Why Did the USA get Involved in Vietnam- before end of WW2. Before the Second World War, France owned Vietnam
Vietnam was a colony in the Frenchempire known as Indochina
During the Second World War, Japan occupied Vietnam
In 1941, a Communist armed force called the VietMinh under the leadership of HoChiMinh fought the Japanese
In 1945, Vietnam declared independence
Why Did the USA get Involved in Vietnam- after end of WW2
After the Second World War, France wanted to own Vietnam again
France fought the Viet Minh
Fearing Communism in Vietnam, the USA funded the French involvement
The VietMinh defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954
The Geneva Peace Accords agreed to temporarily split Vietnam
The Communist VietMinh gained North Vietnam
South Vietnam created an anti-Communistgovernment
A free election in 1956 would decide who permanently governed Vietnam
Leaders of North and South Vietnam
:
causes:US intervention in Vietnam
Domino Theory
Eisenhower+Secretary of State John Dulles feared Ho Chi Minh would win election, making Vietnam Communist. Believed if Vietnam was Communist, other countries in Southeast Asia would too
Containment
Eisenhower, Kennedy+Johnson believed in containment. They justified their actions in Vietnam as part of their mission to stop Communism spread
Distrust of USSR+China
US blamed USSR+China for NV’s attempt to spread Communism
Raw Materials
Vietnam had useful materials eg tungsten. If USA made Vietnam capitalist, could access these raw materials
The Development of War in Vietnam- 1957
In 1957, the Viet Minh began attacking South Vietnam
The Viet Minh established the Ho Chi Minh Trail to transport weapons to the South
Ho Chi Minh Trail: network of jungle paths winding from NV through Laos and Cambodia into SV. Was used as a military route by NV to supply Vietcong during the Vietman war
The Development of War in Vietnam- 1959
In 1959, Ho Chi Minh declared a full-scale war against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
He stated his intention to overthrow Diem’s government
The Development of War in Vietnam- 1960
Many South Vietnamese supported the actions of North Vietnam
In 1960, Ho Chi Minh created the National Liberation Front (or the Vietcong)
Its members included Communists from North Vietnam and peasants from South Vietnam
In reaction, President Kennedy sent more aid to support Diem’s government
Vietcong:
Commuist guerrilla movement in Vietnam that fought the SV govt forces from 1954-7. Had support of NV army
Development of War in Vietnam- Diem
his govt became more unpopular
1962:he introduced Strategic Hamlets programme
aimed to create villages protected from Viet Cong’s influence
really, it destroyed people’s homes+forced them to move, gainin support for Viet Cong
treated his people bad by:
Discriminating against Buddhists, largest SV faith group
Took land from peasants for rich landlords
Running a corrupt government+ giving key positions to his family members
USA could no longer support Diem’s government
Kennedy cut off aid to Diem
November 1963:a coup overthrew+assassinated Diem
events of the Vietnam War
:
Vietcong Tactics
Guerrilla warfare
Viet Cong knew US would win in open warfare. Instead Viet Cong:
Set traps
Ambushed soldiers
Used Vietnam’s forests to attack+hide
Dug tunnels
US struggled to fight vs these tactics
Use of civilians
Many SV citizens helped the Viet Cong. They attacked SV government officials. Viet Cong didn’t wear a military uniform thus US soldiers struggled to identify troops from civilians
Ho Chi Minh Trail
NV used Ho Chi Minh Trail to transport supplies. Despite constant US bombing, supplies continued to move southwards on this route
US tactics- (1)
Bombing
The US undertook large-scale bombing campaigns on North Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi, key military bases and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. During the war, the USA dropped three million tonnes of bombs
Chemical warfare
The USA had a huge technological advantage over the North Vietnamese. They used chemicals like Napalm and Agent Orange. The aim was to destroy the dense forest that the Viet Cong hid in. This type of warfare caused high civilian casualties
US tactics- (2)
Conscription
From 1967, US govt introduced conscription (or ‘the draft’). A large proportion of the US Army were young and Black Americans. Most of these soldiers had no choice but to fight in Vietnam. This meant that the US soldiers had low morale and wanted to return to the USA
Search and Destroy
The US sent troops in helicopters to find and attack Viet Cong bases. This method caused many deaths. Viet Cong traps killed US soldiers. US troops attacked innocent villagers in the belief they were Viet Cong. Search and Destroy pushed many Vietnamese to support the Viet Cong
Why Did Public Opinion Turn Against the Vietnam War
The US public turned against the Vietnam War because:
Conscription was unpopular
Around 2.8 million US soldiers fought in Vietnam
The draft affected black Americans disproportionately
The police prosecuted over 9,000 young men for ‘draft dodging’
The Tet Offensive (1968) caused the media toquestion if the war was worthwhile
It was the first televised war
The US public saw photographs and news reports of the Vietnam War in graphic detail
Scandals like the My Lai Massacre were uncovered, changing the public’s perception of the US Army
Why Did Public Opinion Turn Against the Vietnam War- protest
Anti-war protests peaked 1968-70
Students were the key opposition group to the war
In November 1969, 700,000 anti-war protestersmarched in Washington
In May 1970, the National Guard shot dead four student protestors at Kent State University
The media coverage of the shootings caused 2 million students in 400 schools to go on strike
The Consequences of the End of the Vietnam War- background
President Nixon won the 1968 presidential election on the promise to end the Vietnam War
Nixon and his National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger, wanted to pull out of the war with dignity
The Consequences of the End of the Vietnam War
After the unsuccessful bombing campaigns of Laos and Cambodia, Nixon began the process of US withdrawal
In January 1973, the US and the North Vietnamesegovernment signed the Paris Peace Accords
This officially ended US involvement in Vietnam
Nixon declared the US withdrawal was ‘peace with honour’
By 1973, only 30,000 US troops remained in Vietnam
The conflict between North and South Vietnam continued
On 30th April 1975, the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon, fell to North Vietnamese forces
Positive Consequences of the End of the Vietnam War
The US public was happy to see the end of the ‘unwinnable war’
Negative Consequences of the End of the Vietnam War
Containment failed militarily. USA had stronger weapons but communist Viet Cong had better tactics
Containment failed politically. 1975:Vietnam, Laos+Cambodia became Communist. USSR+China, who had given money+technology to North Vietnam, had gained new Communist allies
Containment failed in propaganda war. use of chemical warfare+disregard for Vietnamese civilians ruined the USA’s international reputation. Over 58,000 US soldiers died with millions of Vietnamese casualties
Containment failed economically. Vietnam War cost US $168 billion
result of consequences of the Vietnam war
As a result, the US government abandoned the policy of containment
Nixon pursued détente (improvement in relationship between 2 countries that in past weren’t friendly and trustworthy with each other) with the USSR and China