IB HOTA Cold war - Vietnam War

• One of the leaders of the Nationalist movement in Vietnam

• 1930 helped form the Indochinese Communist Party

• Worked to overthrow the French

• Organize the nationalist group, Viet Minh

• 1945 him and his forces declared Vietnam an independent nation

The belief that if Vietnam falls to Communism, other nations in SE Asia will fall as well

• Marked the end of the French colonial rule in Vietnam

• The French were forced to make peace and withdraw from Indochina

• Divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel

• Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh controlled N. Vietnam

• Pro western regime controlled South

• Resulted in tensions between north and south

Guerilla army that aimed to reunify the north and south Vietnam.

• South Vietnam’s President; US approved him

• Corrupt gov’t

• Discriminated against Buddhism

• Became unpopular with the people

• Was overthrown and executed

• Southern gov’t weakened

• Caused the US to become more involved

Aug 2 1964 North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin

• Passed on Aug 7 1964 by the Senate and the House

• Authorized the president to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack on US forces

• Gave its war powers to the president

• After that, Vietcong began attacking American bases

• Feb 1965 Johnson sent aircraft to strike in N. Vietnam

A jellied gasoline that explodes on contact. Was used to decimate the Vietcong’s hiding places.

A chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs. Farmlands and forests were turned into wastelands.

• Jan 30 1968 Vietcong and N Vietnamese launched a surprise attack

• Guerilla fighters hit American air bases in Vietnam

• Also hit south’s major cities and provincial capitals

• Shocked Americans

• Johnson’s approval rating plummeted

• Led by Commander of Lieutenant William Calley

• Massacred more than 200 unarmed S Vietnamese civilians

• Most of the civilians were women, men, and children

• Prompted domestic opposition in the United States as a result

• Former Defense Department worker, Daniel Ellsberg, leaked gov’t documents to the press

• Showed that many gov’t officials had privately questioned the war while publicly defending it

• Also showed how the various administrators deceived the public about Vietnam

• Jan 27, 1973, the sides agreed to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam

• US ended its direct involvement in Vietnam

• N Vietnamese army launches a full-scale invasion in the South

• Thieu asked for US assistance

• Congress refused and Nixon resigned

• Fell to N Vietnam on Apr 30 1975

• American forces and embassy evacuated

• Leaving behind those who helped US

• Many children faced a horrible life

A bombing campaign in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was used to end N. Vietnam’s support for the communists and cut off the flow of supplies from North to South Vietnam.