War in Southeast Asia

War in Southeast Asia

Dates to Remember • WWI (1914-1919) • France, Great Britain, USA v. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire • WWII (1939-1945) • Great Britain, USA, USSR v. Germany, Italy, Japan • Indochina Wars (1945-1954) • France v. Vietnam • Korean War (1950-1953) • USA, South Korea v. China, North Korea • Vietnam War (1956-1975) • USA, South Vietnam v. Viet Cong, North Vietnam • Cold War (1947-1991) • USA v. Soviet Union (USSR) **Blue denotes victor Cold Vietnam WWII WWI Korea Indochina

Map #1

Prelude to Conflict • WWI ends in 1919- Woodrow • Wilson wants treaty ensuring • all people self-determination • Ho Chi Minh travels to • Versailles • Leaves disappointed

Ho Chi Minh • Trained in USSR • Most popular man in Vietnam • Seen as responsible for releasing them • from Japanese and then French • colonial forces • 1946- U.S. see Ho as a tool of the USSR • Two goals: (1) communist movement & (2) • win independence • 1954- Defeats France “You can kill ten of our men for every one we kill of yours, but even at those odds, you will lose and we will win.”

Communism • On the rise • Seen as solution for third world countries • Can be tied to social reform to deal with peasantry • Domino Theory: If one nation falls to communist forces, neighboring nations would also become communist

Command Economy Philosophy • Produce needs, not wants • Make needs as close to free as possible • Treat workers better (safe, high wages, benefits) • No private property • Economic equality • Central planning of production • No entrepreneurs

Advantages of the Planned Economy • Income & wealth more evenly distributed • Little unemployment • Experiences fewer booms and busts in economy • Profits used to expand production • Production of goods and services is planned to meet society’s needs • Consumers receive basic necessities

Disadvantages of the Planned Economy • Lack of incentive • Lack of technological progress • Bureaucracies (planning creates inflexibility) • Black markets • Loss of individuality • Inefficient and widespread waste of resources

Prelude to Conflict • WWII ends, Soviet Union and United States immediately at odds • Strategic objectives: • Military might and global influence • Dominant control over resources • Self-righteousness • Global economic ties • 90 countries between 1943-1993 become independent

A Divided Nation • Geveva agreement temporarily divides Vietnam at the 17th parallel • Communist North, non-communist South • North- Ho Chi Minh, South- Ngo Dinh Diem • Within 2 years, elections would be held to reunite Vietnam • Southern communists form underground army Viet Cong

Viet Cong • Guerilla warfare • Series of extensive tunnels, traps, etc.

American Involvement • Initially only sent military advisors to South Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh retaliates by sending North Vietnamese troops to assist Viet Cong in South Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh Trail  Supply routes of North Vietnamese in Laos and Cambodia

Gulf of Tonkin Incident • Sea battle between destroyer USS Maddox and North Vietnamese Torpedo Ships • 280 shells + bombs? • President Johnson used as an opportunity to escalate the conflict • “Take all necessary steps including • the use of force” • Unanimous vote in Congress Iraq? • Johnson’s first major speech on Vietnam: • “Innocent American sailors suffered an unprovoked attack…” • …Didn’t mention conflicting reports, “Tonkin Ghosts,” or electronic spying • 2005= US admits false reports on second attack, US fired first (warning shots)

What is “Victory?” • Goal of the U.S. was not to conquer North Vietnam, but rather to ensure the survival of the South Vietnamese government • Measuring progress was difficult. • U.S. Army used body counts, rather than conquered territory, to show it was winning the war. • “Attrition Warfare” • More bombs dropped in Operation Rolling Thunder than in all of WWII Agent Orange Estimated Death Toll: North Vietnam: 1 million U.S.A.: 58,000 South Vietnam: 171, 331 Attrition (n): process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of someone or something through sustained attack or pressure

The Draft

Turning Point • Tet Offensive (1968) • Tet: Vietnamese New Year • Viet Cong simultaneously attacked tons of places • Surprise attack during cease fire • Devastating military failure for the Communist forces • Yet, shatters confidence in America’s ability to end the war • American thought Communists were incapable of such a large scale attack • Causes moderates to turn against war

Press Impact on the War • Only 2% of American’s had a TV during the Korean War (1950-1053) • Now TV is universal, big newscasts that lasted 30 minutes (CBS, NBC, ABC) • Televised dramatic battles of Tet Offensive • TIME featured graphic pictures of piles of Americans dead • Shows US not winning, but rather, a stalemate • Walter Cronkite declares war unwinnable

Public Opinion • General population wanted to send more bombs, more troops, etc in 1964-66, but public opinion shifted towards end of 1960s • College campuses • Stage for demonstrations • Believed in, at times, glorified violence • UIUC • Average person not focused on the immorality of war, but rather practicality or war • Is it worth it?

Anti-War Public Opinion Anti-War Activitists

A Slow Return to Peace • 1969—Nixon begins to withdraw troops • Sought “Peace with Honor” • 1975—Fall of Saigon • Communists surround capital of South Vietnam, and South Vietnam surrenders • Vietnam reunites under communism • Economy crumbles • Pg. 279

War in Southeast Asia