The whole of the Vietnam War during the Cold War. Achieved a distinction for ieb history final exams. All the information you would need to write a good essay on Vietnam.
VIETNAM WAR 1946-1975
vietnam america
American presidents
South: diem
Roosevelt 1933-1945
North: Ho Chi Minh Truman 1945-1953
Eisenhower 1953-1961
Kennedy 1961-1963
LB johnson 1963-1969
Nixon 1969-1974
ford
Viet minh: communist guerilla force founded in 1941 to fight against japanese and Vichy
french occupation
Mao Zedong- president of china
Viet ong: communists in south
Vietnam struggles against colonial powers
- French colonised region after 1858
- French established 3 regions of control: vietnam, Laos, cambodia
- French rule:
● Repressive, economically exploitative
● Introduced forced labour, heavy taxes and centralised government
- Vietnamese reaction:
● Resistance initially passive, but as
nationalism grew, resistance grew
Geneva peace accords 1954
- Colonial withdrawals
- Signed between france and vietnam
- Agreed to temporary division of country
along 17th parallel
● North: Ho Chi Minh and viet minh-
ruthless communist state
● South: Ba Dai- pro western regime;
supported by USA
- Non- binding agreements:
● 17th parallel
● 300 days for withdrawal of troops
on both sides
● Viet minh evacuation and free
elections (in 1955) of laos and
cambodia
● Elections in vietnam held by july
1956
- 1955- Diem replaced Bao Dai as president
● Usa formed SEATO (regional organisation to contain communism)
● Wanted to entrench capitalism and democracy in region to counter
communism
● Diem appealed to US for aim against viet cong (communists)
, ● Communists in north supplied vietcong with guidance, weapons and
reinforcements
- Effectively accepted existence of communist regime in north and tried to bring
stability in vietnam through temporary division of country
- At time viet minh controlled ¾ of vietnam so non communist countries hoped it would
weaken support throughout country- instead seemed to consolidate control of north
and gave them boundary where they could retreat
- 1954- therefore vietnam free from colonial rule, but was divided which was only
meant to last till elections but elections never occurred instead conflict in vietnam
renewed as the country engaged in civil war in which US forces were directly
involved.
PROXY WAR- usa did not want vietnam to have civil war because of spread of communism-
used indo-china democracy to stop spread of communism from spreading to rest of
southeast asia (domino theory)
Stages in vietnam war
DOMINO THEORY- president eisenhower described communist expansion in southeast asia
Diem heavily backed by US but had increasingly corrupt gov
Phase 1:
Struggle between south vietnamese army and viet cong
Oct 1957: viet minh launched campaign of destruction bombings and assassination in south
- Viet cong backed by US were too strong so ho chi minh adapted strategy to guerilla
warfare
- Ho chi minh trail became main supply route to south
- Corruption, autocracy (dictatorship), repressive and unpopular led to support of viet
cong in south
- Increased opposition from intellectuals, buddhists, peasants and students against
diem's regime
- After 2 failed coups against Diems regime kennedy increased us troops in south
1962= over 11000 troops sent to vietnam to prop up diem's rule
- Diem was upper class catholic with little empathy with buddhist peasants
- He refused to carry out land reforms
- Meanwhile ussr begin airlifting supplies to vietminh in north
- 1963:
● Crisis year
● Diems oppression and target of buddhist community (denied religious
freedom)
● Buddhist marches targeted; buddhist monk set himself alight in protest
● Kennedy shocked, Us tried to intervene to get them rights but gov troops
raided religious sites
Us turning point- battle of AP BAC (1963)
- Attacked ap bac as known to be radio transmitter and was known to have troops
guarding it
- ARVN (the main fighting force of the Republic of Vietnam/South Vietnam, during the
war) troops accompanied by 113 american troops refused to attack 350 vietcong
- 5 us helicopters and 3 pilots lost ADD MORE INFO TO THIS SO CONFUSED
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