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Origins of the Conflict - French Colony
Since the late 19th Century Vietnam had been ruled by France and it was known as Indochina.
After France was defeated by Germany in 1940, the Japanese took control of Vietnam. -
Origins of the Conflict - Viet Minh
A strong anti-Japanese resistance movement (the Viet Minh) emerged under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh.
When WWII ended, the Viet Minh controlled the north of the country and declared Vietnamese independence. -
Origins of the Conflict - The French come back
In 1945 the French came back wanting to rule Vietnam again.
Ho Chi Minh opposed and in 1946 war broke out between the French and the Viet Minh.
Ho Chi Minh kept quiet about wanting a Communist Vietnam.
The struggle was seen as a fight against the colonial rule of France. -
Origins of the Conflict - China gets involved
The Communist took over China and began helping Ho Chi Minh.
The USA, fearing Communists taking control of all south-east Asia, sent money and helped the French to set up a non-Communist government in the south of the country. -
Origins of the Conflict - Dien Bien Phu
A large well-armed force of French paratroopers was defeated by the Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu.
At the 1954 peace conference held in Geneva, the country was officially divided into North and South Vietnam until elections could be held. -
The USA gets involved
The USA prevented elections from being held in Vientam fearing a Communist victory. -
Establishment of the Republic of South Vietnam
The Americans helped Ngo Dinh Diem to set up the Republic of South Vietnam. They supported him because he was anti-Communist.
Diem's regime was corrupt, but the USA still supported him because they knew of no one better. -
Viet Cong is set
Included South Vietnamese opponents of the government and Communist North Vietnamese.
The Viet Cong started a guerrilla war against the South Vietnamese Government forces and American air force and supply bases. -
Diem is overthrown
Diem was overthrown by his own army leaders in 1963, but they were equally corrupt. -
The Gulf of Tonkin conflict
From 1962 Kennedy had been sending 'Advisers' to fight the Viet Cong.
In August 1964 North Vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin.
The US Congress passed the Tunkin Gulf Resolution, which gave Lyndon Johnson the power to take the USA into a full-scale war if he felt it was necessary. -
America is at war in Vietnam
3500 marines combat troops ashore at Da Nang. -
Viet Cong's Guerilla Tactics
In early 1965 the Viet Cong had about 170.000 soldiers supplied by the USSR and China.
Ho Chi Minh implemented Mao Tse-tung guerrilla warfare against South Vietnam and the USA.
The tactics were simple: Retreat when the enemy attacks, raid when the enemy camps, attack when the enemy tires, pursue when the enemy retreats.
They attacked and then dissapeared into the jungle, the villages or into their tunnels. -
US Tactics
7 February 1965 - Operation Rolling Thunder involved extensive bombing raids on military and industrial targets in North Vietnam. It was to last until 1972.
The targets included towns in North and South Vietnam and sites in Laos and Cambodia along the Ho Chi Minh trial.
Other tactics implemented by the US were the use of nuclear weapons (such as the Agent Orange) and Search and Destroy (US and South Vietnamese forces would descend on a village and destroy any Viet Cong forces they found). -
The Tet Offensive - A Turning Point
During the Tet New Year holiday the Viet Cong fighters attacked over 100 cities and other military targets.
One Viet Cong commando unit captured the US embassy in Saigon.
The Communists hoped that the people of South Vietnam would rise up and join them, but they didn't.
The Tet Offensive raised hard questions about the war in the USA. -
Peace Movement in the USA
The American public did not support the war in Vietnam. The media showed pictures of prisoners and civilians suffering because of the war.
There were anti-war protests all over the country and thousands of young people began to refuse to serve in Vietnam when they were called up.
There were hundreds of demonstrations in universities across the USA, the most infamous in Ohio, where the National Guard broke up the demonstration, killing four students. -
The My Lai Massacre 1
A unit of young American soldiers called Charlie Company started a search-and-destroy mission in My Lai.
They killed between 300 and 400 civilians, most of which where women, children and old men. No Viet Cong were found in the village. -
Peace Conference in Paris
Johnson also announced he would not be seeking re-election as President. -
Nixon was elected President
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The My Lai Massacre 2 - The letter
An American soldier sent a letter asking Congress to investigate the case of My Lai. -
The My Lai Massacre 3 - Lieutenant William Calley was charged
He was charged with murdering 109 people.
Ten other members were also charged.
The army placed all responsibility on Calley, denying tha he was acting under orders. -
The My Lai Massacre 4 - The sentence
Calley was found guilty of the murder of 22 civilians and sentenced to 20 years hard labour. -
Ending the War
from 1969 to 1973 Nixon and his National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger worked to end the US involvement in Vietnam.
They did not want to appear to hand Vietnam to the Communists, so they used as range of strategies:
Nixon asked China and the USSR to pressure North Vietnam to end the war.
Kissinger had regular meetings with the chief Vietnamese peace negotiatior.
Vietnamisation (building up South Vientamese forces and withdrawing US troops).
Increased bombing campaigns against North Vietnam. -
Nixon Resigns
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The My Lai Massacre 5 - Calley was released
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The North Vietnamese launched a major military offensive against South Vietnam
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Saigon falls to Communist forces