1. Vietnam

8. American Involvement in Vietnam
Vietnam originally a French colony
Ho Chi Minh (leader of nationalist movement) wants independence
communist
Vietminh (nationalist group) fight the French - ask US to help
Truman helps France because he thinks the Soviets are imposing communism on East Asia
China fell to communism
the Korean war

9. Important details
Eisenhower - Domino Theory - If Vietnam falls to communism, the rest of SE Asia would follow
Geneva Accords divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel - In 1956 elections were supposed to be held to reunite the gov’t
Ho Chi Minh in charge of N
pro Western regime in charge of South
US left as the protector of new gov’t in the South

10. Ngo Dinh Diem
president of the Republic of Vietnam in the South, pro western, catholic, and anti-communist
refused to allow 1956 elections - US supports
discriminates against buddhism
rules with terror - assassinations of gov’t officials
South Vietnamese Communists organize - Vietcong
Military coup overthrows him nation left in disarray with weak leadership
US supports S Vietnam - bombing campaigns

11. Warfare
Vietcong used ambushes, booby traps, and other guerrilla tactics
blended in with the general population and then vanishing
hid in the jungle
“search and destroy missions” - US would find enemy positions, destroy their supply lines, and force them into open combat
dropped napalm to destroy the Vietcong’s cover
Agent Orange - chemical

13. 1,313,000 total deaths in North and South Vietnam
58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties

14. Popular Reaction At first, 66% approved
As the war dragged on, public opinion dropped
worries about the gov’ts truthfulness (credibility gap)
media and casualties
Young protesters focused on the draft (young people from working families more likely to be drafted)
protest at Lincoln Memorial (Students for a democratic society)
doves - withdraw from Vietnam
Hawks - stay and fight

15. Vietnamization Promises to end the war and bring troops home
vietnamization - policy to end the war and train the S Vietnamese troops to take over
secretly bombed Vietcong in Cambodia
eventually invades
viewed as a widening of the war

16. End of US Involvement
Pentagon papers - showed many gov’t officials questioned the war
/3s of Americans want to end the Vietnam war
Christmas bombings - the most destructive bombing raid of the war
thousands of tons of bombs on N Vietnam for 11 straight days
Jan 27, N and S signed an agreement ending the war
US withdraws from Vietnam
2 years later S Vietnam falls

17. Who ended the USSR?
Reagan?
Pope JP II?
Gorbachev?
Internal issues?

18. How did Reagan end the Cold War?
Openly criticized the USSR and Communism
SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)
Spend the USSR into bankruptcy
Increase military conflicts throughout the era
Trade embargos \ Saudi Arabia

19. How did the Pope end the Cold War?
Traveled around Poland encouraging people to resist communism