Vietnam War

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Vietnam War

• 1968-1975

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Background

• Located in Southeast Asia
• Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam
• French Controlled
• French Indochina

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(No Transcript)
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The whole Vietnam people, animated by a common
purpose, are determined to fight to the bitter
end against any attempt by the French colonists
to reconquer their country. -Ho Chi Minh
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Ho Chi Minh

• Vietnamese nationalist
• Communist
• Supported by the people

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Ho Chi Minh

• Led guerillas against Japan in WWII
• Controlled N. Vietnam

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Ho Chi Minh

• 1946 France tries to regain Indochina
• Ho Chi Minhs army pushes France out

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Cold War Divide

• 1954 conference in Geneva
• Temporary division
• Communist North
• Non-communist South
• Elections to be held to reunite Vietnam (never
  happened)

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North Vietnam
South Vietnam
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Ngo Dinh Diem

• Leader of South Vietnam
• non-communist government
• Supported by USA

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Ngo Dinh Diem

• Unpopular among Vietnamese
• Corrupt government

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American Involvement

• USA feared that Ho Chi Minh was too popular
• Truman Doctrine (containment)
• Domino theory (first Vietnam, then all SE Asia)

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American Involvement

• When French left, the USA stepped in and
  supported Ngo Dinh Diem
• USA sent military advisors supplies

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Viet Cong army
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American Involvement

• 1964 USA begins bombing the North
• 1969 more than 500,000 troops in Vietnam
• USSR China send aid

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American Involvement

• Bombing of North Vietnam increasing number of
  casualties
• War unpopular in USA
• Anti-war protests

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American Involvement

• President Nixon arranges a cease-fire
• 1973 troops begin to withdraw from Vietnam
• 1975 North reunites South (capture of Saigon)

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Why did Communists win?

• Ngo Dinh Diem was unpopular corrupt
• Ho Chi Minh was popular seen as a war hero
• Fought Japanese French

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Why did Communists win?

• Vietnamese saw USA as another colonist power
• Viet Cong guerillas fought better in the jungle
  terrain