The Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War

Where is Vietnam?Where is Vietnam?

Southeast Asia

Vietnam is in Southeast Asia

Near Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and parts of China

Vietnam and ImperialismVietnam and Imperialism

Vietnamese will strongly resist Imperialism from:– China– Mongols– French– Japanese

Many American military and political leaders were ignorant of this.

Dien Bien PhuDien Bien Phu

1954

Final defeat of the French by the Vietnamese

French surrender and lose Indochina

1954 Geneva Conference1954 Geneva Conference

End hostilities between French and Vietnamese

Temporarily divided Vietnam at 17th parallel until French leave.

Elections in 1956

John F. Kennedy and VietnamJohn F. Kennedy and Vietnam

Views Vietnam as important to Cold War like Truman and IKE

Begins escalation of troops

Of the 2.7 million Americans that Of the 2.7 million Americans that served in the Vietnam war…served in the Vietnam war…–300,000 were wounded in action300,000 were wounded in action

–75,000 were disabled 75,000 were disabled

–Of the casualties listed on The Wall, Of the casualties listed on The Wall, approximately 1,300 remain approximately 1,300 remain missing in action missing in action

–58,129 were killed58,129 were killed

–The average age was 19The average age was 19

Gulf of Tonkin ResolutionGulf of Tonkin Resolution

North Vietnamese “Attack” on two US ships in the Gulf of

Tonkin is Johnson’s excuse to get Congressional approval for major escalation in Vietnam.

On the Vietnamese side it is On the Vietnamese side it is estimated…estimated…

1.1 million North Vietnamese 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong (Southern and Viet Cong (Southern resistance soldiers) were killedresistance soldiers) were killed

Over 2 million North and South Over 2 million North and South Vietnamese citizens were Vietnamese citizens were killedkilled

Who did the United States fight in Who did the United States fight in Vietnam?Vietnam?

Viet Cong

North Vietnamese Army heavily supplied from USSR via China

In the United States we In the United States we refer to this conflict as refer to this conflict as

the Vietnam Warthe Vietnam War

In Vietnam, citizens refer In Vietnam, citizens refer to this conflict as the to this conflict as the

American WarAmerican War

The Tet OffensiveThe Tet Offensive

1968

Viet Cong Attack every major US base in South Vietnam

North Vietnamese Army takes city of Hue and kills many inhabitants

US Embassy compound in Saigon is attacked

The Credibility GapThe Credibility Gap

A televised war

an unwinnable war?

Federal deficit and inflation

10% surcharge on federal income taxes (1968)

42% doves to 41% hawks

Pentagon Papers (1971)

Anti-War MovementAnti-War Movement

Students for a Democratic Society (1962)40 students met in Port Huron, Michigangrew to 100,000 members on 300 collegesparticipatory politics, grass-roots organizingThe “New Left”

VietnamizationVietnamization

Withdrawal of American troops, replaced by South Vietnamese forces

secretly escalate war in Cambodia

national student strike (May 4, 1970)

450 colleges closed, 80% of colleges experienced campus protest

National Guardsmen fired into acrowd of students at Kent State,killing four people. At Jackson StateCollege in Mississippi, NationalGuardsmen stormed a dormitory andkilled two black students

U.S. WithdrawalU.S. Withdrawal

Paris Peace Talks (1968-1973)

U.S. withdrawal of troops

Return of American POWs

continued presence of North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam

1973 cease-fire

1975 reunification of Vietnam

THE COSTS THE COSTS OF WAROF WAR