Vietnam

• William Westmoreland: American commander in South Vietnam

•  Expect war to take 8 weeks

1968 A Tumultuous Year

•  Tet Offensive - Vietcong attacks civilians and U.S. troops for one month starting on Vietnamese New Year

• Clark Clifford - New Secretary of Defense: says war is unwinnable – LBJ’s popularity drops by 60%

The Tet Offensive

1968 a Tumultuous Year

• Robert Kennedy (Bobby) enters presidential race along with Eugene McCarthy for Democratic nomination

• Robert Kennedy wins California Primary but is assassinated after his victory speech

Robert Kennedy Shot

1968

• August of 1968, Democrats met in Chicago for the convention

• Hubert Humphrey got the nomination: This angered many anti-war activists

• Violence erupted outside the DNC in Chicago between police and anti-war demonstrators (Grant Park)

The End of U.S. Involvement in Vietnam.

• Richard Nixon gets elected to the presidency •  Pledged to end American involvement in

Vietnam • Henry Kissinger: National Security Advisor •  Vietnamization: plan of gradual withdrawal of

U.S. troops and for the South Vietnamese to take over fighting.

•  By August of 1969, the first 25,000 troops returned home. Over the next 3 years went from 500,000 to less than 25,000

Nixon did not want to lose the war in Vietnam

• As Nixon pulled troops out of Vietnam, he ordered massive bombing attacks on North Vietnam

• Also ordered bombings of Laos and Cambodia (Vietcong bases)

U.S. Bombing of Cambodia

Nixon May Not be Telling the Truth????

• Silent Majority: - Mainstream Americans who supported Nixon’s strategy of war

• My Lai Massacre - November 1969, Americans learned that U.S. troops killed more than 100 unarmed Vietnamese

• April 1970, Nixon announced that the U.S. had invaded Cambodia. College protests exploded!

• Kent State Massacre in Ohio

Kent State University Protest

Kent State University

America’s Longest War Ends • 1972: election year. Nixon wants to win

reelection. • Nixon calls on Henry Kissinger (advisor on

foreign affairs) to negotiate a peace settlement with the North Vietnamese

• Kissinger announced peace was close at hand. Nixon reelected.

• South Vietnam objected to peace settlement. Peace talks stopped, bombing against North Vietnam resumed.

Cold  War  Tension  –  Vietnam  Ends  •  Peace  talks  had  stalled  •  Nixon  announces  he  will  go  to  China!  

– Travels  to  China  (first  American  president  to  do  so)  because  they  were  suppor:ng  North  Vietnam  • China  was  COMMUNIST!!!  

– Travels  to  Russia  (ALSO  COMMUNIST  –  ALSO  OUR  ENEMY  -­‐)  because  they  were  suppor:ng  Vietnam  

•  Promises  to  end  War  in  Vietnam  

•  Running  for  reelec:on    • Wins!  

America’s Longest War Ends • Peace talks resumed again in 1973.

Signed a peace agreement. • March 1973, the last of the U.S. combat

troops left. • North and South Vietnam resumed

fighting. • April 1975, North captures the South’s

capital, Saigon. Soon after, South surrendered to North Vietnam.

How Did The War Affect America •  58,000 Americans died in Vietnam •  303,000 wounded •  2 Million Vietnamese dead • War resulted in many policy changes:

– Congress passed War Powers Act in 1973 – Prevented the president from committing

troops in a foreign conflict without approval from Congress

– Left many Americans with a feeling of mistrust towards their government

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Located in Washington D.C.