WARM UP – December 14

1. WARM UP – December 14 • Using your notes from yesterday, answer the following questions on a post it: • 1. What two sides fought in the Chinese Civil War? Who did the Americans support? Who did the Soviets support • 2. What line divided Korea? Who supported the North? Who supported the South? • 3. Why was MacArthur fired by President Truman?

2. 7.1 – CONFLICT IN VIETNAM

3. France and Vietnam • Formerly known as French Indochina – a French colony • Post-WWII Indochina wanted independence  French army vs. Vietminh • Vietnamese freedom fighters led by communist Ho Chi Minh • 1945-1953

4. US and Vietnam • US didn’t support French colonialism, but also did not support Ho Chi Minh’s communism • US stayed out of the conflict until China and North Korea became communist by 1953  financial aid to France to fight Vietminh • Post-WWII presidents believed in the Domino Theory– the idea that if one country falls to communism, the surrounding countries will fall too. • Provides support for US containment policies

5. France Falls • 1954 – Vietminh defeat French forces at Dien Bien Phu  French decided to leave Vietnam • Vietminh used guerilla warfare- irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants such as armed civilians or irregulars use unorthodox military tactics to fight a larger, less-mobile traditional military • Ambushes • Sabotage • Raids • Hit-and-run • Booby traps

6. Geneva Accords • 1954 – Meeting in Geneva between French and Vietminh (plus US, GB, USSR, and China) • Indochina  3 countries • Vietnam • Cambodia • Laos • Vietnam  2 sections • North Vietnam (NV) – Communist, led by Ho Chi Minh • South Vietnam (SV) – Pro-western nationalist, led by Ngo Dinh Diem

7. US and Diem • Elections in Vietnam set for 1956 to unify the north and south BUT Diem refused to hold elections • Feared Ho would win and Vietnam would be communist • US (Eisenhower) supported Diem • Believed he could turn SV into a strong independent nation • Supplied financial aid • Diem was a terrible leader • Corrupt administration • No opposing views

8. Vietcong • 1957 - emergence of theVietcong- Communist rebel group in SV • Fought against Diem in SV • Supported by Minh and NV • Received NV weapons via the Ho Chi Minh Trail - intricate system of paths running between NV and SV • Effective with guerilla warfare  Diem looked to the US to help fight Vietcong

9. Diem’s Unpopularity • No follow-through on promised land reforms • Seen as weak for not defeating Vietcong • Suppressed opposing views • Diem was Catholic and persecuted Buddhists • Destroyed temples, imprisoned Buddhists • In response, some Buddhist monks committed self-immolation– killing oneself as a sacrifice (usually by fire)

10. JFK and Vietnam • 1960 – JFK as POTUS, needed to appear tough on communism  increased aid to Vietnam and urged Diem to make democratic reforms (little effect) • As SV became more unstable, JFK’s administration agreed Diem should step down  Nov. 2, 1963 – US CIA supported SV military leaders overthrew Diem and executed him • Execution was against JFK’s wishes • Nov. 22, 1963 – JFK assassinated… LBJ inherits Vietnam crisis

11. Gulf of Tonkin Incident • Diem’s successors were not successful either, but LBJ continued to supply aid • Contradictory to JFK’s plans to begin withdrawing aid to SV • LBJ determined not to let SV fall to communism • August 2-4, 1964 – LBJ informed that NV ships fired on US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin twice and US ships fired back • LBJ wanted to begin a bombing campaign on NV, but needed a provoking incident and permission from Congress (war powers)

12. Tonkin Gulf Resolution • Tonkin Gulf Resolution– August 7, 1964 - Congress granted LBJ military powers in Vietnam without a declaration of war • Authorized the president to “take all necessary measure to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent future aggression.” • Essentially begins the “Vietnam War” • 2005 declassified report revealed that the 2nd attack never happened • Feb 1965 – 8 Americans killed by Vietcong in SV  “Operation Rolling Thunder” – 1st sustained bombing campaign of NV • By June 1965, over 50,000 US troops in SV fighting the Vietcong

13. LBJ Increases Involvement • Most of LBJ’s advisors supported more US involvement in Vietnam. • Robert McNamara– Sec. of Defense • Dean Rusk– Sec. of State • Believed intervention was necessary to stop the spread of communism • American public also strongly supported LBJ’s intervention

14. LBJ Increases Involvement • US troops in Vietnam under command of General William Westmoreland • End of 1965 – more than 180,000 US troops in Vietnam • Westmoreland not impressed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) – SV’s fighting force • End of 1967 – 500,000 US troops in Vietnam

15. Vietcong Tactics • US believed the war would be easy and short… quickly became a stalemate and war dragged on. • Vietcong’s fighting style – no advanced training or weapons  guerilla warfare and elaborate tunnels • Vietcong refused to surrender, even in the face of large casualties. • US inability to win the support of Vietnamese peasants… US troops couldn’t tell the difference between the Vietcong and peasants, US tactics killed many civilians and destroyed their land

16. US Response to Vietcong Tactics • Napalm– sticky gasoline-based explosive, very difficult to extinguish • Napalm Girl image • Agent Orange– chemical that destroyed the jungle to remove Vietcong coverage • Search-and-destroy missions– US troops would destroy Vietnamese villages looking for Vietcong • Turned Vietnamese peasants against US troops Road to War video

17. Early War at Home • At first, Americans supported the war, however TV changed public opinions • Johnson told Americans the war was going well BUT TV told a different story with horrific and brutal scenes on the nightly news • Created a credibility gap- a lack of popular confidence in the truth of the claims or public statements made by the federal government

18. A “Manipulatable” Draft • Most soldiers were called to combat under the Selective Service System, or draft– system for requiring citizens to serve in the military • Established during WWI, males 18-26 • Thousands of men found ways around the draft… • Medical exemptions from sympathetic doctors • Changed residences to go before a more lenient board • Joined National Guard or Coast Guard – deferment from draft • Enroll in university for a college deferment

19. African Americans in Vietnam • Draft dodgers were from affluent families  “working class war,” disproportionate number of blacks and people of lowsocioeconomic levels drafted • MLK refrained from speaking out on Vietnam, believing it would draw attention away from the movement, until 1967 when fighting in Vietnam increased • High racial tensions and violence in platoons  decreased morale

20. Emerging Protest Movement • By the mid 1960s, Americans provided many reasons to oppose the Vietnam War • US shouldn’t be involved in another country’s civil war • The South Vietnamese gov’t was just as corrupt and oppressive as Ho Chi Minh’s North Vietnamese gov’t • US should focus on more pressing international issues (USSR and Cold War) • High cost (lives and money) with low gains • The war was morally unjust • Protest moved beyond college campus as celebrities and musicians spoke out against the war as well.

21. …Of all the Nations of the world today we are in many ways most singularly blessed. Our closest neighbors are good neighbors. If there are remoter [distant] Nations that wish us not good but ill, they know that we are strong; they know that we can and will defend ourselves and defend our neighborhood. We seek to dominate no other Nation. We ask no territorial expansion. We oppose imperialism. We desire reduction in world armaments.… — President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Address at Chautauqua, NY, August 14, 1936

22. 1. Which policy is President Franklin D. Roosevelt supporting in this speech? • (A) neutrality in foreign relations • (B) a growth in military spending • (C) an increase in foreign aid • (D) formation of military alliances

23. 2. Censorship, a one-party dictatorship, and the replacement of religious ideals with those of the state are all characteristics of a: • (A) democratic government • (B) limited monarchy • (C) totalitarian government • (D) parliamentary system

24. 3. Extreme nationalism, individuals existing for the good of the state, and unquestioning loyalty to the leader are the defining characteristics of: • (A) fascism • (B) democracy • (C) liberalism • (D) theocracy

25. 4. A major reason for Japan’s foreign policy in Asia during the early 20th century was to: • (A) promote democracy • (B) spread Shinto beliefs • (C) obtain natural resources • (D) reduce military expenses

26. 5. What was a key cause for the rise of fascism in nations such as Italy and Germany? • (A) collectivization • (B) genocide • (C) economic hardship • (D) secret treaties

27. 6. Which event caused the policy of appeasement to be viewed as a failure? • (A) creation of the League of Nations • (B) forced famine in Ukraine • (C) invasion of Czechoslovakia and further aggression by Hitler • (D) atomic bombing of Hiroshima

28. 7. Which trend in United States foreign policy is shown by the passage of the Neutrality Act of 1939, the Cash and Carry act, and the Lend-Lease Act of 1941? • (A) withdrawal from overseas colonies • (B) expansion of trade with the Axis powers • (C) increase in support for the Allied powers • (D) reduction in war preparedness

29. 8. The war crimes trials of German and Japanese officials after World War II demonstrate the principle that: • (A) only nations can be considered responsible for actions during war • (B) international law may not be applied to national leaders • (C) nations have the authority to suspend human rights • (D) leaders can be held accountable for crimes against humanity

30. 9. President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to December 7, 1941, as “a date which will live in infamy” because on that day: • (A) Germany invaded Poland • (B) Japan attacked Pearl Harbor • (C) Italy declared war on the United States • (D) the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima

31. 10. What was a primary goal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin when they met at the Yalta Conference in 1945? • (A) setting up postwar aid for Great Britain • (B) sharing the development of atomic weapons • (C) protecting the colonial empires of the warring nations • (D) preparing a plan for the occupation of postwar Germany

32. 11. Which political leader gained power as a result of the failing economy of the Weimar Republic? • (A) Adolf Hitler • (B) Benito Mussolini • (C) Francisco Franco • (D) Charles de Gaulle

33. 12. The leader in Britain that was against appeasement, seeing it as being weak and giving into Hitler was: • (A) Winston Churchill • (B) Neville Chamberlain • (C) Joseph Stalin • (D) Queen Elizabeth

34. 13. In 1935, The United States passed the first of three neutrality acts, these acts were part of their interwar strategy referred to as: • (A) Aggression • (B) Appeasement • (C) Isolationism • (D) Expansion

35. ...The German people were never more pitiable than when they stood by and watched this thing done. For the raiders who were let loose on the streets and given a day to sate [indulge] the lowest instincts of cruelty and revenge were indeed an enemy army. No foreign invader could have done more harm. This is Germany in the hour of her greatest defeat, the best overcome by the worst. While many protested at the outrages, and millions must have been sickened and shamed by the crimes committed in their name, many others looked on stolidly or approvingly while the hunters hunted and the wreckers worked. There are stories of mothers who took their children to see the fun.... —New York Times, November 12, 1938

36. 14. This 1938 passage criticizes those German people who did not: • (A) participate in these demonstrations • (B) condemn the violent acts of Kristallnacht • (C) support the government’s policy in Austria • (D) resist the war effort

37. 15. Which geographic factor was most significant in helping the Soviet Union withstand German attacks in World War II? • (A) The Ural Mountains served as a barrier to advancing German armies • (B) Distance and harsh winters disrupted German supply lines • (C) Extensive food-producing areas kept the Soviet armies well fed. • (D) Numerous ports along the Arctic Sea allowed for the refueling of Soviet transport ships.

38. 16. What was one geographic characteristic of Germany that influenced the outcomes of both World War I and World War II? • (A) Mountainous topography protected Germany from the opposing side • (B) A lack of navigable rivers in Germany slowed transportation • (C) Excellent harbors allowed Germany to defeat Great Britain’s naval forces • (D) Its central location in Europe resulted in Germany having to fight on two fronts.

39. 17. After World War I, the rise of Benito Mussolini in Italy and the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany are most closely associated with: • (A) the development of fascism • (B) the desire for containment • (C) an emphasis on democratic traditions • (D) a return to conservative religious practices

40. 18. Which agreement was labeled by the Nazis as unfair to Germany? • (A) Treaty of Versailles • (B) Soviet Nonaggression Pact • (C) Munich Pact • (D) Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

41. 19. President Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan was based on the belief that the action would: • (A) save American lives by avoiding an invasion of Japan • (B) Force Germany and Italy to lay down their weapons • (C) Help create a military alliance with China • (D) Persuade the Soviet Union to surrender

42. 20. The scientists working on the Manhattan Project during World War II were responsible for: • (A) designing weapons for the D-Day invasion  • (B) building satellites to spy on the Axis nations  • (C) creating materials for biological and chemical warfare • (D) developing the atomic bomb