The Vietnam War
The division of Vietnam
Support given by the US government (gov-er-ment)
The policies of the Kennedy administration
Johnson's attitude to Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh 1890-1969
Anti-French resistance led by Ho Chi Minh and the communists in the 1930s
Ho Chi Minh and his organisation the Vietnam Independence League (Vietminh) were fighting the Japanese during WWII
Vietnam became a French colony in the 1860s (French Indochina)
In 1945, Japan surrendered and the Vietminh seized control in the north declaring an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV)
Born Nguyen Sinh Cung, during the fight against the Japanese, he adopted the name 'Ho Chi Minh', meaning 'bringer of light'
Founding member of the French Communist Party
The USA installed Ngo Dinh Diem as leader of South Vietnam, his regime received massive financial support from the USA
Diem's regime was unpopular among many Vietnamese, the Catholic minority backed it but it discriminated against the Buddhist majority, it lost support among the peasants as it postponed land reform
The USA decided to convert South Vietnam into a fully functioning independent state
In 1959, the Vietminh were ordered to resume guerrilla action in the South, with the aim of reunifying the country under communist control
Kennedy ignored the unpopularity of the Diem regime and he greatly underestimated the support for unity in both parts of Vietnam
In May 1961, Kennedy sent 400 elite Green Berets to help the South Vietnamese defeat the National Liberation Front, he also urged Diem to introduce reforms, Diem declined
In 1961, when John F. Kennedy became US president, he adopted the same view on Vietnam as Eisenhower's administration, he agreed with the domino theory and believed the US must contain communism in Asia
In May 1961, Kennedy sent 400 elite Green Berets to help the South Vietnamese defeat the National Liberation Front, he also urged Diem to introduce reforms, Diem declined
Although Johnson listened to Kennedy's advisors he was more interested in his domestic reforms, he did not want war in Vietnam to distract resources and energy from the Great Society Reforms he was planning to introduce at home
Johnson decided to fight a limited war that would force the North Vietnamese to accept a negotiated peace and accept and preserve the independence of South Vietnam, he ignored his more aggressive advisors, however, this strategy failed and Johnson soon found himself being drawn into a full-scale war
Lyndon B. Johnson, not as experienced in international affairs as his predecessor, believed he had to continue Kennedy's policies and accepted the domino theory
The French succeeded in driving the Vietminh from the southern cities but not strong enough to restore full control, in 1950, the USA supported the French with financial aid (Eisenhower was US president)
The US felt that preventing a communist takeover in Vietnam was vital for US interests in Asia
Domino Theory: .Widely held belief among US foreign policy-makers that if one country in an area e.g. Vietnam, became communist other surrounding countries would follow suit
He was dedicated to the cause of Vietnamese independence and prepared to fight for as long as it took and whatever the cause
"You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours, yet even at those odds, you will lose and I will win"
In 1954, French forces were surrounded at Dien Bien Phu and forced into a humiliating surrender, marking the end of France's involvement in Vietnam
The Geneva Accords were agreed in 1954
Agreement that saw the end of French involvement in Vietnam. It divided the country along the 17th Parallel of Latitude into two independent countries - a communist North and a non-communist South. Division was meant to be temporary until elections were held to unify the country. Elections were never held and the country was permanently divided.
Anti-Diem forces were reorganised into the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam, the Americans began calling this army the Vietcong
The Vietcong were soon launching guerrilla-style attacks on the South Vietnamese Army (also known as ARVN)
The USA urged army officers to overthrow Diem. Diem was murdered and a military government came to power in Saigon
In 1963, by the time Kennedy was assassinated, the US was being drawn more deeply into the Vietnamese civil war, there were 16,500 US military advisers in Vietnam
"That raggedy-ass little fourth-rate country"
Communism: all property owned by the community
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Book source where all written text information came from: https://www.edcolearning.ie/Book/Page?bookId=book682&chapterId=chapter6&pageId=page43
Summary
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Johnson retained most of Kennedy's advisors, who argued that South Vietnam had to be protected against a communist takeover, they were also worried about the damage to US prestige internationally if they were defeated or pulled out of Vietnam.