Vietnam War
I. Early Conflicts in Vietnam
A. Early Control of Vietnam
1.
French Take Over


1883 France takes over Vietnam
Combined Vietnam, Lao, &
Cambodia into French IndoChina
2. Ho Chi Minh



A Vietnamese Nationalist
Name means “He Who
Enlightens”
Believed the way to fight the
French was through
communist revolution
3. Japan in Vietnam

Take over the country during
WWII

Ho Chi Minh starts the League
for the Independence of
Vietnam (Vietminh)
B. War Breaks Out
1.
After WWII



2.
Japan out of Vietnam
French want Indo-China back
Fighting between Vietminh and
French
Domino Theory



Pres Eisenhower supports the
French
Does not want Vietnam to become
communist
Feared if it falls it will cause other
countries to fall to communism
“like dominos”
3. French Lose

1954

Vietminh surround French
troops

French surrender (May 7th)
4. Geneva Accords

July 1954: Vietnam split in
2



North Vietnam: Communist led by Ho Chi Minh
South Vietnam: Pro Western led by Ngo Dinh Diem
Free election in July 1956 would reunite N. & S. under
one government
American Involvement
Presidents
 U.S. involvement started with Eisenhower when he sent
“advisors” to help the South Vietnamese as they fought
the communists.
 Kennedy inherited the war. He continued the practice of
sending advisors.
 Johnson picked up after Kennedy. He thought the only
way to end the war was to increase U.S. involvement.
 Congress wouldn’t allow him to send more troops over
there.
 In 1964 a U.S. navy ship was fired on in the Gulf of
Tonkin.
 Johnson used this to send in more troops.
 By 1965 the U.S. had sent about 500,000 soldiers
over to Vietnam.
 Vietnam was the first televised war
 In 1968 the Vietnamese started on offensive movement
called the “Tet Offensive”.
 By now the country was split over the war and
Johnson’s political career was done.
Vietnam War
Consequences of the
Vietnam War
A. Southeast Asia
1.
Casualties




1 million North
Vietnamese and Vietcong
soldier
185,000 South
Vietnamese soldiers
500,000 civilians
Almost 1 million
Vietnamese children
orphaned
2. Damages

Cities and Villages destroyed

Forests and Farmlands destroyed
3. Laos and Cambodia

Both countries fall to communist dictatorships

Khmer Rouge kill around 2 million people in Cambodia

1979 Vietnam invaded Cambodia and drove out Khmer Rouge

Ongoing conflicts continue in Cambodia
B. The United States
1.
Casualties


58,000 Americans died in fighting
More than 2,000 remain MIA (missing in action)
2. War Powers Act (1973)

Requires president to get congressional approval before
putting troops into armed conflict

Nixon vetoes this bill

Congress overrode his veto to pass act

Gives congress increased responsibility over war policy

Forces presidents to be more cautious when sending
troops to war
1968 Election
A. Democratic Party Nominee
 Hubert Humphrey (Presidential Candidate)
 Johnson’s Vice President
 Johnson put his support behind Humphrey
 Edmund Muskie (Vice Presidential Candidate)
 Senator from Maine
B. Republican Party Nominee
 Richard Nixon
 Former Vice president under Eisenhower
 Said he would restore order to American Society
 Said he had a “secret plan” to end the Vietnam War
C. American Independent Party
 George Wallace
 Alabama Governor
 Conservative Candidate
 Wanted to overturn civil rights
legislation
 Wanted to eliminate most federal
social programs
D. Outcome of Election
 Close election
 Nixon wins with 301
electoral votes
 Humphrey received
191 electoral votes
 Wallace received 46
electoral votes