War in Vietnam

17-3

Ho Chi Minh

• Ho Chi Minh turned to Communism for independence from French

Dien Bien Phu• Huge loss for

French

• French done

• North and South divided at 17th parallel

Domino Theory• Pres.

Eisenhower - like a row of domino’s, once one falls to Communism the rest would fall

Ngo Dinh Diem

• S. Vietnamese leader

–Backed by U.S.

–Corrupt – no free elections

Vietcong

• S. Vietnamese Communist guerrillas

U.S. involved

• Involved since late 1950’s

–Tanks, planes, & equipment

Lyndon Johnson

• 1964 - tells Congress that N. Vietnamese attacked 2 American destroyers in Golf of Tonkin

–Congress ok’s sending troops in

• 1965 -185,000

• 1968 - 500,00+

•Lyndon Johnson

Problems• U.S. has best equipped and most

advanced army – can’t win • 2 problems

–Fighting guerilla war in unfamiliar jungle

–S. Vietnamese govt. was unpopular making Vietcong grow

Bomb ‘em

• U.S. can’t win so turn to bombing

–Strengthens peasant support against U.S.

Unpopular at Home• Late 1960’s

U.S. people unhappy with loss of life –Youth

protests – colleges (Kent State)

Vietnamization

• Pres. Richard Nixon - slow withdraw of U.S. troops, gradually increasing S. Vietnamese involvement

U.S. Gone

• 1973 U.S. forces gone from Vietnam

• 2 yrs later N. Vietnam takes over the south

• 1.5 million Vietnamese dead

• 58,000 U.S. dead

Postwar Vietnam• 1.5 million flee Vietnam

• 70,000 settle in U.S./Canada

Cambodia

• Khmer Rouge

• Slaughter 2 million under Pol Pot in 2yrs