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Vietnam War

Vietnam War. Vietnam. After WWII, Vietnam was divided at the 17 th parallel (Geneva Accords). The US backed SV because of the Truman Doctrine and the Domino Theory. SV would not hold free election because Ho Chi Minh would have won (Communist)

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Vietnam War

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  1. Vietnam War

  2. Vietnam • After WWII, Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel (Geneva Accords). • The US backed SV because of the Truman Doctrine and the Domino Theory. • SV would not hold free election because Ho Chi Minh would have won (Communist) • The Viet cong formed as a resistance movement to the SV government. • Kennedy’s intentions in Vietnam are not known because of his assassination.

  3. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • President Johnson took office and Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorizing the buildup of American troops in Vietnam (blank check). • War was never declared. • By 1967, there were 500,000 troops in Vietnam. • Johnson initiated Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing of NV).

  4. Protest • Many thought the draft was unfair. • You could get out of service if you had a medical issue or went to college. • It was called “the poor man’s fight”. • Returning veterans even joined the protest. • TV coverage divided the American public into Hawks and Doves. • Opposition to the war kept Johnson from running again!

  5. Richard Nixon • He was elected in 1968 because he promised to end the war in Vietnam. • He did escalate the war by invading Cambodia and Laos but he started Vietnamization (training and replacing of American troops with Vietnamese troops). • He started the lottery draft that calmed Americams • As a result Protesters marched on Washington and the draft system was changed to a lottery. • The invasion of Cambodia to close the Ho Chi Minh Trail led to the Kent State Massacre.

  6. Nixon • Nixon opened negotiations with China in hopes to undermine their help to NK and relationship with the USSR. He also practice détente w/ the USSR. • He finally reached an agreement with NV before the 1972 election and American forces were withdrawn and American POW’s returned. • In 1975, Saigon fell to NV and the war was over. It is considered a military defeat for the US. • Containment had failed at the cost of 58,000 American lives.

  7. Cultural Phenomenon Vietnam called into question American values: • My Lai Massacre • Use of Agent Orange and Napalm • Heavy use of drugs amongst the troops • Treatment of Vietnam Veterans • Led to a distrust between generations • Led to a distrust of the government by the American People (the Pentagon Papers revealed false information had been released to the public)

  8. Watergate Scandal • The Vietnam controversy led Nixon Supporters to hire “plumbers” and authorize the break-in the Watergate Hotel (Democratic Party headquarters). • Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. • Congress took action to curb the President’s war-making powers with the War Powers Act.

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