Vietnam War

Vietnam War16.1 Reading

Agreed to help the French to stop the spread of communism in SE Asia

Containment

Domino Theory

What is the relationship/ connection

between the pictures?

Origins of the War French Occupation (1877-1940) Japanese Occupation (1940-

1945)

Late 1945 – France sent troops back to Vietnam to take back the country

Ho Chi Minh –Leader of North Vietnam; fought to unite Vietnam under Communism

The US Aids FranceThe US & France saw the Vietminh as a dangerous Communist threat (domino theory)

The US helps France try to fight in Vietnam but France loses (Dienbienphu) and goes home

Following WWII Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel (N and S).

Ho Chi Minh is the leader of the North Diem is the leader of the South

Vietminh

Vietcong

Ho Chi Minh + Vietminh (his army) fight against France

Vietcong – South Vietnamese guerrilla fighters who were sympathetic to Ho Chi Minh

Elections

Diem would not participate in the elections because he knew he would lose

How are these three pictures related?

Quote from Ho Chi Minh about the war: It is a “clash between a tiger and an

elephant. In open battle the elephant would crush the tiger. If the tiger every once in awhile crept out of the jungle to tear chucks off the elephant’s hide, the elephant would slowly bleed to death.”

Who is the elephant and who is the tiger? What does this say about what kind of war this is going to be?

DiemRoman Catholic in an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation-did not win support from the people

-was corrupt-was eventually assassinated

DiemDiem was a Roman Catholic in an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation-did not win support from the people

-was corrupt-was eventually assassinated

A monk set himself on fire to protest Diem’s ruthless policies

USS Maddox

USS Turner Joy

USS Turner Joy and USS Maddox were allegedly attacked

Johnson went to Congress and received a blank check.

There was NO declaration of war