The Vietnam War
Goal 11
Essential Idea
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The Vietnam War aimed to contain the
spread of communism but quickly became
unpopular.
Domino Theory
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Domino Theory:
China’s fall to communism
threatened containment
Domino Theory – the idea
that if Vietnam fell, the rest of
East Asia would follow
Dividing Vietnam
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Geneva Accords:
In 1954, Vietnam won
independence from France
Geneva Accords – Vietnam
was divided into North and
South Vietnam at the 17th
Parallel
North and South Vietnam
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North Vietnam:
Leader: Ho Chi Minh
Government: Communist
Events: Minh wanted to
make South Vietnam
communist
Vietcong – group of South
Vietnamese communists that
Minh armed
Diem is Unpopular
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South Vietnam
Leader: Ngo Dinh Diem
Government: Anti-communist
Events: Diem used oppressive
rule to stop communism
Diem outlawed Buddhism,
leading to famous protests by
Buddhist monks
The Vietcong, Buddhist Protests
Diem Killed
JFK used CIA “advisors”
to overthrow and execute
Diem
South Vietnam became
unstable and vulnerable
to communism
When Lyndon Johnson
became president, he
wanted to show strength
against communism
Gulf of Tonkin
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Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution:
Johnson (LBJ)
reported that the
North Vietnamese
had attacked two
American ships in
the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
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LBJ did not reveal that the
American ships were helping the
South Vietnamese
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution –
Congress gave LBJ authority to
take “all necessary measures”
The Result:
The Vietnam War began
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Causes of Vietnam War
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Fighting Begins
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Operation Rolling
Thunder – this
was a sustained
bombing
campaign on
North Vietnam
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Fighting Begins
Johnson sent in over 350,000 troops to fight with the South Vietnamese
American and Vietcong forces became locked in bloody stalemate
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Vietcong Tactics
Fighting took place in
dense jungle, which
the Vietcong knew
well
Vietcong used guerilla
attacks, booby traps,
and ambushes against
Americans
Vietcong could blend
in with civilians, and
fighting became very
frustrating for
Americans
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American Tactics
America used
“search and
destroy” missions
to destroy the
landscape and
expose hiding
Vietcong
Napalm – a jellied
gasoline used to
burn down jungles
Agent Orange – a
chemical used on
jungles that had
terrible sideeffects on humans
Effects of Agent Orange
Vietnam Divides the Nation
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Issue #1: The “TV” War
General William Westmoreland told Americans that the war was
successful
However, TV showed images of many dead or injured soldiers
Media vs. Government?
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Distrust in
American
government grew
Anger at the Draft
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Issue #2: The Draft
Many citizens burned their draft cards in protest
Opposing the Draft
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Many opposed 18
year olds being
drafted when they
could not vote
26th Amendment –
lowered the voting
age from 21 to 18
Hawks and Doves
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Who: Hawks
Position: favored
the Vietnam War
Who: Doves
Position:
opposed the
Vietnam War
The Tet Offensive
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1. The Tet Offensive
The American government had
led the public to believe that they
were winning
Tet Offensive – Vietcong
launched a surprise attack on
American airbases and major
cities (in South Vietnam)
It was a political victory for the
Vietcong because it showed they
could mount a massive attack
Trust in Government Declines More
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General
Westmoreland
requested more
troops, making it
seem that
America was
losing
Public opinion
turned against
the war
“Are we losing?”
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LBJ Steps Down
2. The Election of 1968
LBJ decided not to run
for reelection
Robert Kennedy, JFK’s
brother, ran for election,
and opposed the war
Another Kennedy is Assassinated
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Kennedy was
assassinated, and
Democrats called for
another anti-war
candidate
The 1968 Democratic National
Convention and Chicago Riot
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At the Democratic
National
Convention in
Chicago,
thousands of antiwar protesters
gathered
Chicago Riot –
violence erupted
between police and
protesters
Nixon Wins the Election
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Republican Richard
Nixon, promising to
end the Vietnam
War, easily won the
election
The Massacre at My Lai
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3. My Lai Massacre
At My Lai, Americans
massacred a village
of women, children,
and elderly
The My Lai Massacre
is a dark spot on the
Vietnam War
Troops Withdraw, Nixon Bombs
Cambodia
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4. Cambodia
Vietnamization –
process of gradual
withdrawal of
troops from
Vietnam
However, Nixon
secretly began
bombing of
Cambodia
Kent State Massacre
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5. Kent State
Massacre
Many people accused
Nixon of expanding the
war
Many student
protesters gathered at
Kent State University
Kent State Massacre –
the National Guard
shot and killed four
protesters
The Fall of Saigon
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6. Fall of Saigon
Two years after leaving
Vietnam, Gerald Ford
was president
North Vietnam invaded
South Vietnam and
captured the capital,
Saigon
South Vietnam fell to
communism
Fall of Saigon
Legacy of Vietnam
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7. Legacy of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War, along with the Watergate Scandal, made Americans
distrust the government
Many Vietnam veterans felt unappreciated, and many people felt that
America had lost
Ken Burns discusses legacy
of Vietnam
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War Powers Act
War Powers Act –
limited the power of
the executive branch
during war