Vietnam & Afghanistan Failures of the Cold War World History Mr. Meester

Vocabulary Vietnam War Ho Chi Minh Domino Theory Afghanistan War Mujahedin

Post World War ll Vietnam Conflict began in Vietnam following the defeat of the Japanese in WWll. The French tried to regain colonial control, the Vietnamese want to be independent. The Vietnamese were lead by Ho Chi Minh. He was a war hero as well as a nationalist & communist Ho Chi Minh defeated the French at the Battle of Dienbienphu.

Ho Chi Minh 1890-1969

Vietnam Divided In 1954 Vietnam became part of the Cold War, and was split in two. The North was communist backed by the USSR & lead by Ho Chi Minh. The South was supported by the US & lead by dictator, Ngo Dinh Diem. Free elections were to determine the true leader of Vietnam They were never held because the US feared Ho Chi Minh would win

War Begins The US feared the Domino Theory: If one country fell to communism then the entire region was likely to fall. The US sent the South weapons, supplies, & military advisors early on Ho Chi Minh was determined unite the country The North had a regular army (NVA) & southern guerilla forces (Viet Cong)

Gulf of Tonkin Incident In the summer of 1964, the North attacked the US Destroyer Maddox President Johnson told Congress the attack was unprovoked (It wasn’t) Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Authorized the President to take any action necessary to win in Vietnam Over 500,000 troops are sent to fight

Fighting in Vietnam Guerilla Warfare: Vietnam was a jungle & this lead to hit & run tactics. Operation Rolling Thunder: US bombed V.C. supply lines for 7 years. Napalm: a highly flammable jellied gasoline used to burn the jungle vegetation that helped the V.C. hide. Agent Orange: a highly toxic spray that killed off any foliage it touched.

Affects of War US Planes dropping Agent Orange A Napalm Explosion Birth Defects caused by Agent Orange Results of Napalm on Jungle

The War Stalls The bombings & popularity of Ho Chi Minh caused hostility toward US forces. The Ho Chi Minh Trail is created in Laos & Cambodia It supplied the VC US is reluctant to attack for some time The VC, used a large amount of women and children, making it difficult to tell who the enemy was. A stalemate resulted.

The Tet Offensive Tet is the Vietnamese New Year. The most important holiday of the year The North launched a surprise attack on US positions in the South. The North lost many of their best troops and failed to gain any land. But it did cause public opinion to change in America against the war.

America Withdraws As time pasted & casualties increased so did Anti-war protests in the US. In 1973, even though the US seldom lost a battle in Vietnam, President Nixon withdrew US troops. 2 years after the US withdrawal the North Vietnamese Army captured the Southern capital of Saigon. It is renamed Ho Chi Minh City

Southeast Asia After the War After the war some dominos fell; Cambodia & Laos went communist. The Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia Pol Pot killed millions of his own people But most of the region was still free Many Vietnamese people tried to flee. Vietnam itself suffered greatly from a US lead trade embargo.

Soviets Invade Afghanistan In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded the Islamic country of Afghanistan. The USSR attempted to modernize the country & aid the communist government. Afghan Chiefs & Muslim Leaders joined forces and revolted against their Soviet rulers.

Fighting in Afghanistan Rough mountainous terrain made for difficult combat conditions for the USSR. Mujahedin: Afghan fighters who used guerrilla tactics to fight the USSR. The US provided supplies, weapons and training for Afghan fighters. Muslims from around the region went to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets.

Two Men Trained by the US to Fight in Afghanistan Osama Bin Laden & Ayan Al-Zawahiri

The War Ends The USSR fought for almost 8 years in Afghanistan Failed to defeat the Mujahedin. Like Vietnam the high cost of the war cause morale problems at home. In 1987 Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev announced the start of the Russian withdrawal.