3/25/2010 1

Vietnam War

(1964 - 1973)

3/25/2010 2

Indochina

The countries make up Indochina are:

• Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

3/25/2010 3

Indochina includes Laos,

Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Indochina was

a French

colony most of

the late

1800s–WW II.

3/25/2010 4

3/25/2010 5

HO CHI MINH

• 1919, at the end of WWI Ho Chi Minh tried to secure Vietnam’s independence as part of the treaty of Versailles – He later became a Communist

because that philosophy called for an end to all colonialism.

3/25/2010 6

WWII

At the beginning of WWII the Japanese Army invaded and conquered the Indochina Peninsula

3/25/2010 7

3/25/2010 8

WWII

• Ho and his communist followers organize guerilla operations to fight the Japanese

• They provided the Allies with intelligence assistance believing they would help them become independent of France.

3/25/2010 9

3/25/2010 10

French Rule in Vietnam

• Sept. 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam an independentcommunist nation.

• He asked for U.S. help in the quest for independence from the French.

3/25/2010 11

• The U.S. refused.

• 1950, U.S. began economic aid to France to contain communism.

• Domino theory—countries can fall to communism like a row of dominoes.

3/25/2010 12

The Fight Against Communism: France vs. Viet Minh Forces

3/25/2010 13

3/25/2010 14

• Viet Minh launched a guerilla war against the French

• The French were defeated 1945

3/25/2010 15

• After the war a conference was held in 1954 in Geneva, Switzerland. The goal was to create a treaty for an orderly transfer of power from the French to the Viet Minh.

• The United States intervened

• They refused to allow Communists to take over all of Vietnam

3/25/2010 16

• Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at 17th parallel

• Communist Viet Minh would rule the northern half of the country

• A democratic group supported by the U.S. would administer the southern half

3/25/2010 17

Divided Vietnam

3/25/2010 18

The Siege of Dien Bien Phu: A French Military Disaster

3/25/2010 19

Vietcong - Communist opposition group in South.

They were very good at hit-and-run tactics, and skilled in staging

ambushes and land-mine warfare.

3/25/2010 20

Vietcong• They were active mostly at night, appearing

and disappearing like ghosts

• One of their favorite tactics was to set an ambush by placing an electronically controlled mine or booby trap on a trail used by American patrols, then the Viet Cong ambushers would hide nearby and detonate the mine by remote, when the patrol arrived, shoot a brief burst of automatic rifle fire at the same time and vanish into the jungle.

3/25/2010 21

• ―In seconds, nine of my men were wounded, five of the gravely, and we never saw the enemy, never had a chance to shoot back‖

• They seldom wore uniforms and were indistinguishable civilians

3/25/2010 22

The border between North and South Vietnam was only 39 miles long.

Ho Chi Minh used the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply the Vietcong with weapons and men

Ho Chi Minh Trail

3/25/2010 23

Ho Chi Minh Trail

• An elaborate system of roads, depots, and rest areas

• The main supply route from North Vietnam into South Vietnam for Communist troops.

• Mainly in the neutral countries of Laos and Cambodia

• Thanks to the trail the Communists would attack South Vietnam from anywhere along its western border.

3/25/2010 24

Pair Share

Who are the communists in the South who fight against the Diem government?

• VietcongWhat is the Domino Theory?• The idea that if one country falls to communism

nearby countries will also fall. What is the Ho chi Minh Trail?• a route the communists use to move supplies and men

into South Vietnam through neutral countries.What is the name of the nationalist leader who fought

against the French and then the U.S.?• Ho Chi Minh

3/25/2010 25

Why did the U.S. become involved in the conflict in Indochina?

• they wanted to stop the spread of communism

What did the Genva Accords do?

• divide Vietnam at the 17th parallel

3/25/2010 26

End

3/25/2010 27

War Expands

3/25/2010 28

Ho Chi Minh(North Vietnam)

Ho Chi Minh

• Communist nationalist

• war hero

• popular because of land distribution

• brutal and repressive

3/25/2010 29

Ngo Dinh Diem (South Vietnam)

• Ngo Dinh Diem– anti-communist– imprisoned people

who opposed him– took land from

peasants– did not hold

promised elections– did not institute a

democratic form of government

3/25/2010 30

Eisenhower, and

John F. Kennedy

backed Diem

financially

and sent military

advisers.

3/25/2010 31

Johnson Expands U.S. Involvement

• Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) thought U.S. could lose international prestige if communists won.

3/25/2010 32

The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• Vietcong were accused of torpedoing the USS Maddox and the USS C. Turner Joy in international waters. (The Gulf of Tonkin)

3/25/2010 33

• President Johnson (LBJ) asked Congress for power to repel enemy.

• 1964, Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave LBJ broad military powers.

3/25/2010 34

• U.S. combat troops were sent to SouthVietnam to battle Vietcong.

• By 1967, 500,000 U.S. troops were in Vietnam.

3/25/2010 35

Problems with the War

3/25/2010 36

An Elusive Enemy• Vietcong used Guerrilla

surprise hit-and-run, ambush tactics, moving among civilians.

• Tunnels (Vinh Moc Tunnels) to help withstand air strikes, launch attacks, and to connect villages.

3/25/2010 37

• The terrain was laced with booby traps and land mines laid by U.S. and Vietcong.

3/25/2010 38

The metal to make these traps came from bomb

scrap.

3/25/2010 39

The Battle for “Hearts and Minds”

• U.S. wanted to stop Vietcong from winning support of rural population.

• U.S. did not succeed

3/25/2010 40

• Weapons for exposing tunnels often wounded civilians and destroyed villages.

– napalm: gasoline-based bomb that set fire to jungle causing deforestation.

3/25/2010 41

• Agent Orange: leaf-killing, toxic chemical that caused birth defects.

3/25/2010 42

Pair Share

What was Guerrilla Warfare?• Surprise hit and run attacksWhat is Napalm & Agent Orange• Chemicals used to get rid of the leaves in the trees

so people had no place to hideWhy was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed?• It was passed by Congress because the U.S. said

North Vietnam had torpedoed U.S. ships in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.

What did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution do?• Allowed the U.S. to use military force in Vietnam

3/25/2010 43

• Search-and-destroy missionsmoved civilians suspected of working for the North and destroyed their property.

3/25/2010 44

• Villagers went to cities and refugeecamps.

• 1967, there were over 3 million refugees.

3/25/2010 45

Pair Share

Why was the U.S. unable to win the ―hearts and minds‖ of the Vietnamese people?

• We used Napalm and agent orange, destroyed villages we thought were protecting Vietcong, killed civilians because we thought they were Vietcong.

3/25/2010 46

Sinking Morale of U.S. Soldiers

• Guerrilla warfare, jungle conditions, and not being able to tell the enemy from the civilians lowered morale.

• Many soldiers turned to alcohol and drugs.

3/25/2010 47

Fulfilling a Duty

• Most U.S. soldiers believed in the justice of halting communism.

• Fought courageously, took patriotic pride in fulfilling their duty.

3/25/2010 48

Pair Share

What made this war particularly difficult for American’s to fight?

• hot humid climate, constant rain, could not tell an enemy from a civilian and the hit and run tactics of the enemy

3/25/2010 49

End•

3/25/2010 50

The Cost of War

• War began to cost more with the increase of troops.

3/25/2010 51

The Living-Room War

• Combat footage was on the nightly TV news shows.

• TV showed grim pictures of the war.

• Critics said there was a credibilitygap between administration reportsand events.

3/25/2010 52

Draft

• Selective Service System, draft, called men 18–26 to military service.

3/25/2010 53

• Thousands looked for ways to avoidthe draft – went to Canada

– many—mostly white, affluent—received college deferment.

– some received a religious deferment

– joined a branch of the military before they could be drafted.

• 80% of U.S. soldiers came from lower economic levels.

Draft Dodgers and Soldiers

3/25/2010 54

• Defense Department corrected problem by instituting draft lottery in 1969.

1969

Draft Lottery

The Lottery

3/25/2010 55

• A large glass container held 366 blue plastic balls containing every possible birth date and affecting men between 18 and 26 years old.

• This drawing determined the order of induction

3/25/2010 56

3/25/2010 57

Anti-war Protest Movement

•Students

protested

campus

issues and

the Vietnam

war.

3/25/2010 58

The Movement

Grows

• In 1965, protestmarches and rallies drew tens of thousands.

3/25/2010 59

Antiwar Protest: The Vietnam Moratorium

3/25/2010 60

3/25/2010 61

War Divides the Nation

Dovesstrongly opposedwar and believed U.S. should withdraw.

Hawksfavored sending greaterforces to win the war.

3/25/2010 62

Johnson Remained Determined

• LBJ continued a slow escalation and was criticized by both Hawks and Doves.

3/25/2010 63

Tet Offensive

3/25/2010 64

Tet Offensive A Surprise Attack

• 1968, villagers went to cities to celebrate Tet. (Vietnamese New Year)

• Vietcong were among the crowd.

• They attacked over 100 towns and 12U.S. air bases.

3/25/2010 65

• Tet offensive lasted 1 month before U.S. and South Vietnam regained control.

• Westmoreland declared attacks were a military defeat for Vietcong.

3/25/2010 66

Change in Public Opinion

3/25/2010 67

Tet Changes Public Opinion

• Televised accounts of the Tet Offensive turned American public opinion against the war.

• Mainstream media openly criticized war.

• Before Tet, most Americans were Hawks.

• After Tet, Hawks and Doves were both 40%.

3/25/2010 68

Violence Continues to Grip

Colleges• There were major

demonstrations on over 100 college campuses.

3/25/2010 69

Violence on Campus • National Guard killed 4 in

confrontation at Kent State University.

• Guardsmen killed 2 during confrontation at Jackson State in MS.

3/25/2010 70

3/25/2010 71

Pair Share

What was the Tet Offensive?

• Surprise attack on U.s. military bases and over 100 cities at the beginning of the Vienamese New year.

How did it changed people’s view of the war?

• People lost faith in our ability to win and wanted out!

3/25/2010 72

The End of The War

3/25/2010 73

The Vietnam Peace Accords 1973(Paris Peace Accords)

• The U.S. and South Vietnam agreed to a cease-fire with North Vietnam

• The U.S. agreed to withdraw Troops

3/25/2010 74

The Fall of Saigon• The North invaded the South in 1975 • The U.S. refused to help South Vietnam and

enforce the peace treaty.• The American Embassy fell and the South

surrendered.

3/25/2010 75

• 58,000 Americans died in war.

• Over 2 million North and South Vietnamese died

3/25/2010 76

• One result of the Vietnam War was the Twenty-sixth Amendment (voting at 18).

• If boys were old enough to go to war and die they are old enough to vote.

3/25/2010 77

America and the Vietnam War

3/25/2010 78

Pair Share What is the ―draft‖?

• selecting men to serve in the military

How was the draft made more fair?

• a lottery system was introduced

Why did the Tet Offensive change people’s view of the war?

• people saw the battle on TV and it looked bad

3/25/2010 79

Pair Share

Who were the Doves?• People strongly opposed to the war who believed the

U.S. should withdrawWho favored sending in greater forces to win the war? • HawksWhat did the 26th amendment do?• gave the right to vote to 18 year oldsWhat happened to South Vietnam after the war?• the north invaded the south and the south

surrendered