The Vietnam War The Vietnam War
Jan 02, 2016
The Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War
Where is Vietnam?Where is Vietnam?
Southeast Asia
Vietnam is in Southeast Asia
Near Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and parts of China
Vietnam and ImperialismVietnam and Imperialism
Vietnamese will strongly resist Imperialism from:– China– Mongols– French– Japanese
Many American military and political leaders were ignorant of this.
Dien Bien PhuDien Bien Phu
1954
Final defeat of the French by the Vietnamese
French surrender and lose Indochina
1954 Geneva Conference1954 Geneva Conference
End hostilities between French and Vietnamese
Temporarily divided Vietnam at 17th parallel until French leave.
Elections in 1956
John F. Kennedy and VietnamJohn F. Kennedy and Vietnam
Views Vietnam as important to Cold War like Truman and IKE
Begins escalation of troops
Of the 2.7 million Americans that Of the 2.7 million Americans that served in the Vietnam war…served in the Vietnam war…–300,000 were wounded in action300,000 were wounded in action
–75,000 were disabled 75,000 were disabled
–Of the casualties listed on The Wall, Of the casualties listed on The Wall, approximately 1,300 remain approximately 1,300 remain missing in action missing in action
–58,129 were killed58,129 were killed
–The average age was 19The average age was 19
Gulf of Tonkin ResolutionGulf of Tonkin Resolution
North Vietnamese “Attack” on two US ships in the Gulf of
Tonkin is Johnson’s excuse to get Congressional approval for major escalation in Vietnam.
On the Vietnamese side it is On the Vietnamese side it is estimated…estimated…
1.1 million North Vietnamese 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong (Southern and Viet Cong (Southern resistance soldiers) were killedresistance soldiers) were killed
Over 2 million North and South Over 2 million North and South Vietnamese citizens were Vietnamese citizens were killedkilled
Who did the United States fight in Who did the United States fight in Vietnam?Vietnam?
Viet Cong
North Vietnamese Army heavily supplied from USSR via China
In the United States we In the United States we refer to this conflict as refer to this conflict as
the Vietnam Warthe Vietnam War
In Vietnam, citizens refer In Vietnam, citizens refer to this conflict as the to this conflict as the
American WarAmerican War
The Tet OffensiveThe Tet Offensive
1968
Viet Cong Attack every major US base in South Vietnam
North Vietnamese Army takes city of Hue and kills many inhabitants
US Embassy compound in Saigon is attacked
The Credibility GapThe Credibility Gap
A televised war
an unwinnable war?
Federal deficit and inflation
10% surcharge on federal income taxes (1968)
42% doves to 41% hawks
Pentagon Papers (1971)
Anti-War MovementAnti-War Movement
Students for a Democratic Society (1962)40 students met in Port Huron, Michigangrew to 100,000 members on 300 collegesparticipatory politics, grass-roots organizingThe “New Left”
VietnamizationVietnamization
Withdrawal of American troops, replaced by South Vietnamese forces
secretly escalate war in Cambodia
national student strike (May 4, 1970)
450 colleges closed, 80% of colleges experienced campus protest
National Guardsmen fired into acrowd of students at Kent State,killing four people. At Jackson StateCollege in Mississippi, NationalGuardsmen stormed a dormitory andkilled two black students
U.S. WithdrawalU.S. Withdrawal
Paris Peace Talks (1968-1973)
U.S. withdrawal of troops
Return of American POWs
continued presence of North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam
1973 cease-fire
1975 reunification of Vietnam
THE COSTS THE COSTS OF WAROF WAR