gpt indochin

• Graebner: '"The dogma of Soviet expansionism was a fantasy." (Communism)'
• Herring: '"Americans often found themselves on the wrong side of Vietnamese nationalism." (Nationalism)'
• Ho Chi Minh: You will kill ten of our men but we will kill one of yours, (Nationalism)'
• Herring: '"What might have remained a local conflict with primarily local implications was elevated into a major international conflict." (Communism)'
• Hixson: '"Patient beyond saving." (Nationalism/Prestige)'
• Hixson: '"World communism was polycentric rather than monolithic." (Communism)'
• Ho Chi Minh: '"The entire Vietnamese people are determined to... safeguard their independence and liberty." (Nationalism)'
• Hopkins: 'Conservatives viewed "Ho Chi Minh as a Stalinist pawn and a bogus nationalist." (Communism)'
• Hopkins: '"US policymakers down a slippery slope into the quagmire of Vietnam." (Communism)'
• First French colonization


  1858
• WWII -> France invasion -> Japanese take over French colony of Indochina until 1945.


  1940
• Ho Chi Minh Speech - Declaration of Independence -> Democratic Republic of Vietnam


  September 2, 1945
• Start of the First Indochina War

  1946
• Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Creation of Operation Passage of Freedom.

  1954
• Under the Eisenhower presidency, advisors are deployed to South Vietnam (containment policy domino theory).


  1955
• Formation of the NLF and fronts begin in South Vietnam.


  1960
• JFK approves secret military deployment into South Vietnam

  1961
• Strategic Hamlet Program


  1962
• Buddhist uprisings; Diem and Kennedy assassinations.

  1963
• Gulf of Tonkin and resolution


  1964
• Operation Rolling Thunder; My Lai Massacre


  1965
• Tet Offensive; Battle of Hue


  1968
• Vietnamization


  1969
• Pentagon Papers


  1971
• First Indochina War (1946-1954)


  • France's Efforts: To maintain control over colonies in Southeast Asia against Vietnam's communist adversaries.
  • Guerilla Conflict: French lacked numbers; Vietminh lacked warfare technology.
  • Chinese Support: Post-1949 communist victory provided training, military advice, and weapons.
  • Vietnamese Strategy: Under Giap, the Vietminh targeted French garrisons.
  • US Involvement: Post-Route 4 defeat, US aid increased due to containment policy.
  • Total War: French bombing targeted agricultural infrastructure, creating famine.
  • Dien Bien Phu: French defeat led to significant communist advantage in peace negotiations.
• Second Indochina War (1955-1975)

  • Background: Vietnam part of French Indochina, controlled until WWII.
  • Japanese Rule: Over Indochina until defeated by Ho Chi Minh, leading to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
  • Cold War Context: US backed anti-communist nations; USSR and China backed communist Vietnam.
  • Geneva Accords: Split Vietnam at the 17th parallel into Communist North and Anti-communist South.
  • US Policy: Domino theory fueled US intervention, supporting Diem's anti-communist regime.
  • Diem's Rule: Rigged referendum, religious tensions, and strategic hamlet failures strengthened Vietcong support.
  • US Escalation: Post-Gulf of Tonkin, Operation Rolling Thunder began.
  • Tet Offensive: Major Vietcong offensive; media coverage impacted US public opinion.
  • Withdrawal: Nixon's election led to Vietnamization and troop withdrawal amidst anti-war movements.