Today’s Schedule – 05/13

• PPT: Background of the Vietnam War• HW:– Continue reading assigned sections (see board)– Quiz on Vietnam Reading: Monday

Domino Theory

• Fear that if one Southeast Asian country fell to communism others would follow

Background• Vietnam was a French colony during the 1800s• Ho Chi Minh was a communist rebel– Headed the Vietminh political party which strived for

independence– Used people’s sense of nationalism to gather support

• Republic of Vietnam– Established by French in response to Ho Chi Minh– Emperor was Bao Dai

• In May of 1954 the Vietminh defeated the French

Divided Vietnam• Geneva Accords– Meeting of major world powers and political leaders in

Vietnam after the French were defeated– Decided to divide Vietnam at the 17th parallel • North Vietnam

– Communist– Led by Ho Chi Minh

• South Vietnam– Led by Ngo Dinh Diem

US Involvement• After WWII Truman had pledged to aid nations

threatened by communism– Had sent money to support French efforts in Vietnam– After French defeat continued to support South Vietnam• Included sending military advisors

– Official start of involvement in Vietnam War

Fall of Diem• Filling government posts with family members• US financial aid being used corruptly• Sent farmers off their land to separate from

communist influences• Forced predominantly Buddhist country to adopt

Catholic practices– Buddhist monks began to burn themselves in protest

• US made it known it would not object to an overthrow of Diem

• November of 1963 Diem was assassinated

Communist Advancements

• New government in South Vietnam was militant and unpopular– Unable to control army

effectively• Communist guerrillas known

as the Viet Cong gained loyalty of many South Vietnamese – Had the support of Ho Chi Minh

Johnson’s Foreign Policy on Vietnam

• Three weeks after Diem was assassinated JFK was also assassinated

• When Johnson took over he was concerned that if the US did not continue to stay involved in Vietnam it turn into another China – He did not want to be the president under whose term this

happened• Choices– War: skeptical of success of full fledged war– Withdraw: did not want to damage image of US global

authority• Ultimately Johnson chooses to escalate the war

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution• In August of 1964 Johnson claimed the North

Vietnamese torpedoed US destroyers in international waters (Gulf of Tonkin)– Later shown that attacks did not occur

• Johnson asked Congress for the authority to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the US and prevent further aggression”

• Gave Johnson complete control over all US actions in Vietnam without an official declaration of war