1. 4.2.2: The Cold War Outside of Europe
The Vietnam War
Causes, Events, and Results

2. Brinkmanship/Proxy War
Cuban Missile Crisis
Vietnam War
Korean War
Truman Doctrine
Marshall Plan
Molotov Plan
NATO
Warsaw Pact UN
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’85 ’89 ’
Détente/Peaceful Coexistence

3. Background Info
Vietnam had been a part of the French colony Indochina since the 19th century (unit 1 imperialism)
With the French surrender in June 1940 to Nazi Germany, Japan conquered this region & stayed until the end of WW2
Viet Minh (communists) appeared at this time opposing Japanese occupation
Ho Chi Minh was leader (more later)

4. Background Info
Following WW2, Viet Minh declared independence but the French opposed this & attempted to reoccupy & reestablish control in the area
Between 1946 – 1954 Viet Minh wage a guerilla war against the French ending with the fall of Dien Bien Phu
This battle caused the French govt to collapse & finally abandon Indochina

5. Background Info
At the 1954 Geneva Peace Conference following the French defeat, Vietnam was divided between the North & the South at 17th Parallel pending elections
The US now see a communist North Vietnam as a Soviet-Chinese gateway to ASIA
This settlement and division was a result of basic Cold War tensions between US & USSR & clearly reflected US policy of containment with respect to Soviet communist expansionism
US came to see South Vietnam as a “domino” that they couldn’t afford to lose

6. Ho Chi Minh, leader of Communist North Vietnam (backed by China and USSR)
Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of democratic South Vietnam (backed by France and US)

7. Diem’s Rule in the South
Diem was a French-educated Roman Catholic. Under his rule:
His family held all the power
Wealth was dominated by a small elite
The Buddhist majority was persecuted
There was little room for political freedom
Dictatorial rule alienated South Vietnam

8. Diem’s Rule in the South
Still, Eisenhower and the US government sent financial and military aid & by 1960, over 600 US military “advisors” were sent to Vietnam
After realizing that he would never be able to unite the people of South Vietnam against the communists there, the USA supported a military coup which murdered Diem & put a military government in control of South Vietnam
The USA now became more heavily involved in Vietnam as it tried to stabilize the South Vietnamese government and beat back the communist rebels that were becoming an increasingly powerful threat

9. Background Info
In North Vietnam, Communist supporters were called the Vietminh
There was growing support in the South as well, by people who distrusted Diem and wanted the country unified—these were the Vietcong: South Vietnam communists

10. US Involvement
1960, John F. Kennedy became president and increased the number of advisors to 16,000 but still, the South didn’t see much success against communists
November 1963, JFK was assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson came to power
He didn’t want the public to view him as “soft” on Communism, and he didn’t want to be the first US president to lose a war

11. Why American Involvement
Lets examine the reasons for the US involvement in Vietnam

12. 1. Containment China had fallen to communism in 1949
Korean War
America needed to contain spread of communism throughout Asia much like it had been doing in Western Europe

13. 2. Domino Theory
Don’t forget the US “domino effect”—if South Vietnam “fell” to Communism, they thought the rest of Southeast Asia would as well

14. 3. South Vietnamese Army
The only way for the ill-equipped army of South Vietnam to defeat the Vietcong was with outside assistance
US advisors believed that good government and an efficient, large-scale war would defeat the Vietcong

15. 4. Gulf of Tonkin
1964 US naval crafts were torpedoed by Vietminh in the Gulf of Tonkin while “peacefully patrolling” the coast
Johnson used this as an excuse for all out war (though there was never a formal declaration)
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution allowed US to bomb enemy targets in North and South

16. The Vietnam War in 10 minutes….Video Review