Vietnam War

Who was president during the Vietnam War?

Who was president during the Vietnam War?

Lyndon B. Johnson for the main part and the ending part was Richard Nixon

What was Johnson's goal for the Vietnam War?

President Johnson's goal for U.S. involvement in Vietnam was not for the U.S. to win the war, but for U.S. troops to bolster South Vietnam's defenses until South Vietnam could take over.

Who was communist in Vietnam?

Ho Chi Minh

Who did the U.S. support?

Ho Chi Minh had been asking the United States for a while to support him against the French, but the United States did not want to contradict their policy of containment (Ho Chi Minh was communist), so instead they began aiding France in 1950.

Before the U.S. got involved, what was going on in Vietnam?

The Vietnamese had suffered under the French colonial rule for nearly six decades and then Japan invaded portions of Vietnam in 1940. In 1941, Ho Chi Minh returned back to Vietnam and he established the Viet Minh to get rid of the invaders of Vietnam.

In a nutshell, what was the Vietnam War about?

The Vietnam War was the prolonged struggle between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States (with the aid of the South Vietnamese) attempting to prevent the spread of communism.

When was the Vietnam War?

1959-1975

Ho Chi Minh

The communist Vietnamese revolutionary leader

Who was invading Vietnam?

France and Japan

What was the Viet Minh?

A group whose goal was to rid Vietnam of their invaders: Japan and France

Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Established by the Viet Minh to announce the creation of an independent Vietnam which had a new government called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

How did the French react to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam?

They did not give up easily and they fought back

Why was France in Vietnam?

The French colonized Vietnam in 1859

How did Ho Chi Minh try and convince the U.S. to help him with the Vietnam War?

He bribed them with military secrets of the Japanese. The United States resisted because of their dedication to their foreign policy of containment.

Containment

The United States foreign policy of containing communism at all costs.

The "Domino Theory"

The United States had this theory that if the one country of Southeast Asia fell to communism, then all would fall, causing a domino effect.

Why did the United States decide to help France and not communist leader, Ho Chi Minh?

Because of the fact that Ho Chi Minh was communist, the United States refused to support him. Therefore, they decided to support the "good guys" which was France.

Why did the French pull out of the war in 1954?

They suffered from a large defeat at Dien Bien Phu.

Geneva Conference of 1954

At this conference, nations met to determine how France could peacefully withdraw of the Vietnam War. The Geneva Accords were created and put in place.

Geneva Accords

Stipulated a cease fire for the peaceful withdrawal of French forces and the temporary division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel. In addition, a general democratic election was to be held in 1956 that would reunite the country under one government.

17th Parallel Division

North Vietnam- communist
South Vietnam- non-communist

How did the U.S. react to the proposal of a democratic election in 1956?

They did not like it because then that provided a chance for the communist group to win and take over Vietnam. The U.S. refused to participate.

Effect of the U.S. refusing the democratic election of 1956 all over Vietnam?

South Vietnam only held the election in South Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem was elected.

Ngo Dinh Diem

His leadership was so horrible that he was killed in 1963 by a coup supported by the United States. (US helped bring him down from power.)

National Liberation Front/ Viet Cong

Established by the communist sympathizers of South Vietnam in order to use guerrilla warfare against the South Vietnamese in 1960.

Guerrilla Warfare

Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants such as armed civilians or irregulars use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military.

Who was the fighting between during the war?

Viet Cong v. South Vietnam; the United States continually sent additional advisers to South Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

When the North Vietnamese fired directly upon two U.S. ships in international waters on August 2 and 4, 1964.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

This resolution gave the President the authority to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson used that authority to order the first U.S. ground troops to Vietnam in March 1965.

Downfall of Johson's goal (listed way above)

By entering the Vietnam War without a goal to win, Johnson set the stage for future public and troop disappointment when the U.S. found themselves in a stalemate with the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong.

A Limited War in Vietnam

From 1965 to 1969, the U.S. was involved in a limited war in Vietnam. Although there were aerial bombings of the North, President Johnson wanted the fighting to be limited to South Vietnam.

Fighting the Viet Cong

The Viet Cong was extremely skilled in guerrilla warfare and the United States found it to be very difficult to find them.

Tet Offensive

On January 30, 1968, the North Vietnamese surprised both the U.S. forces and the South Vietnamese by orchestrating a coordinated assault with the Viet Cong to attack about a hundred South Vietnamese cities and towns. Even though the United States and South Vietnam could easily battle off the attack, the realization came that they were up against a big enemy.

Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point?

The Tet Offensive was a turning point in the war because President Johnson, faced now with an unhappy American public and bad news from his military leaders in Vietnam, decided to no longer escalate the war.

Who won the Tet Offensive?

The North Vietnam and Viet Cong really did not win because there were many more casualties for them than for the United States and South Vietnam.

Vietnamization

President Nixon outlined a plan which was a process to remove U.S. troops from Vietnam while handing back the fighting to the South Vietnamese. The withdrawal of U.S. troops began in July 1969. To bring a faster end to hostilities, President Nixon also expanded the war into other countries, such as Laos and Cambodia.

How did Nixon's expansion of the war cause a reaction among people?

Created thousands of protests, especially on college campuses, back in America.

Spring/Easter Offensive

When the U.S. had withdrawn most of its troops from Vietnam, the North Vietnamese staged another massive assault on March 30, 1972. North Vietnamese troops crossed over the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel and invaded South Vietnam. The remaining U.S. forces and the South Vietnamese army fought back.

Paris Peace Accords

On January 27, 1973, the peace talks in Paris finally succeeded in producing a cease-fire agreement. The last U.S. troops left Vietnam on March 29, 1973, knowing they were leaving a weak South Vietnam who would not be able to withstand another major communist North Vietnam attack.

What happened after the United States withdrew from the war?

After the U.S. had withdrawn all its troops, the fighting continued in Vietnam. In early 1975, North Vietnam made another big push south which toppled the South Vietnamese government. South Vietnam officially surrendered to communist North Vietnam on April 30, 1975. On July 2, 1976, Vietnam was reunited as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Who won the Vietnam War?

The communists: Viet Cong and North Vietnam

What is the credibility gap?

The Americans were starting to question whether or not the United States government was a credible source. The Pentagon Papers proved they were not.

Pentagon Papers

These were papers that held the secret plans of the United States government and Nixon tried very hard to keep them from the American people. They were revealed and this widened the credibility gap.