Vietnam War
The struggle between the South Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong:
- Geneva
- Vietnam divided into two
- Communist North Vietnam and non-communist south Vietnam
- Elections to be held in 1956
The democratic republic of North Vietnam:
- Communist Viet Minh government of Ho Chi Minh ruled North of country from
Hanoi
- Popular programme of land reform – large estates broken up, distributed
amongst peasants
- Later formed into collective farms and industries were nationalised
- Attempts to improve education
- Effective government propaganda appealed to the Vietnamese peasants in
South Vietnam
- Harsh measures against landlords who opposed reforms
- Large number of Catholics fled to South Vietnam – escape persecution
- Ho Chi Minh had built up support amongst the peasants in the struggle
against the Japanese in WW2
The Republic of South Vietnam:
- Anti-communist Ngo Dinh Diem set up the Republic of South Vietnam –
Saigon
- Government oppressive and corrupt
- Used detention and torture to stamp out opposition
- Failed to introduce land reforms – 70% of population owned 13% of land
- Supported landlords against peasants and rents were raised higher than what
under the French
- Diem appointed family members to important positions
- Was a Christian in a country 90% Buddhist – showed little respect
- USA supported him because he was anti-communist
, - USA prevented the elections taking place in south as they suspected a
communist win
The Formation of the Viet Cong:
- Late 1950’s – more and more peasants began to support the communists who
became known as the Viet Cong
- 1960 – Viet Cong formed the National Front for the Liberation of South
Vietnam – 80-90% were South Vietnamese – supported by North Vietnam –
aim to reunify Vietnam
- Fought a guerrilla war against Diems government – received supplies from
North Vietnam smuggled through the jungle by the Ho Chi Minh trail
- Diems Government relied on economic and military aid from the USA
- North Vietnam received assistance from USSR and China
- USA became involved when the Viet Cong began to attack American supply
bases
- Crisis point in South Vietnam 1963 – Student protests and monks burning
themselves as public protest. Diem imposed Martial Law – detained many
protestors
- Diem overthrown and killed in a coup by army generals in November 1963 –
was little change to government policies
- Support for the Viet Cong grew
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:
- August 1964 US government accused North Vietnamese patrol boats of firing
on US warships in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam
- US congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – gave president the right
to take whoever steps felt necessary to ‘prevent further aggression’
- This gave Johnson the right to commit US on a full-scale war in Vietnam –
The Vietnam War (in Vietnam it is known as the American War)
The struggle between the South Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong:
- Geneva
- Vietnam divided into two
- Communist North Vietnam and non-communist south Vietnam
- Elections to be held in 1956
The democratic republic of North Vietnam:
- Communist Viet Minh government of Ho Chi Minh ruled North of country from
Hanoi
- Popular programme of land reform – large estates broken up, distributed
amongst peasants
- Later formed into collective farms and industries were nationalised
- Attempts to improve education
- Effective government propaganda appealed to the Vietnamese peasants in
South Vietnam
- Harsh measures against landlords who opposed reforms
- Large number of Catholics fled to South Vietnam – escape persecution
- Ho Chi Minh had built up support amongst the peasants in the struggle
against the Japanese in WW2
The Republic of South Vietnam:
- Anti-communist Ngo Dinh Diem set up the Republic of South Vietnam –
Saigon
- Government oppressive and corrupt
- Used detention and torture to stamp out opposition
- Failed to introduce land reforms – 70% of population owned 13% of land
- Supported landlords against peasants and rents were raised higher than what
under the French
- Diem appointed family members to important positions
- Was a Christian in a country 90% Buddhist – showed little respect
- USA supported him because he was anti-communist
, - USA prevented the elections taking place in south as they suspected a
communist win
The Formation of the Viet Cong:
- Late 1950’s – more and more peasants began to support the communists who
became known as the Viet Cong
- 1960 – Viet Cong formed the National Front for the Liberation of South
Vietnam – 80-90% were South Vietnamese – supported by North Vietnam –
aim to reunify Vietnam
- Fought a guerrilla war against Diems government – received supplies from
North Vietnam smuggled through the jungle by the Ho Chi Minh trail
- Diems Government relied on economic and military aid from the USA
- North Vietnam received assistance from USSR and China
- USA became involved when the Viet Cong began to attack American supply
bases
- Crisis point in South Vietnam 1963 – Student protests and monks burning
themselves as public protest. Diem imposed Martial Law – detained many
protestors
- Diem overthrown and killed in a coup by army generals in November 1963 –
was little change to government policies
- Support for the Viet Cong grew
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:
- August 1964 US government accused North Vietnamese patrol boats of firing
on US warships in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam
- US congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – gave president the right
to take whoever steps felt necessary to ‘prevent further aggression’
- This gave Johnson the right to commit US on a full-scale war in Vietnam –
The Vietnam War (in Vietnam it is known as the American War)
