B) The Vietman War

• The Vietnam War lasted from 1955 to 1975 : communist forces in the North led by Ho Chi Minh planned to unify and bring independence
• The U.S. supported the government in the South and intervened to prevent the “domino effect”
• War characterized by “guerilla tactics” employed by the Viet Cong and massive airstrikes (e.g. napalm) by the U.S.
• Estimated between 1 and 2 million deaths, most of them civilians and approximately 60,000 American soldiers
• Strong opposition to the war in the U.S. by early 1970s Nixon organized the “vietnamization”, i.e. withdraw American troops, train & support the South Vietnamese