The Vietnam War

1. What was the background to American involvement? Domino Theory  China  Korea

1. What was the background to American involvement? French Indochina US Aid Dien Bien Phu (1954) The Geneva Conference 17 th Parallel Cease Fire Line

1. What was the background to American involvement? US runs South Vietnam as a puppet state South Vietnamese regime is propped up by US finances and military advisors No popular support among the South Vietnamese people No Election – Civil War…

1. What was the background to American involvement? Laos Communist uprising Reinforces Domino Theory

1. What was the background to American involvement? US backed a coup on Nov. 2, 1963 Diem killed in coup Kennedy killed three weeks later

2. How did the US become involved? Johnson’s Choices  Pull Back  Accelerate “I am not going to lose Vietnam. I am not going to be the president who saw Southeast Asia go the way China went.” -- LBJ

2. How did the US become involved? Gulf of Tonkin Incident Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

3. How did the war progress from 1965 to 1968? Operation Rolling Thunder Escalation of American troop levels

US Troop Deployments in Vietnam

4. Who was “the enemy”? North Vietnamese Army Vietcong  Guerrilla  Based in local population Meant lack of progress and popular support

5. What was the turning point in the Vietnam War? Tet Offensive  Military Defeat  PR Victory

5. What was the turning point in the Vietnam War? Ends LBJ’s Presidency

6. What was Nixon’s strategy? Bombing Campaigns  North Vietnam  Cambodia Vietnamization Direct Negotiations

7. How did US involvement in the war end? Truce stalemate since 1968 NVA Easter Offensive of 1972  US Bombing in response Truce in October 1972  South Vietnam did not approve  Led to more bombing and assurances to South Vietnam

7. How did US involvement in the war end? Treaty of Paris  Withdrawal of US troops  Return of POWs  NVA could stay in South Vietnam

8. What impacts did the war have? Over 58,000 Americans killed Over 300,000 Americans wounded Approximately $150 billion spent

8. What impacts did the war have? North Vietnam wins the war in 1975 Over two million Vietnamese killed

Bibliography Slide 2 Image: Slide 3 Photo: Slide 4 Map: Slide 6 Photo: Slide 7 Map: studies/studies/vol49no1/html_files/laos_map.jpghttps:// studies/studies/vol49no1/html_files/laos_map.jpg Slide 8 Cover: Slide 9 Photo: Slide 10 Image: Slide 11 Photo: Slide 13 Photo: Vietcong1968.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Vietcong1968.jpg/300px- Vietcong1968.jpg Slide 14 Image: Slide 15 Photo: Slide 15 Photo: Slide 16 Photo: Slide 18 Photo: 9D2A55A1E4F32AD D2A55A1E4F32AD3138 Slide 19 Photo: Slide 20 Photo: