War BACKGROUND FRENCH INDOCHINA BECOMING INDEPENDENT Before WW2 France ruled most of Indochina Laos Cambodia and Vietnam After Japan lost the war France tried ID: 183045
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Slide1
The Vietnam WarSlide2
BACKGROUND
FRENCH INDOCHINA
BECOMING INDEPENDENT
Before
WW2 France
ruled
most
of Indochina (Laos,
Cambodia
and Vietnam).
After
Japan
lost
the
war
, France
tried
to
take
control of Vietnam
again
.
The
French
lost
the
war
against
Nationalists
led
by
Dien
Bien
Phu
.. Slide3
1954 Geneva AgreementSlide4
1954 Geneva Agreement
Cease
-fireSlide5
1954 Geneva Agreement
1) Cease-fire
2) French troops to withdraw. Slide6
1954 Geneva Agreement
1) Cease-fire
2) French troops to withdraw.
3) Vietnam divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel (
demilitarised
zone between the two).
The
North
was
Communist
(
led
by
Ho Chi Minh);
the
South
democratic
(
led
by
Ngo
Dinh
Diem).Slide7
1954 Geneva Agreement
1) Cease-fire
2) French troops to withdraw.
3) Vietnam divided into
North
and
South
Vietnam at the
17th Parallel
(
demilitarised
zone between the two).Slide8
1954 Geneva Agreement
1) Cease-fire
2) French troops to withdraw.
3) Vietnam divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel (
demilitarised
zone between the two).
4) Laos and Cambodia = independent states. Slide9
1954 Geneva Agreement
1) Cease-fire
2) French troops to withdraw.
3) Vietnam divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel (
demilitarised
zone between the two).
4) Laos and Cambodia = independent states.
5) National elections to be held in two years (by July 1956) throughout Indochina
This
never
happened
.
O
n
16th
July
1956, Diem
made
the
announcement
not
to
call
the
election
.Slide10
1954 Geneva Agreement
1) Cease-fire
2) French troops to withdraw.
3) Vietnam divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel (
demilitarised
zone between the two).
4) Laos and Cambodia = independent states.
5) National elections to be held in two years (by July 1956) throughout Indochina
6) No foreign bases
President
Eisenhower
did
not
respect
this
as he
sent
American
troops
in
to
replace
the
French.Slide11
1954 Geneva Agreement
1) Cease-fire
2) French troops to withdraw.
3) Vietnam divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel (
demilitarised
zone between the two).
4) Laos and Cambodia = independent states.
5) National elections to be held in two years (by July 1956) throughout Indochina
6) No foreign bases
7) Freedom of movement between the North and South Vietnam for 300 days.
Resulted
in fluxes of refugees moving north and (mostly) south.Slide12
North vs SouthSlide13
North vs South
A combination of communist camaraderie and Vietminh nationalism ensured that the people were devoted to Ho Chi Minh, and in return, Ho looked after the people. Slide14
North vs South
Diem never had a true connection with the people, nor did he seek to cater for their needs, or act in the best interests of the population.
A combination of communist camaraderie and Vietminh nationalism ensured that the people were devoted to Ho Chi Minh, and in return, Ho looked after the people. Slide15
Who were the Vietcong?Slide16
Who were the Vietcong?
The communist guerrilla force of the National Liberation FrontSlide17
Who were the Vietcong?
The communist guerrilla force of the National Liberation Front
They were backed by the USSR and ChinaSlide18
Who were the Vietcong?
The communist guerrilla force of the National Liberation Front
They were backed by the USSR and China
They had the support of the peasants of South Vietnam as they treated them wellSlide19
Who were the Vietcong?
The communist guerrilla force of the National Liberation Front
They were backed by the USSR and China
They had the support of the peasants of South Vietnam as they treated them well
They included South Vietnamese opponents of the government and Communist North VietnameseSlide20
Who were the Vietcong?
The communist guerrilla force of the National Liberation Front
They were backed by the USSR and China
They had the support of the peasants of South Vietnam as they treated them well
They included South Vietnamese opponents of the government and Communist North Vietnamese
T
ook
orders from Ho Chi MinhSlide21
Why
did
the USA
get involved in the
Vietnam
War?Slide22
Why
did
the USA
get involved in the
Vietnam
War?1 minute to write down as many reasons you can think ofSlide23
Fear of CommunismSlide24
Truman doctrine and “Containment”Slide25
1949 Soviet Union 1
st
atomic bomb testSlide26
1949 China becomes CommunistSlide27
French lose their colonySlide28
Domino TheorySlide29
Ngo
Dinh
Diem was dislikedSlide30
The NLF were set upSlide31
President John. F. KennedySlide32
President JohnsonSlide33
The Gulf of Tonkin IncidentSlide34
Tactics
With
such
advanced weaponry
used by the American troops, it was presumed the war would be short. Why did the Americans find it so difficult to defeat the Vietcong?Slide35
Tactic
What was it?
Impact?
Operation Rolling Thunder
Search and Destroy
Agent Orange
Napalm
American tacticsSlide36
Tactic
What was it?
Impact?
Operation Rolling Thunder
Search and Destroy
Agent Orange
Napalm
American tactics
Complete the chart given to you. Your textbook does not give detail about the impact of the tactics so write what you think would be the consequences of using such tactics.Slide37
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER
The Americans attempted to force the Vietnamese to surrender through
Operation Rolling Thunder
.
These were bombing raids on Vietnamese towns, intended to destroy morale. Slide38
SEARCH & DESTROY
In the attempt to find the Viet Cong fighters, the US launched an operation called
Search and Destroy
:
they searched Vietnamese villages for Viet Cong fighters and, if they suspected there were any there, destroyed the village. Slide39
SEARCH & DESTROY
This often led to deaths of innocent civilians including women and children. The missions made ordinary people hate the Americans: as one marine said of a search and destroy mission – “
If they weren’t Viet Cong before we got there, they sure as hell were by the time we left
”. The Viet Cong often helped the villager’s re-build their homes and bury their dead.Slide40
AGENT ORANGE
The thick forest was a real problem for the Americans, because this was how the Viet Cong hid. Determined to find the Viet Cong bases and supply routes, the Americans sprayed a chemical called
Agent Orange
onto the forests from aeroplanes. It killed the trees, so that the Americans could find their enemy. Slide41
AGENT ORANGE
But the chemical caused much more harm than this. It killed crops, causing people to go hungry. It also caused birth defects in children born to people who were exposed to the chemical.Slide42
NAPALM
When the Americans suspected that they had found a Viet Cong base, they would drop
Napalm
on the site. Napalm was a very flammable fluid, that would burn through almost anything.Slide43
NAPALM
It often hit civilians. Slide44
Viet Cong tactics
Tactic
What was it?
Impact?
Booby Traps
Tunnel System
Ho
Chi Minh TrailSlide45
Giap
Giap developed a strategy for defeating superior opponents.
This was not to simply outmanoeuvre them in the field but to undermine their resolve by inflicting demoralizing political defeats through bold and unexpected tactics.
He was always prepared to take a gamble, irrespective of the cost in lives.Slide46
BOOBY TRAPS
Booby traps
are an example of a Viet Cong tactic. For example, the Viet Cong would place trip wires or dig holes filled with spikes, sometimes coated in human excrement, and then would cover the hole with leaves to deceive the enemy. Markers like broken sticks would be left on the path to warn fellow Viet Cong about the locations. Slide47
TUNNELS
Tunnels
were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. This frustrated Americans who could not locate the tunnels. Slide48
THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL
The
Ho Chi Minh Trail
was a network of paths that served as hidden route through the jungle for Viet Cong soldiers and Vietnamese Civilians. The Viet Cong used it to move troops, weapons and other supplies into and around the country without being detected by the Americans. The Americans constantly tried to find the trail, but it was too well hidden and frequently changed. It was essential in allowing the north Vietnamese to beat the Americans. Slide49
Other problems...
The main form of transportation for the Vietcong was either by foot or by bicycle. This
made it
impossible for the Americans to cut off supplies from Russia and China as the Vietcong could always find a way through regardless of how much the
Ho
Chi Minh trail was bombed.Slide50
Other problems...
Helmet: very hot
Uniform: rots in heat
Backpack: 90lbs/41kg
Rifle: jams as soon as it contacts waterSlide51
Other problems...
“The Americans had created a vast military base from end to end of the country, with its own barbed-wire-encrusted towns and villages....wholly divorced from those of the Vietnamese people outside the perimeters.”
Max Hastings, British JournalistSlide52
Other problems...
The average age of soldiers was 19. Many had been forced to join the war (or face a five-year prison sentence). Most did not understand why they were fighting the war and had no real desire to fight the Vietcong. Slide53
Other problems...
Some soldiers even blew up their own officers when out on patrol. They would say that the officer had stepped on a booby trap. This was an excuse so they could return to base without having to fight.Slide54
Other problems...
VIETCONG OR FARMER OR BOTH???Slide55
Why did the Vietnam War become increasingly unpopular?Slide56
War in your living roomSlide57
War in your living room
Vietnam was the first televised war. It was televised by TV networks who were allowed to film what they wished. Slide58
War in your living room
Vietnam was the first televised war. It was televised by TV networks who were allowed to film what they wished.
For the American viewers, what they saw did not always match up to what their government told them.Slide59
War in your living room
Vietnam was the first televised war. It was televised by TV networks who were allowed to film what they wished.
For the American viewers, what they saw did not always match up to what their government told them.
They started to question whether they really were “the good guys”.Slide60
What the people saw..
5 August 1965
A GI sets fire to a peasant's home while the villagers stood by and begged for mercy.Slide61
What the people saw...Slide62
What people saw...Slide63
What people were told...
At
the beginning of 1968, the American people were told that the Viet Cong had been badly damaged by the aerial bombing and that they were on the brink of
collapse
…Slide64
What people were told...
At
the beginning of 1968, the American people were told that the Viet Cong had been badly damaged by the aerial bombing and that they were on the brink of
collapse
…
…
thenSlide65
TET OFFENSIVESlide66
September 1967: the end is near!
Sep 1967: NLF launched attacks on American garrisons.
By the end of 1967, the NLF had lost
90,000 men.
Westmoreland told President Johnson that the end of the war was near: there would be no way that the Viet Cong could replace such numbers.Slide67
September 1967: the end is near!
Sep 1967: NLF launched attacks on American garrisons.
By the end of 1967, the NLF had lost
90,000 men.
Westmoreland told President Johnson that the end of the war was
near.
Why
would he be so confident?Slide68
September 1967: the end is near!
Sep 1967: NLF launched attacks on American garrisons.
By the end of 1967, the NLF had lost
90,000 men.
Westmoreland told President Johnson that the end of the war was
near.
T
here would be no way that the Viet Cong could replace such numbers.Slide69
31
st
January 1968
Unknown to the Americans, the NLF celebrated the TET New Year festival two days early.
31
st
Jan 1968:
70,000 members of the NLF launched a surprise attack on over 100 cities and towns.It was now clear the previous attack on American garrisons was to draw out troops from the cities.Slide70
31
st
January 1968
Unknown to the Americans, the NLF celebrated the TET New Year festival two days early.
31
st
Jan 1968:
70,000 members of the NLF launched a surprise attack on over 100 cities and towns.It was now clear the previous attack on American garrisons was to draw out troops from the cities.Why would this be such a shock to the American forces?Slide71
What an embarrassment!Slide72
Success??
In military terms, the
Tet
Offensive was a success for the Americans:
Killed:
37,000 Viet Cong
2,500 American
HOWEVER....Slide73
Success??
In military terms, the
Tet
Offensive was a success for the Americans:
Killed:
37,000 Viet Cong
2,500 American
HOWEVER....How could it be argued that it was not a success for the Americans?Slide74
Success??
The
Tet
showed:
The Viet Cong had a huge supply of men and women.
They were more willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause than the American soldiers.Slide75
“We can't win”
March, 1968:
The Secretary of Defence tells President Johnson that America can't win the war and he should start thinking about an exit strategy.Slide76
My Lai
In 1969, it became known that US troops had massacred 109 civilians. The victims were not of military age so it could not be justified as a “mistake”.Slide77
CONTROVERSY
CONSCRIPTION
Excluded students to keep the middle and upper classes happy.
Muhammad Ali refused to join the war and was sentenced 5 years in prison and fined 10,000 dollars.Slide78
CONTROVERSY
RISING COSTS
In 1968, the war was costing 66 million dollars a day.
Johnson raised income taxes and cut back on his program to tackle poverty.
CIVIL RIGHTS
In many southern states black people were denied the right to vote yet they were expected to risk their lives in the Vietnam War!
In essence, they were expected to help the Vietnamese gain the democratic rights that they themselves did not have.Slide79
CONTROVERSY
LOSS OF LIVES
Over 50,000 American soldiers were to lose their lives.
By 1968, 300 were killed each week.
Most people knew someone in the war.
“Vietnam? Where?”
Many people hadn't even heard of Vietnam before the war. It seemed so far away and not worth losing so many lives over.Slide80
Anti-war demonstrations
The first march to
Washington against
the war took place in December, 1964. Only 25,000 people took part but it was still the largest anti-war demonstration in American history.Slide81
Numbers
‘Casualties were high. Over 50,000 troops were to lose their lives. By 1968, 300 were dying each week. Most Americans knew a relative or friend who had died.’
‘By 1968 the war was costing $30,000 million each year. This meant cutbacks at home on spending on social reform.’Slide82
Bowing out
Johnson admitted he had failed in Vietnam.
He declared he won't be seeking re-election.
He reduced the number of bombing in the North.
North Vietnam agreed to negotiate and peace talks began in Paris 1968.
The talks were
not
successful.Slide83
NIXONSlide84
VIETNAMISATION
June 1969: Nixon announces the gradual withdrawal of troops and the passing of responsibility to the government of
South
Vietnam.
It was feared that the Vietnam War would be lost because the South Vietnamese army would not be strong enough.
It's decided they must reach a peace agreement with North Vietnam to achieve “peace with honour”.Slide85
PARIS PEACE TALKS: MADMAN THEORYSlide86
Vietnamese were trained by the
CIA
to infiltrate peasant communities and discover the names of NLF sympathisers. Death Squads were sent in to execute them.
1968 – 1971: an estimated 40,974 members of of the NLF were killed in this way.
PHOENIX PROGRAM
The
NLF was able to replace its losses by recruiting from the local population and by arranging for volunteers to be sent from North Vietnam.Slide87
"Why are so many soldiers entering our village?"
"Perhaps they are conducting a military operation against the Communists in hiding."
This is part of a comic book prepared and disseminated by U.S. forces in South Vietnam as part of the Phoenix
Program.Slide88
"Phoenix was a totally illegal program that violated the rules of war. It cost millions of dollars. According to the CIA, 25,000 people were assassinated. The Vietnamese say 40,000 were killed. My sources say the death toll was close to 250,000."Slide89
DID VIETNAMISATION WORK?
South Vietnam were defeated by the Communists.
Communists won control of Cambodia in 1975.
Communists won control in Laos in 1975.Slide90
Were the outcomes of the Vietnam war positive or negative?
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
Using the information in your textbook to complete the chart.Slide91
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
A cease-fire agreement was signed in 1973 enabling US troops to withdraw.
Encouraged a period of detente.
Improved American relations with the USSR and China.
Arms control negotations: SALT 1
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles: 1972
Improved trade relations between the superpowers.
Improved relations between the two German states.
South Vietnam lost the war.
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia became communist.
55,000 American soldiers died.
Billions of dollars spent.
Americans lost their confidence as the leading nation.