Vietnam: Moving Toward Conflict Chapter 30.1 Vietnam: Moving Toward Conflict

Before WWII… Vietnam was one of France’s colonies from 1800- 1945. Japan invaded and took control of Vietnam away from the French.

After WWII… -Vietnam was freed from Japanese rule in 1945. -France wanted control back over Vietnam, but most Vietnamese people did not want this. -Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese rebel leader became the leader of the Vietnamese resistance. -They turned to “communist” China and the Soviet Union for support.

In 1950… The United States, dedicated to combating the spread of communism wherever they could, began to support the French economically and militarily. In 1954, President Eisenhower explained the importance (as he saw it) in stopping the spread of communism and the world – especially after the stalemate in Korea. Domino Theory – The belief that if one country in a particular part of the world fell to communism, it’s neighboring countries would too – they would “fall like dominoes.”

The Vietnamese hold strong Despite U.S. aid, the French failed to retake Vietnam. Similarly to the situation in Korea, a “North Vietnam” and “South Vietnam” was established at the 17th Parallel by a peace deal made in 1954. NORTH VIETNAM: “Communist” SOUTH VIETNAM: “Democratic” (Kind of…) The North wanted to unite the country under a single, communist banner.

The Cancelled Election of 1954 All powers involved agreed to have an election in 1954 to reunite the country…but… -The US/South cancelled it because they feared that the Communist candidate would win. The two separate Vietnams would remain. In the south, their leader, Diem, became paranoid and feared a communist takeover. He began cracking down violently on any kind of opposition to him.

Buddhist Activism in Vietnam The loudest criticism against Diem came from Buddhist monks – so Diem began to heavily persecute them. In response, some Buddhist monks began to protest through self- immolation (publicly burning themselves alive). This horrified the American public – who began calling for an end to Diem’s persecution of Buddhism. He refused.

Self-Immolation Watch the video

In 1963: JFK announced that he wanted to withdraw U.S. troops.. But.. -Diem and JFK were assassinated within weeks of one another – Vietnam became LBJ’s problem. Instead of withdrawing troops, LBJ escalated U.S. involvement.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution The USS Maddox was allegedly fired on in August of 1964 by two North Vietnamese patrol boats. There are conflicting reports about who actually fired first. This event allowed LBJ and congress to approve more military involvement in Vietnam. (Actually, the US had been conducting secret raids against the North Vietnamese for over a year!)