The Vietnam War
- Background: During Ho Chi Minh’s fight for Vietnamese independence that lasted from 1945 - 1954, the United States did not support him due to him wanting to bring Vietnam under a communist government and instead supported the French: the French, however, were driven out of Vietnam in 1954.At the Geneva Conference following the Vietnamese victory over the French, it was agreed through the Geneva Accords that all French forces be withdrawn and that Vietnam be split along the 17th parallel, creating the communist North Vietnam and non-communist South Vietnam.
- What the U.S Did: The United States helped South Vietnam carry out an election within its own territory instead of country-wide, with Ngo Dinh Diem being elected. However, he proved to be too terrible of a leader and was assassinated in 1963. Diem leadership also caused communist sympathizers within South Vietnam to establish the National Liberation front (Viet Cong) to fight against South Vietnam. U.S. involvement in Vietnam escalated when North Vietnamese troops fired at two U.S. ships on August 2 - 4, 1964 (Gulf of Tonkin Incident) which the President responded with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, escalating U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In March, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson used this authority to send in the first U.S. troops to Vietnam, effectively bringing America into the Vietnam War.
- Main goal: The main goal of the U.S. was to increase South Vietnam’s defense so they could take over the entirety of the country to prevent communism from taking over; this meant that American troops were limited to fight only in South Vietnam.Many U.S. troops fighting in South Vietnam between 1965 - 1969 suffered low morale due to the stalemate between both sides and due to the Viet Cong’s territorial advantage; they were often so well hidden that it forced the U.S. to use Agent Orange and napalm to clear areas of jungle in an attempt to expose them. The effect of these chemicals was so devastating that most soldiers and citizens who were exposed to it developed physical deformities.
- Tet Offensive: During the Vietnamese holiday Tet on January 30, 1968, the North Vietnamese made a surprise attack on U.S. and South Vietnamese troops in an assault know at the Tet Offensive; this became the turning point of the war after President Johnson then decided to no longer continue the war.
- The end of the War : U.S. troops began to be withdrawn by newly-elected President Nixon in July 1969 in a plan called the Vietnamization; this also led to expanding the war into neighboring countries (Laos & Cambodia) and talks of peace in Paris on January, 25, 1969. After most of the U.S. troops were withdrawn, the North Vietnamese staged the Easter Offensive on March 30, 1972, where their troops crossed over the 17th Parallel and involved South Vietnam. As part of his peace plan, Nixon visited mainland China on January, 1972, in order to improve relations between China and the U.S. and reduce tensions in Asia.After hearing of this, the North Vietnamese decided to seek a peaceful end to the war in the south; on January 27, 1973, peace talks in Paris agreed to produce a cease-fire agreement and all U.S. troops were removed from Vietnam.
- However, even after the American soldiers left, war still continued in Vietnam. On July 2, 1976, the country was reunited and brought under a communist regime, called the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.