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Tet Offensive January-September 1954 (Causes (US escalation (Geneva…
Tet Offensive
January-September 1954
Causes
NV and VC wanted to cause a mass uprising to overthrow the SV government. They felt the war was reaching a stalemate and wanted to end it.
Win by causing a mass uprising of the South Vietnamese public
Bring about a swift end to the war
Force the Americans Out like they did with the french
Battle of Dien Bein Phu ideals
Search and destroy as well as bodycount methods were taking their toll
Win the hearts of the people and you win the war
Found that public support rose with them when they tried to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem
US escalation
Gulf of Tonkin resoltution
US accused NV of attacking a vessel
Turned out to be fake however Lyndon B Johnson still lauches retaliation strikes
Resolution states president can take "all neccessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggresion:
Provided America with a cause to become militarily involved in Vietnam.
Scared of Domino theory
Geneva Confrence split Vietnam in half 1954
Supposed to be temporary.
Stop the spread of communism
Was to be a reunification election in two years time(in 1956) but cancelled it because America believed that the country would fall under the communist rule which the Americans did not want to happen.
France, Britain, USSR China and America. The affected countries attended but did not have a say.
Vietnam wanted independence
it eventually led to further American involvement and it would shift their economic involvement to political or military involvement which led to the TET offensive. Because of this they looked for an anti communist leader who was otherwise known as Ngo Dinh Diem. The outcomes of the the Geneva conference meant that the Americans got a lot more involved and this led to the TET offensive.
Consequences
Military win for US but physcological defeat
Media showed US public what was going on through video footage
Turned public opinion
Caused Nation Wide protesting i.e KKent State Universtiy
War goes on
Charlie Company attacked a village in My Lai 1968 where they executed 500 civilians
This was when about 500 innocent men women and children were either murdered, raped or tortured and the village was even burnt down..
The US military tried to cover up the damage, and create lies about what has happened during the massacre. A few years later,the Americans found out the truth and were very outraged
Vietnamisation
Nixon has the idea of Vietnamisation or whats called peace with honor
Begins Withdraw of troops from Vietnam however increases monetary support for the Southern Vietnamese army.
During the following four weeks, from Feb. 11 to March 9, a period of widespread American counterattacks, there were 500 American deaths each week.
Event
North Vietnam troops organised a simultaneous attack across South Vietnam towns and cities, Over 85,000 VC and NV troops involved
Breached the US embassy
Crutially media broadcast the event