The Vietnam WarBackground and Start of the War

Background….

French Colonization

Vietnam was colonized by France in the 1800s

Ho Chi Minh, a communist sympathizer, fought for Vietnam’s independence; defeated France in 1954

At the Geneva Accords Vietnam was divided into a communist North (led by Ho Chi Minh) and an anti-communist South (led by U.S. backed Ngo Diem)

Beginnings of a Conflict….

North vs. South

The North wanted to unify Vietnam under Communist rule

The South opposed this, but many people in South Vietnam disliked Diem(picture)

Diem was overthrown and killed in 1963 (U.S. helped); new government was unsuccessful

The Viet Cong

Trouble in the South

Members of the South Vietnamese Army began their own guerilla fighter groups, called the Viet Cong

Viet Cong were helped by the North Vietnamese

The Viet Cong gained control and support from a majority of people in South Vietnam

U.S. Involvement

Containment

U.S. feared the domino theory, that if one Southeast Asian country fell to communism the others would fall as well

U.S. supported the South Vietnamese; containment of Communism

After a U.S. ship was attacked by the North Vietnamese in 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; allowed direct military intervention in Vietnam

Exit Slip 3/21/12

1. What can you infer about the Vietnam War between the years 1965-1968?

2. How many more people died in 1968 when compared to total deaths from 1956-1964? Why do you think this happened?

3. How do you think the death toll numbers between 1965-68 affected LBJ’s popularity? What about support for the war?