1. Vietnam War

2. I. Early Conflicts in Vietnam

3. A. Early Control of Vietnam 1. French Take Over  1883 France takes over Vietnam  Combined Vietnam, Lao, & Cambodia into French Indo- China

4. 2. Ho Chi Minh  A Vietnamese Nationalist  Name means “He Who Enlightens”  Believed the way to fight the French was through communist revolution 3. Japan in Vietnam  Take over the country during WWII  Ho Chi Minh starts the League for the Independence of Vietnam (Vietminh)

5. B. War Breaks Out 1. After WWII  Japan out of Vietnam  French want Indo-China back  Fighting between Vietminh and French 2. Domino Theory  Pres Eisenhower supports the French  Does not want Vietnam to become communist  Feared if it falls it will cause other countries to fall to communism “like dominos”

6. 3. French Lose  1954  Vietminh surround French troops  French surrender (May 7 th ) 4. Geneva Accords  July 1954: Vietnam split in 2

7.  North Vietnam: Communist led by Ho Chi Minh  South Vietnam: Pro Western led by Ngo Dinh Diem  Free election in July 1956 would reunite N. & S. under one government

8. American Involvement

9. Presidents U.S. involvement started with Eisenhower when he sent “ advisors ” to help the South Vietnamese as they fought the communists. Kennedy inherited the war. He continued the practice of sending advisors. Johnson picked up after Kennedy. He thought the only way to end the war was to increase U.S. involvement. Congress wouldn ’ t allow him to send more troops over there.

10. In 1964 a U.S. navy ship was fired on in the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson used this to send in more troops.

11. By 1965 the U.S. had sent about 500,000 soldiers over to Vietnam. Vietnam was the first televised war

12. In 1968 the Vietnamese started on offensive movement called the “ Tet Offensive ”. By now the country was split over the war and Johnson ’ s political career was done.

14. Consequences of the Vietnam War Vietnam War

15. A. Southeast Asia 1. Casualties  1 million North Vietnamese and Vietcong soldier  185,000 South Vietnamese soldiers  500,000 civilians  Almost 1 million Vietnamese children orphaned

16. 2. Damages CCities and Villages destroyed FForests and Farmlands destroyed

17. 3. Laos and Cambodia  Both countries fall to communist dictatorships  Khmer Rouge kill around 2 million people in Cambodia  1979 Vietnam invaded Cambodia and drove out Khmer Rouge  Ongoing conflicts continue in Cambodia

18. B. The United States 1. Casualties  58,000 Americans died in fighting  More than 2,000 remain MIA (missing in action)

19. 2. War Powers Act (1973)  Requires president to get congressional approval before putting troops into armed conflict  Nixon vetoes this bill  Congress overrode his veto to pass act  Gives congress increased responsibility over war policy  Forces presidents to be more cautious when sending troops to war

20. 1968 Election

21. A. Democratic Party Nominee Hubert Humphrey (Presidential Candidate)  Johnson’s Vice President  Johnson put his support behind Humphrey Edmund Muskie (Vice Presidential Candidate)  Senator from Maine

22. B. Republican Party Nominee Richard Nixon  Former Vice president under Eisenhower  Said he would restore order to American Society  Said he had a “secret plan” to end the Vietnam War

23. C. American Independent Party George Wallace  Alabama Governor  Conservative Candidate  Wanted to overturn civil rights legislation  Wanted to eliminate most federal social programs

24. D. Outcome of Election Close election

25. Nixon wins with 301 electoral votes Humphrey received 191 electoral votes Wallace received 46 electoral votes