1. By: Tracy & Jackie

2. Where is Vietnam?

3. War
Duration
Players
First Indochina War
France vs Vietnam
Second Indochina War
North Vietnam, USSR, China vs South Vietnam and US
Third Indochina War
North Vietnam vs South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

4. US Presidents USSR Leaders
Truman
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon
USSR Leaders
Stalin
Malenkov
Khruschev
Brezhnev

5. WHAT CAUSED THE FIRST INDOCHINA WAR (1945-1954)?

6. Conflict b/w French & Vietnam
Vietnam = French Colony
During WWII, Japanese occupies Indochina
Post WWII, Japanese retreated & people of Vietnam established gov’t

7. Dien Bien Fu (1954) France holds this area for 50 days
Surprise attack by Vietnam
TURNING POINT  France pulls out

8. Importance to the Cold War
Jan 1950  China and USSR recognizes Ho Chi Minh’s Democratic Republic of Vietnam and China sends weapons
Feb 1950  USA sends $15 million in aid for French and recognizes Bao Dai’s French controlled govt

9. What CAUSED the Second Indochina War (1954-1973)?

10. GENEVA ACCORDS Vietnam divided near the 17th parallel
Signed b/w France & Vietnam
Vietnam divided near the 17th parallel
TEMPORARY DIVISION until national elections to reunify the country

11. HO CHI MINH (communist)
LEADER OF NORTH VIETNAM
He set up a communist regime, supported by the Soviet Union and China, in Hanoi (Northern Vietnam)
HO CHI MINH (communist)

12. Opposition to Geneva Accords
The United States prevented the elections that were promised under the Geneva conference b/c they knew that the Communists would win.
If Communists won elections, Vietnam would be unified as a COMMUNIST COUNTRY

13. North Vietnam – HO CHI MINH  supported by USSR AND CHINA
President Eisenhower supported the creation of South Vietnam
North Vietnam – HO CHI MINH  supported by USSR AND CHINA
South Vietnam – looking for a leader  supported by USA

14. South Vietnam under diem
Placed into office by the United States
Claimed S. Vietnam was under attack by the Communists in the North

15. Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)
Collective security organization, meant to prevent spread of communism beyond North Vietnam
Main justification for USA to join the war b/c they were part of SEATO
With the help of American military & CIA, Diem (SOUTH) identified his opposition and arrested/executed them

16. HO CHI MINH NGO DIHN DIEM Leader of NORTH
Lots of people looked up to him for leadership
Considered a hero
 broke up large estates
 redistributed land
Leader of SOUTH
“placed” into office by U.S.A.
Unsuccessful b/c of corrupt gov’t
Offered no land distribution to peasants
Catholic vs. Buddhism

17. Diem’s Government
“This is a hostile act of aggression by North Vietnam against peace-loving and democratic South Vietnam”
- Ngo Dinh Diem

18. The National Liberation Front (NLF)
South Vietnam did not like Diem as their leader
North Vietnam created NLF (1960)
Helped mobilize southerners
Brought together Communists (North) and non- Communists (South) together

19. USA ENTERS THE WAR RECALL: USA opposed Communism
Johnson feared losing Vietnam
 The situation in South Vietnam was critical b/c it was an area of increasing communist control, an unpopular government and an army suffering from low morale

20. USA ENTERS THE WAR
Believed the NLF was a way for North Vietnam to spread their ideologies to the South
Johnson decided to escalate the scope of US intervention

21. December 1961- White Paper Military Economic Technological
USA needed to increase aid:
Military
Economic
Technological
Stabilize Diem regime
Crush NLF

22. USA Enters The War- The Domino Theory
1) President Truman’s policy of containment- Americans were fearful of communist expansion and needed it to be contained
2) President Eisenhower’s domino theory – If one power were to fall to communism then surrounding countries would also be susceptible
3) The loss of Vietnam it was feared would trigger an “domino effect” in Southeast Asia

24. What was the STYLE OF WAR ?

25. HO CHI MINH Trail 1959
Went through neutral Laos and Cambodia so that those travelling would go undetected
Instrumental to movement of people and weaponry
Later became target for bombing campaign
Also used to transport military supplies from North to Viet Cong

26. Attacked by North Vietnam
GULF OF TONKIN (1964)
U.S.S. Maddox
C. Turner Joy
Attacked by North Vietnam

27. THE GULF OF TONKIN RESOLUTION
Congress agreed to take any necessary measures against attack from opposition
Gave US Pres far-reaching powers in Indochina, including power to send troops

28. Operation Rolling Thunder (1965)
Johnson ordered bombing missions over North Vietnam
massive aerial bombing campaign that targeted Ho Chi Minh Trail, Viet Cong areas in south & industrial & military areas in north

29. Napalm Bombs inflammable petroleum jelly placed in bombs used by US
caused burns to thousands of innocent civilians

30. Agent Orange
chemical defoliant spray designed to remove leaves from trees in jungle to deprive Viet Cong (N. Vietnam) of cover
chemical contains dioxin which got in the food chain, causing chromosome damage to humans

31. Technology & Weaponry (con’t)
HELICOPTERS became the most useful b/c they would drop bombs in the jungle and clear everything out

32. North Vietnam Tactics

33. USA Tactics
“Search and Destroy”
In areas where they thought the NLF were operating, US troops went in and checked for weapons, and if they found it, they would burn the villages down and round up the villagers

34. China’s Role stationed troops near their border with N.Vietnam
provided anti-aircraft defence systems to counter Operation
Rolling Thunder
sent technicians so
that NV army could be
free to engage in
military operations

35. Anti- War Sentiments

36. The Tet Offensive (1968)
NV decided to launch all-out military assault on USA and S. Vietnam on Vietnamese holiday of Tet, which had been a day of ceasefire for whole nation
US didn’t win but they needed to send 200,000 more troops  eroded much of US public support

37. MY LAI MASSACRE (1968)

38. What were the NEGOTIATIONS and SETTLEMENTS ?

39. Nixon comes to power (1969)

40. ‘Vietnamization’
SOUTH Vietnam would increasingly take leadership role in war and USA would gradually withdraw, while training S. Vietnam troops and preparing them to take complete political and military control over North Vietnam

41. Paris Peace accord (1973)
Jan – ceasefire (until settlement was in effect)
US troops would withdraw
SV people would decide their political future
All POWs were to be released
NV infiltration of men and supplies through Laos and Cambodia into SV were to cease
GOAL: Reunification of Vietnam through peaceful means

42. Paris peace accord (1973)
Agreement was a joke because neither side had any intention of obeying it
By 1973 all US troops were removed from Vietnam

43. Nixon Doctrine (1969)
continue to support non-communist movments abroad w/ economic or military aid but wouldn’t commit its troops to fight on foreign soil

44. Led to re-evaluation of their foreign policies
US’s longest war was a failure because Third Indochina War ( ) resulted in S. Viet falling under communist control of the North
Led to re-evaluation of their foreign policies

45. Relation to Cold War Domino Theory Policy of Containment
USSR and China supplied North Vietnam with weapons, troops and aid WHILE U.S.A sent troops, weapons and aid to South Vietnam
USSR proposed dual nation solution – North and South would be recognized as separate nations but US rejected this because they hoped to gain control over entire country

48. WORKS CITED AND CONSULTED
20th Century World History IB Textbook
History for the IB Diploma – The Cold War