The early causes of The War. The Vietnam War The early causes of The War.

What do you know about Vietnam? In your notebook, tell me three things that you would like to know about the Vietnam War. These will be called your learning goals. At the end of the unit, we will re-examine our notebooks to see if you met all your learning goals. Be sure to choose questions or topics that are interesting to you.

French Indochina From the late 1800’s until the early 1950’s, France controlled a large portion of SE Asia. This area included Laos, North Vietnam, Cambodia, and South Vietnam. France made money by exporting rice and rubber from Vietnam. The peasants lost their land and became poor under this system.

Where is Vietnam Vietnam

Japan Takes Power In 1940, Japan invaded Indochina and took control from the French. In 1944-1945, millions of Vietnamese people starved to death in the Japanese occupation of Vietnam. In early 1945 a famine broke out in Tonkin, killing between 1 and 2 million people. After Japan surrendered during WWII, France regained control. Groups of Vietnamese people who wanted independence from France began staging revolts. Ho Chi Minh organized an Indochina communist Party to take power.

Spread of Communism In the fall of 1949, Communists under Mao Zedong took over China. This made the U.S. afraid that communism was taking over the world. China Soviet Union Vietnam

U.S. helps France When France asked the U.S. for help in fighting the Viet Minh, the U.S. agreed. In 1950 Harry Truman gave France $10 million in aid.

U.S. helps France One reason was the U.S. wanted the French to help them oppose the Soviet Union. Another reason was the U.S. did not want Vietnam to become communist. This was called the domino theory, meaning if one country fell to communism, all the surrounding countries would too.

The Fall of France In 1954 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu marked the end of French involvement in Indochina. The French were dealt a stunning defeat. They called a peace conference in Geneva, Switzerland and signed the Geneva Accords. The accords divided Vietnam into a North and a South along the 17th parallel. (17 degrees latitude) Independence was granted to Cambodia and Loas.

North and South Vietnam Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem As part of the agreement, Ho Chi Minh took control of communist North Vietnam and Ngo Dinh Diem took control of South Vietnam.

Ngo Dinh Diem In the summer of 1955, he launched the "Denounce the Communists" campaign, during which communists and people against the government were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, or executed. Opponents were labeled Viet Cong by the government. Diem was considered a cruel, corrupt, and unjust leader. His people soon began to turn on him.