Korea and Vietnam Wars

 Communism spreads to China in 1949 and the U.S. grows concerned for SE Asia

Domino Theory  Speculated that if one state in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect.  Used to justify the need for American intervention around the world.

Korea and Vietnam Wars  1950 the North Korea invades South Korea in an attempt to unify country under Communism  UN decides to take action

Korea and Vietnam Wars  US Troops push N. Korean forces back to China – Chinese forces attack  By 1951 there is a stalemate and by 1953 there is a truce  Korea remains divided today at the 38th parallel

Korea and Vietnam Wars

Vietnam War

Korea and Vietnam Wars  1964 U.S. warships attacked by the North Vietnamese  Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: The President is allowed to protect troops in Vietnam by any means necessary

Who we faught  Viet Cong  North Vietnamese Army heavily supplied from USSR via China

Korea and Vietnam Wars  Guerilla Warfare: Soldier’s fighting in unconvential tactics (not wearing uniforms, ambush, booby traps…)  px?SearchText=vietnam+war&lid= &GradeLevel= &MediaFor mat= &ID= px?SearchText=vietnam+war&lid= &GradeLevel= &MediaFor mat= &ID=236066

Korea and Vietnam

Tet Offensive  1968  Viet Cong Attack every major US base in South Vietnam  US Embassy compound in Saigon is attacked  Americans defeat attack, but media begins to see this as an unwinnable war

Turning point in public support  Walter Cronkite wavers with his public support  LBJ states “if I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lose middle America…”  /watch?v=Nn4w-ud-TyE /watch?v=Nn4w-ud-TyE

American’s have had enough  By 1965 support for the war is low  Protests start and college campuses are at the center of the demonstrations

Vietnamization  Nixon’s plan to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnam's forces and assign to them an ever- increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops."

Korea and Vietnam Wars  Finally in 1973 Pres. Nixon signs a cease fire and starts to pull troops out of Vietnam  1975 South Vietnam falls to Communism

Cost of War  Of the 2.7 million Americans that served in the Vietnam war…  300,000 were wounded in action  75,000 were disabled  Of the casualties listed on The Wall, approximately 1,300 remain missing in action  58,129 were killed  The average age was 19