The Vietnam War
By: Michael Mahoney
Introduction
• Different names for the War
• Background of the War
• The beginning of the War
• The end of the War
The Vietnam War also known as…
• The Second Indochina War
• Vietnam Conflict
• The American War
About the Vietnam War
• The Vietnam War was a Cold War military
conflict that happened in Vietnam, Laos,
and Cambodia.
• The war took place from November 1st,
1955 until April 30th, 1975 (when Saigon
Fell).
Continued…….
• The Vietnam War followed the First
Indochina War
• It was fought between:
– The Communist North Vietnam
VS.
– The government of South Vietnam
Help
• North Vietnam was supported by:
– Communist Allies
• South Vietnam was supported by:
– The United States
– Other Anti-Communist Nations
Viet Cong
• Lightly-armed South Vietnamese
communist-controlled common front
– Fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist
forces in the region.
North Vietnamese Army
• Fought in a more conventional war
– At some points in the war, they committed
large units into battle.
South Vietnamese Army
• Viet Cong
• The United States and the South
Vietnamese forces heavily relied on air
superiority and great firepower to conduct
“Search and Destroy” operations.
– Involved: ground forces, artillery and air
strikes.
The United States
• Entered the war to stop a communist
takeover of South Vietnam as part of their
wider strategy of containment.
• Military advisors arrived beginning in 1950.
• United States involvement escalates in the
early 1960’s.
– U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961, and again in
1962.
The United States
• U.S. combat units were sent out in 1965.
• Operations spanned borders, with Laos and
Cambodia being heavily bombed.
• Involvement came to its climax in 1968 during
the time of Tet Offensive.
– After this, U.S. ground forces were withdrawn as part
of the policy “Vietnamization”
– Ignoring the Paris Peace Accords (signed by all the
parties in January 1973), fighting continued.
The Case-Church Amendment
• Passed by the United State Congress.
• It prohibited use of American military after
August 15th, 1973.
– Unless the president secured congressional
permission in advance.
Background of the War to 1949
• France began its conquest of Indochina
during the 1850’s.
• They completed the pacification by 1893.
• The Treaty of Hue formed the basis for
French colonial rule in Vietnam for the
next several decades.
Background continued….
(Viet Minh)
• Viet Minh – common front, controlled by the
Communist Party of Vietnam.
• Founded in 1941.
Continued…
• During WWII the French were beat by the
Germans in 1940.
– For French Indochina, this meant that the
authorities became “Vichy French.”
– Vichy French are allies of the German-Italian
Axis powers.
– Scared that French authorities were not able
to be trusted, the Japanese army jailed all of
the French on March 9th, 1945.
Continued……..
• 1944-1945, a deep famine struck northern
Vietnam due to a mixture of poor weather
and Japanese abuse.
– One million people died of starvation.
August 1945
• The Japanese had been overcome and
surrendered completely.
• In French Indochina, this formed a power
vacuum as the French were still
incarcerated and the Japanese military
stood down.
• Into this vacuum, the Viet Minh entered
and grasped power throughout Vietnam.
– “August Revolution”
– (in large part supported by the Vietnamese
residents.)
September 2nd, 1945
• Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Viet Minh,
confirmed the independent Democratic
Republic of Vietnam.
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
• The Battle of Dien Bien Phu marked the
end of French participation in Indochina.
• On May 7th, 1954, the French Union
stronghold surrendered.
Geneva Conference
• At the Geneva Conference the French
negotiated an armistice agreement with
the Viet Minh.
– Independence was established for Cambodia,
Laos, and Vietnam.
TRANSITION
P
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Transition Period
• Vietnam was momentarily partitioned at
the 17th parallel.
• Civilians were to be given the chance to
freely move between the two temporary
states for a 300-day period.
– Elections were held in 1956.
– Catholics fled to the South.
– Elections
• The Viet Minh left approximately 5,000 to
10,000 cadres in South Vietnam as a
“politico-military substructure within the
object of its irredentism.
• French soldiers leave Vietnam in April
1956.
– PRC completed their exit from North Vietnam
around the same time.
In the South….
• Former Emperor Bao Dai’s State of
Vietnam operated, with Ngo Dinh Diemas
his prime minister.
June 1955
• In June 1955, Diem announced that
elections would not be held.
April-June 1955
• Diem cleared the decks of any political
resistance in the south by beginning
military operations against the Cao Dai
religious sect.
• In a referendum on the future of the State
of Vietnam on October 23rd:
– Diem rigged the poll supervised by his brother
Ngo Dinh Nhu and was recognized with
98.2% of the vote.
October 26th, 1955
• Diem declared the new Republic of
Vietnam (ROV).
• Diem was president.
• The ROV was started largely because of
the Eisenhower administration’s desire for
an anti-communist state in the region.
1955- 1963
D
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Domino Theory
• Argued that if one country fell to
communist forces, then all of the
surrounding countries would follow.
• The Domino Theory was first proposed as
policy by the Eisenhower administration.