Background
- Originally a French colony (Indochina)
- Ho Chi Minh and his communist supporters resisted Japanese occupation during WWII
- After WWII the French reoccupied
- Ho Chi Minh fought the French and defeated them in 1954 (Dien Bien Phu)
- Laos and Cambodia granted independence
- Vietnam divided along 17th parallel
- South Vietnam was led by catholic named Ngo Dinh Diem
- Much of the south was actually budhist and had an opposition in the from of the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Viet Cong (guerrilla force)
- The North (Ho Chi Minh) supported both of these groups
- The North never accepted the Geneva Agreement of 1954 (division of Vietnam)
- People thought that if the South went communism much of the other countries would too (ex: cambodia)
- U.S saw this as another situation which containment was necessary (SEATO)
- The U.S had supported the French (military advisors)
- Kennedy increased troops in 1962 from 500-10,000
- CIA overthrows Diem
The Gulf of Tonkin and the Vietnam War
- A fabricated incident (made up) was set up; an American destroyer (USS Maddox) was torpedoed by the Vietnam army
- Needed a reason to go into Vietnam (nothing to indicate this really happened)
- Led President Johnson to install the Tonkin Gulf Resolution
- Lead to the commitment of regular ground troops and air support
- 200,000 troops in 1965-600,000 in 1968
Turning Point: The Tet Offensive, 1968
- Offensive launched by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in 1968
- Tet holiday (local holiday in Vietnam)
- Surprises Americans
- Is played up as a major victory for the North although very little is achieved
- Public relations victory for the North
- Anti-War demonstrations increase as a result
- people were confused
Summary
The Vietnam war was started based on a fabricated problem. The Americans thought that the Vietnamese people were in need of their help so they started this war based on that fact alone, along with their still constant fear of Communism.