QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
It began with the French sending Priests to the area
The priests wanted people to convert and go to their
churches. This happened during the 1600s…
This went on for a long time… that is,
until the rulers of the area decided they wanted the
French GONE!
GET OUT!
The French decided they were not going anywhere-
They decided to bring in
warships to protect
their priests
Sounds
fishy to
me!
In 1862 the emperor was forced to sign an
agreement with France.
This agreement protected the priests and
allowed the French to trade in the area!
This began the era of French colonialism in the area.
The area was rich in natural resource like gold, silver,
coal, tin, silk and so much more
SO- How did this war begin?
• By 1893 France had control of
Indochina!
What is Indochina you say?
Well, it’s a place between India
AND China
Indochina Included the states of:
•
•
•
•
•
Cambodia
Laos
Tonkin,
Annam
Cochin-China
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
In 1930 & 1931 the local people, (who were by now pretty
tired of the French and the way they were being
treated) decided to rise up against the French.
The results… were not good
Luckily (or not) World War II broke out in Europe in 1939
Germany took over France in 1940
So the French had to leave Indochina to go defend their
country.
1945: Japan takes over Indochina!
Dude…
Imperialism
Rocks!
That MIGHT have worked except
that Japan had other things to
worry about…
The Atom bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima
And a second bomb was dropped
on Nagasaki
That put an end to WWII
What does that have to do
with the United States and
Vietnam?
France Returns!
I’m baaaaack
No, that is not a misprint… France
was back and they wanted to
regain control of the area.
Enter--
Ho Chi Minh “He who Enlightens”
• A young communist who
declared himself president of
Vietnam in 1945
• He wanted Vietnam to be
controlled by the Vietnamese
people
• Later that year the French
landed in the south and quickly
took control back
• Ho Chi Minh controlled the
north
The French control the south and
Ho Chi Minh controls the
communist north?
…ok, sounds like a plan…
But NOOOOOOO
Each side wanted control of the
WHOLE of Vietnam
French vs. Ho…
Round 3
1946
This time the French get
their berets knocked off
(after 8 years of fighting)!
1954
Here it is… the moment you
have been waiting for…
What does this have to do with
the UNITED STATES?
May 1954Americans send troops to support the
south after the French forces find
themselves surrounded in North Vietnam
at a place called Dien Bien Phu
Here we come
to save the
day!
July 1954, a peace conference in Geneva
temporarily divides Vietnam in two: a pro-communist
North and an anti-communist South.
These were the leaders at that conference:
President
Truman
Premier
Stalin
Prime Minister
Churchill
1956The North wants Vietnam to be
unified and begin fighting with the
south
Hey, that sounds
really familiar…
where have I heard
that before?
The United States sends advisors
to help South Vietnam because
they do not want the communists to
take over the area.
1961
President John F. Kennedy says the US will do all it
can to keep South Vietnam from going to the
Communist North
I will send troops
to help
South Vietnam
1963
President Kennedy is assassinated
President Johnson pledges to continue supporting
South Vietnam
I will keep the
status quo
1964
North Vietnamese torpedo USS Maddox is in the
Gulf of Tonkin
President Johnson states:
Our ships will take
whatever steps are
necessary that are
appropriate for their
defense.
1965
•Operation “Rolling Thunder” begins (air attacks against the
North)
•Chinese government warns that they will enter the war if
American troops invade North Vietnam
•US offers North Vietnam $1 billion aid package to develop
Mekong Delta region in SE Asia if they DON’T take over South
Vietnam
•North Vietnam says, “No thanks, we can win this war”
The American Experience
1965-1975
•
304,000 wounded
58,000 Dead
1968
•Richard Nixon elected President
•Policy of Vietnamization- transferring
combat roles to South Vietnamese troops
•Tet offensive begins (N Vietnam launches
attacks all over S Vietnam)
1973
•US, North Vietnam, South Vietnam sign Paris Peace
Accords
•Cease-fire goes into effect
•US troops begin to withdraw
1975
•South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam
•The country is unified under communist rule
•United States imposes embargo on ALL of Vietnam