BELLWORK Using your, Cold War Conflict graphic organizer, explain the following for BOTH the Chinese Communist Revolution and Korean War……. Causes Two sides Important People Outcome US/USSR support

The Vietnam War

Background Cause 1: The Domino Theory In 1954, President Eisenhower described American involvement and its relation to dominoes: “You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly.” What is Eisenhower trying to prove by using the metaphor of “dominoes?” How does this relate to communism and the containment policy?

The Domino Theory The Domino Theory: the fear that if one Southeast Asian nation fell to Communism, the others would also fall. I.E: If Vietnam fell to Communism, because of its location, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Thailand would also be in danger.

Background Cause 2: Division The Geneva Accords: 1954 peace settlement that divided Vietnam into two separate nations. Ho Chi Minh became president of the new Communist North Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem became president of the anti-Communist South Vietnam. Elections were supposed to be held in 1956 to unify Vietnam, but South Vietnam refused and it remained divided.

The Viet Cong The Viet Cong were communist radicals in the south. Used brutal guerilla warfare tactics Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese aided the Viet Cong throughout the war.

Vietcong Underground Tunnels

Guerilla Warfare

U.S. Involvement: Eisenhower & Kennedy In 1960, Eisenhower pledged support to Diem and sent 675 U.S. advisors When Kennedy took office in 1961 he was even more determined to prevent the spread of communism. Kennedy increased the number of military advisors to Vietnam. (By 1963 = 16,000)

US Involvement: Johnson When Johnson becomes President he declares “I am not going to lose Vietnam.” In August 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Start of Conflict Due to the attack, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which authorized Johnson to take military action in Vietnam.

U.S. Troops in Vietnam

Soviet Response Signed Geneva Accords – wanted influence over North After the US gets involved, the USSR begins sending military aide = $1.2 billion They also trained members of the military Economic aide/trading = $5.4 billion By the 1980’s, the Soviets supplied 90% of Vietnam's oil, iron, steel, and cotton imports

Fighting Conditions in Vietnam War

Fighting: Agent Orange Extremely toxic herbicide Purpose was to defoliate dense forest and rural areas that protected the Viet Cong Cause peasants to flee into urban areas (controlled by US)

Fighting: Napalm Bombs Thickening or gelling agent mixed with gasoline

Fighting: Operation Rolling Thunder Bombing campaign against North Vietnam ( ) Goals: Persuade North Vietnam to stop supporting the Viet Cong Destroy North Vietnam’s transportation and industry

American Bombings

Tet Offensive On January 30, 1968, Communist forces launched a major surprise attack on civilian & military targets in South Vietnam. The first day of the Vietnamese New Year, or Tet. Within 24 hours, 84,000 Communist soldiers had stormed more than 100 South Vietnamese cities and towns, 12 U.S. military bases, and the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces eventually retook most of the targets, but it destroyed the cities and landscape of South Vietnam.

Tet Offensive Aftermath U.S. killed 33,000 VietCong 1,100 U.S. troops killed 2,300 South Vietnamese troops killed 12,500 Vietnamese citizens killed More than 1 million Vietnamese became refugees. Dozens of South Vietnamese towns and villages lay in ruins. One army officer said: “We had to destroy the town to save it.” Considered the turning point of the Vietnam War because it showed that no place in South Vietnam – not even the U.S. Embassy, was safe from attack. It shattered American confidence and raised doubts about Johnson’s policies in Vietnam.

Outcome: Paris Peace Treaty As the war drug on, it was evident that neither side would back down. In January 1973, the U.S, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Viet Cong signed a peace agreement in Paris. The provisions of the agreement were: 1.The U.S. would withdraw from Vietnam within 60 days. 2.All prisoners of war would be released. 3.All parties would end military activities in Laos and Cambodia. 4.The 17 th parallel would continue to divide North and South Vietnam.

Long Term Effect 1: Communism Takes over After the U.S. left Vietnam in 1973, the south and north continued to fight for two more years. The Vietnam War officially ended in 1975 when the whole country of Vietnam fell to communism. Communism did NOT spread and therefore, proved the Domino Theory FALSE!

Long Term Effect 1: Vietnam Protest Student activism and the free speech movement were on the rise. Television and the media played a large rule in influencing public opinion. A Selective Service Act passed in 1951 allowed the government to draft men between the ages of 18 and 26. In 1965, Johnson quadrupled the number of men drafted into the armed forces. By the end of the war, 10,000 men fled to Canada to escape the draft.

Long Term Effect 2: Johnson’s Unpopularity After the Tet Offensive, polls showed that the majority of Americans disagreed with the war. Walter Cronkite (CBS newscaster) reported in Saigon after the Tet Offensive: –“What the hell is going on? I thought we were winning the war! It seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience in Vietnam is to end in a stale-mate. The only rational way out, will be to negotiate” Johnson responded: –“If I’ve lost Walter, then it’s over. I’ve lost Mr. Average Citizen.”

War Opposition & Johnson’s Unpopularity President Johnson rarely left the White House for fear of being assaulted by angry protestors. 6 weeks after Tet, his popularity rating was only 36%. In 1968, he declared that he would not run for another Presidential term. Nixon was elected as the new Republican president.

War spreads to Cambodia In 1970, Nixon authorized the invasion of Cambodia in order to clear out Communist camps.

Kent State At Kent State University in Ohio, students reacted angrily to Nixon’s move in Cambodia. They broke business windows and burned the army ROTC building. In response, the Ohio National Guard threw tear gas at the students trying to break them up. When this did not work, the guardsmen began shooting the students. This attack horrified Americans and fueled more activist movements.