Why was there opposition to the
Vietnam War?
Learning objective – to be able to explain
the reasons why anti-Vietnam protests
took place.
I can describe some
of the reasons why
anti-Vietnam protests
took place.
Grade D
I can explain why
anti-Vietnam
protests took place.
Grade B
I can explain and apply
my
knowledge
to
sources
about
why
people protested against
the Vietnam War.
Grade A
Starter – List as many reasons why you think
people protested against the Vietnam War.
Who opposed the Vietnam War?
Politicians against any involvement
in Vietnam because of the corrupt
regime in South Vietnam.
Returning US troops who had
witnessed the horrors of the war.
Young people –
university students.
Black Americans who felt that
attaining civil rights was more
important than fighting a war.
particularly
Women from all backgrounds – the
Women’s International League for
Peace and Freedom was one of the
first groups to protest.
Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War
The
Civil
Rights
Movement
campaigned for equal rights for Black
Americans put its full weight behind
anti-Vietnam protests.
The Civil Rights Movement methods of
campaigning were copied by antiVietnam protesters.
Civil Rights Movements members,
such as Muhammed Ali and Martin
Luther
King
were
vociferous
opponents of the Vietnam War.
The Civil Rights Movement saw the US
government’s draft policy as racist as it
favoured white middle class men.
The student movement and the Vietnam War
Many young people saw the older
generation as being out of touch with
the issues of the day, such as civil
rights and the Vietnam War.
Students began to protest more
frequently during the 1960s against
the US government.
Protest singers, such as Bob Dylan and
Country Joe and the Fish, became very
popular and hugely influential.
The ‘Great Society’ and the Vietnam War
The ‘Great Society’ was a series of
reforms
designed
to
reduce
unemployment and improve health
care and education. It was a key
reason why Johnson was elected as
President in 1964.
However,
these
reforms
were
extremely expensive and Johnson was
left with a stark choice – the Great
Society or the Vietnam War. America
could not afford both.
Many felt the Vietnam War
undermined Johnson’s presidency.
Why did opposition increase during the
Vietnam War?
Political opposition – the Pentagon
Papers.
Increasing negative media
coverage
Growing US casualties
The Tet Offensive
US methods of warfare
Operation Phoenix
Political opposition to the Vietnam War
Political opposition to US involvement
in Vietnam had been evident before
the War.
Some people questioned the US
Government’s official line of trying to
stop the spread of Communism and
the Domino Theory.
Some US politicians saw Diem as a
corrupt, unpopular dictator.
The Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon is US Armed Forces HQ
and an employee, Daniel Ellsberg was
asked in 1967 to collect all the
documents relating to US involvement
in Vietnam since the 1940s. This with
Ellsberg’s analysis on these totalled
7,000 pages and were called the
Pentagon Papers.
These papers revealed the US had lied,
covered up and failed to understand
the Vietnam issue.
The Pentagon Papers
Ellsberg – an opponent of the war
leaked the papers to the New York
Times who published them in 1971.
A furious Nixon tried to get Ellsberg
prosecuted – but failed.
The Pentagon Papers fuelled the
protests against Vietnam and severely
embarrassed the US Government.
The Vietnam War and the media
The Vietnam War became known as
‘The Television War’
Media coverage of the Vietnam War
provided many of the stark and brutal
images that people associate with the
war.
Such images helped increase the
opposition to the Vietnam War.
Growing US casualties
Opposition to the Vietnam War grew
with the increasing US casualties.
In 1965, there were less than 2,000 US
casualties but by 1968, this had
increased by 14,000 and after this the
rate of US casualties doubled.
In 1967, former Vietnam soldiers
formed a protest group called the
Vietnam Veterans Against the War,
stating that the war was not worth the
casualties.
The Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive in 1968, shocked America and deeply damaged its
confidence in fighting the Vietnam War. The events at Khe Sahn, US embassy
in Saigon and Hue badly hit US support for the war.
US methods of warfare
The methods of warfare the US
deployed in Vietnam brought much
opposition.
Chemical warfare angered
environmentalists.
Many were appalled by the ‘Search
and Destroy’ missions.
Bombings were seen to do as much
harm to civilians and were seen as
brutal.
The massacre at My Lai caused a
public storm who felt that the US
Government had little regard for
human life.
What was Operation Phoenix?
In 1968, the CIA created Operation
Phoenix which aimed to arrest and
identify at least 3.000 VC suspects a
month. Suspects were to be arrested
and interrogated to reveal names of
other VC.
In all 28,000 people were arrested, another 20,000 were
assassinated and a further 17,000 defected. However, a number
of civilians were caught up in these arrests.
Why was Operation Phoenix controversial?
Although Operation Phoenix was
successful in severely damaging the VC
in the South, extremely brutal
methods were used. Indeed, many
were arrested had nothing to do with
the VC but were taken in to make up
the 3,000 quota per month.
Main task – complete the cartoon analysis sheets.
Explain the messages of both these sources.
Plenary – a touch of Scrabble
What are the three key words
from this lesson that sums up
your learning?
Which word has the highest
value if you used in a game of
Scrabble?
Compare with the person
next to you. Which word has
the highest value?