Geneva and Eisenhower Making Vietnam more Complex

Key events: The Franco-Vietminh War and Dien Bien Phu 1954 France attempts to retake Vietnam by force French are defeated by Ho’s Forces in Dien Bien Phu. Country divided at 17th Parallel Elections called for Instead, the West supports Ngo Dinh Diem in the south who proclaims himself president

Legacy of Colonialism After the war Britain and China left Vietnam in control of France Fighting soon broke out between French troops and the Vietminh. Increasing public criticism and cost were proving problematic for the French The Viet Minh army finally defeated the French at the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 bringing and end to the Franco-Minh War. In May 1954 delegates from world nations met in Geneva Switzerland to resolve the war in Indochina. On May 7th 1954 France surrendered and the following month US, Soviet Union, Britain and France met at Geneva.

The Geneva Accord 1. Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel 2 Nth Vietnam would be ruled by Ho Chi Minh 3. Sth Vietnam would be ruled by NGO Dinh Diem, an opponent of communism 4. French troops would withdraw from Vietnam 5. The Vietminh would withdraw from Sth Vietnam 6.The Vietnamese could freely chose to live in the North or South 7. A general election for the whole of Vietnam would be held before July 1956, under the supervision of an international commission The Bottom Line though is the elections were never held and fighting continued between North and South Vietnam throughout the 1950s.

Breaches of the Geneva Accord

U.S. INTERVENTION IN VIETNAM BEGINS EISENHOWER’S DOMINO THEORY Eisenhower was dedicated to halting the spread of communism in Asia. Eisenhower equated Vietnam and the rest of Indochina to a row of dominoes: if Vietnam fell to the Communists, the rest of Indochina would quickly follow suit. Eisenhower’s “domino theory” became the basis for American intervention in the conflicts of Vietnam.

Document Analysis The Domino Theory The Geneva Convention

Opposition to Geneva Accords The United States prevented the elections that were promised under the Geneva conference because it knew that the Communists would win. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles thought the Geneva Accords granted too much power to the Communist Party of Vietnam. He and President Dwight D. Eisenhower supported the creation of a counter-revolutionary alternative government south of the 17th parallel. This was accomplished through formation of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).

Cold War to Hot War The elections were not held. The USA feared that Ho Chi Minh and his communist supporters would win the elections. US President Eisenhower admitted that 80 per cent of the Vietnamese people would probably vote for Ho in an election. The USA encouraged South Vietnam not to cooperate in the holding of the elections. This led to full-scale civil war, with Ho Chi Minh's communist supporters in the South, known as the Viet Cong, opposing the government of South Vietnam

SEATO , alliance organized (1954) under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty by representatives of Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United States. Established under Western auspices after the French withdrawal from Indochina, SEATO was created to oppose further Communist gains in Southeast Asia. The treaty was supplemented by a Pacific Charter, affirming the rights of Asian and Pacific peoples to equality and self-determination and setting forth goals of economic, social, and cultural cooperation between the member countries. SEATO relied on the military forces of member nations and joint maneuvers were held annually. SEATO’s principal role was to sanction the U.S. presence in Vietnam, although France and Pakistan withheld support.

A New Nation in the South Using SEATO for political cover, the Eisenhower administration helped create a new nation in southern Vietnam. In 1955, with the help of massive amounts of American military, political, and economic aid, the government of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) was born. The following year, Ngo Dinh Diem, a staunchly anti-Communist figure from the South, won a dubious election that made him president of South Vietnam

Create a Political Advertisement for American Support for Diem Use pictures and writing to advertise: 1. What Diem can bring to the table for Vietnam. 2. Describe why the United States should support the Leader. 3. Describe why supporting Diem is the best way to fight Communism

Exit Ticket Evaluate if the United States set themselves up for failure by setting up a future vote they would not support? Does the decision to intervene in Vietnam support the Truman Doctrine? Explain your Answer. By interfering with the elections in Vietnam did the United States violate its own principles of popular sovereignty?