THE VIETNAM WAR:
the origins of the conflict: vietnam had been ruled by france and it was called Indochina.
france rule was unchallenged except for a rebellion in 1930. the first major blow to french
power came in 1940 when it was defeated in the ww2. the japanese (ger ally) took control of
the main resources in Vietnam. During the war an anti communist movement emerged under
the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, a remarkable individual. In 1920 he studied communism in
the USSR. in 1930 he founded the Indochinese Communist Party, inspiring the vietnamese
to fight for their independence. In 1945 the Viet Minh entered the city of Hanoi and declared
Vietnamese Independence. the french came back wanting to rule Vietnam again. in 1946
war broke out between france and the viet minh, who cleverly kept quiet about wanting a
communist vietnam, so countries such as USA were quite sympathetic to him.
in 1949, the communist took over china and helped Minh, and they were seen as the
puppets of Mao Tse-Tung and chinese communists, they feared a plan to dominate
south-east asia. USA poured millions into french war effort and helped them to set up a
non-communist government in the south.
the war dragged on from 1946 to 1954. france controlled towns and the viet minh, the
countryside and the guerilla tactics made them impossible to beat. French raids against
peasant villages only increased support for the Viet Minh.
The decisive event came in 1956 at Dien Bien Phu, where a large, well-armed french force
was defeated. consequences:
-france lost 3000 dead in battle and 8000 in captivity
- Viet Minh forces defeated france in open battle with the help of modern weapons from
USSR and China.
- A small asian state had defeated a rich european state through a combination of effective
leadership, right tactics and sheer determination.
- 1954 ́
s peace conference held in Geneva, the country was effectively divided into North
and South Vietnam until elections could be held to decide in the future.
Why did the US become increasingly involved in Vietnam?
In Vietnam in 1954, the US applied a rule that prevented the elections from taking place
because it feared that the communists would win.
americans policy was a strange combination of determination and ignorance. President
Eisenhower was convinced that china and the USSR were planning to spread communism
throughout asia. (the Domino Theory —>If Vietnam fell to Communism, then Laos,
Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and India might also fall)
americans methods and policies showed their ignorance of the vietnamese people and the
region.
-in 1955 the americans helped Ngo Dinh Diem to set up the Republic of South Vietnam.
They supported him because he was anti communist. Diem’s region was extremely corrupt,
he appointed members of his family to positions of power.(US support with around 1.6 billion
in 1950s) Communist-led National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (set up in december
1960)
-this movement was usually referred to as the Viet Cong.
-included South Vietnamese opponents of the government and communist North
Vietnamese taking their orders from Ho Chi Minh. (peasants who did not support the Viet
Cong faced violence)
- THE VIET CONG Started a guerrilla war against the South Vietnamese government, using
the Ho Chi Minh trail, the viet cong reinforcements and ferried supplies to guerrilla fighters.
This fighters attacked south vietnamese government forces, officials and buildings. also
attacked american air force and supply bases.
-1962, Kennedy was sending military personnel (advisers) to fight the Vietcong.
-1963 and 1964 tension between North and South Vietnam increased.
-kennedy said that the US would not “blunder into war, unclear about aims or how to get out
again”
-1963 Kennedy was assassinated. His sucesor, Lyndon Johnson was more prepared to
prevent the spread of communism.
-1964, North vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on US ships. In a furious reaction the US
congress passed the measures to prevent further agressions and achieve peace and
security.
He could take the USA into a full scale war
-8 march 1965, US marines, combat troops came ashore at Da Nang. America was at war in
Vietnam.
American technology and firepower were totally superior but they needed more than
technology to win this kind of war