1 / 86

Moving Toward Conflict

Moving Toward Conflict. Mr. White’s US History 2. Main Ideas and Objectives. Main idea – To stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the United States used its military to support South Vietnam We should be able to:

Download Presentation

Moving Toward Conflict

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Moving Toward Conflict Mr. White’s US History 2

  2. Main Ideas and Objectives • Main idea – To stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the United States used its military to support South Vietnam • We should be able to: • Summarize Vietnam’s history as a French colony and its struggle for independence • Examine how the United States became involved in the Vietnam conflict • Describe the expansion of the U.S. military involvement under President Johnson

  3. French Rule in Vietnam • From the late 1800s until World War II, France ruled most of Indochina, which included Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – used peasant land to grow rice and rubber • Resistance against the French by Vietnamese peasants began to grow • French rulers dealt with this harshly, restricting freedom of speech and jailing Vietnamese nationalists – opposition continued to grow

  4. Ho Chi Minh • The Indochinese Communist Party, founded in 1930, staged revolts under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh • French condemned Ho Chi Minh, but he was able to coordinate the growing Vietnamese independence movement from the Soviet Union and China

  5. Japanese Control • In 1940, the Japanese took control of Vietnam in World War II • Ho Chi Minh came back to Vietnam and formed the Vietminh to win Vietnam’s independence from foreign rule • When the U.S. forced Japan to leave Vietnam after WWII, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent

  6. France Disagrees • French troops returned to Vietnam after WWII to reclaim the country • Ho Chi Minh vowed to fight the French • United States began sending military aid to France, even though the U.S. had once been allied with Ho Chi Minh against the Japanese

  7. The Domino Theory • Eisenhower continued the policy of supplying aid to the French • Many Americans were afraid of the domino theory – if one country became communist, many others would topple soon after, like dominoes • French were unable to hold Vietnam, and lost in May of 1954 • The Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam between a communist north and anticommunist south

  8. U.S. Steps In • Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations continued to provide economic and military aid • Ngo Dinh Diem – president of South Vietnam, supported by the United States • United States and Diem cancel elections, in return for Diem’s promise that he would set up a stable reform-based government

  9. Diem’s Regime • Diem doesn’t hold up his end of the bargain • Government is corrupt • Opposition of any kind was suppressed • Little or no land redistribution • Group opposed to Diem, the Vietcong, forms in South Vietnam (communist group) • Ho Chi Minh supports the Vietcong, and starts to supply them by the Ho Chi Minh trail, in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

  10. Kennedy and Vietnam • Kennedy was accused of being “soft” on communism, so he increases financial aid to Diem’s regime • Kennedy also sends thousands of military advisors to South Vietnam • Diem’s popularity begins to decline • Starts moving villagers from their villagers to camps • Diem, a Catholic, also starts to attack Buddhism • Several Buddhist monks set themselves on fire publicly • United States steps in and topples Diem’s regime

  11. Johnson and Vietnam • Kennedy had announced his plans to withdraw U.S. forces from South Vietnam • After Diem is assassinated, a string of military leaders tries to lead the country, fails • Vietcong’s influence grows • Johnson also doesn’t want to be perceived as soft on communism, so he commits the U.S. to staying in Vietnam

  12. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • August 2, 1964 – North Vietnamese patrol boat fires a torpedo at an American destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin – torpedo misses, U.S. destroyer inflicts heavy damage on the patrol boat • Two days later, destroyers reported torpedoes again, and opened fire on patrol boats • Johnson launches bombing strikes against North Vietnam • Asks Congress for a resolution to give U.S. forces right to repel any armed attack – not a declaration of war, but gives broad military powers • Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

  13. Tonkin’s Results • Johnson didn’t tell Congress that U.S. had already been raiding North Vietnam • Destroyer that was fired on had been in the Gulf to collect information for these raids • Johnson’s Tonkin resolution had been prepared months beforehand, but he was waiting for the time to propose it to Congress • Johnson uses his newly granted powers to launch, “Operation Rolling Thunder,” bombings of North Vietnam • U.S. combat troops start arriving in March of 1965

  14. U.S. Involvement and Escalation Mr. White Jr’s US History 2

  15. Main Ideas and Objectives • Main idea – The United States sent troops to fight in Vietnam, but the war quickly turned into a stalemate. • We want to be able to: • Explain the reasons for the escalation of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam • Describe the military tactics and weapons used by U.S. forces and the Vietcong • Explain the impact of the war on American society

  16. Containment • Lyndon Johnson was determined to contain communism in Vietnam • At first, Johnson wasn’t enthusiastic about sending American troops into Vietnam • Working with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Johnson began sending U.S. soldiers to Vietnam

  17. Disagreement and Support • Some Americans saw what Johnson was doing as a contradiction of what he said before • Many others felt he was carrying on a tradition of confronting communism wherever it came up • About 61% of Americans supported what Johnson was doing

  18. Troop Buildup • By the end of 1965, over 180,000 American troops were in Vietnam • General William Westmoreland, in command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, kept asking for more troops • Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) – army of South Vietnam, were not fighting very well, Westmoreland didn’t trust their ability • By the end of 1967, about 500,000 U.S. troops were in Vietnam

  19. Jungle Fighting • U.S. believed superior weaponry and tactics would lead to victory over the Vietcong • Vietcong, largely in the jungles, used hit-and-run and ambush tactics • Hit-and-run – attack important, vulnerable points, cause damage, then disappear • Ambush – wait in a location good for a surprise attack, allow U.S. forces to enter, attack and cause maximum damage, then disappear

  20. Irregular Tactics • Vietcong also blended in with civilian population • Difficult for U.S. troops to tell friend from enemy • Vietcong used tunnel systems in the jungle to hide and move around the jungle • Booby traps and land mines also used • Vietnam’s jungles – sweltering heat, leeches, insects, etc.

  21. Tunnel Systems

  22. Tunnel Systems, Part 2

  23. War of Attrition • Westmoreland wanted to destroy Vietnamese morale through a war of attrition – wearing down an enemy by continuous attack and harassment • Body count – tracking Vietcong killed during a battle as a measurement of success • Vietcong were prepared to take massive casualties to fight the U.S. – saw it as a struggle for existence

  24. “Hearts and Minds” • Another part of American strategy was to keep the Vietcong from winning support in South Vietnam • Guerillas – (not gorillas) irregular fighters who do not wear uniforms to blend in with the civilian population • Guerillas would hide among the people – if you win the people over, guerillas have nowhere to hide • U.S. wanted to win over Vietnamese “hearts and minds”

  25. U.S. planes dropped napalm, a gasoline-based burning jelly that set fires to villages, as well as the jungle U.S. also used Agent Orange – defoliant (kills leaves) that was also a toxic chemical U.S. soldiers used search-and-destroy missions, investigating, arresting, and sometimes killing civilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong – also killed livestock, burned villages Problems with “Hearts and Minds”

  26. Napalm

  27. Sinking Morale • Frustrations of guerilla warfare, jungle conditions, failure to make large successes took toll on U.S. troop morale • Many soldiers had been drafted and felt forced into the war, so morale dropped • Some turned to alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use • As the U.S. was planning to pull out, morale and fighting spirit dropped, as well

  28. Soldiers and Duty • Many Americans still felt that they were fulfilling a patriotic duty, and still took pride and fought well • Some ended up as prisoners of war, and endured hardships in North Vietnamese prison camps – John McCain

  29. The Great Society Suffers • The Great Society suffered because of the war in Vietnam • Inflation rate climbed • Johnson asked for a tax increase • Money was taken from Johnson’s domestic programs • One of the main reasons the Great Society did not succeed more was because of the money it lost to Vietnam

  30. Vietnam became U.S.’s first living-room war United States government was giving Americans a generally positive picture of what was happening in Vietnam Combat footage from Vietnam showed a different, more horrific picture The Living-room War

  31. Brutality of War

  32. Body Count and Credibility Gap • Westmoreland use the numbers of Vietcong killed in battle to encourage the American public • However, U.S. soldiers were dying at high rates, as well – over 16,000 between 1961 and 1967 • Credibility gap – difference between what the government was saying and what was really happening • By 1967, many Americans were evenly split over their support for the Vietnam war

  33. A Nation Divided Mr. White’s US History 2

  34. Main Idea and Objectives • Main idea – An antiwar movement in the U.S. pitted supporters of the government’s war policy against those who opposed it. • We should be able to: • Explain the draft policies that led to the Vietnam war becoming a working-class war • Trace the roots of opposition to the war • Describe the antiwar movement and the growing divisions in U.S. public opinion about the war

  35. The Draft • Most soldiers in the Vietnam war were called up using the Selective Service Act – draft • All males had to register with their local draft boards when they turned 18 – still today • Men could be called to serve from the ages of 18 to 26

  36. Manipulation of the Draft • Many young men looked for ways to avoid the draft, which was very easy to manipulate • Sympathetic doctors – would grant medical exemptions • Some changed where they lived to go to a different, more lenient draft board • Some joined National Guard or Coast Guard

  37. College Deferment • If a young man was enrolled in a university or college, they could put off their military service • University students in the 1960s tended to be white and financially well-off • Many of the men who fought in Vietnam were those who couldn’t afford college – lower class whites and blacks

  38. African-Americans in Vietnam • Served in much larger numbers than most groups as ground combat troops – most hazardous place to be • Blacks accounted for over 20% of U.S. combat deaths, even though they were only 10% of the U.S. population • Martin Luther King spoke out against the injustice of blacks fighting for freedom in another country, when theirs did not grant them freedom • Racism in military units led to lower troop morale

  39. Women in the Military • Women were still not allowed to serve in combat roles • Over 10,000 women did serve, mostly as nurses • Also served in the USO and Red Cross • USO – provided hospitality and entertainment • Red Cross

  40. Roots of Opposition – New Left • In the 1960s, there was a growing youth movement known as the New Left • Followers demanded sweeping changes in American society • Students for a Democratic Society • Charged that corporations and government had taken over America • Wanted more “participatory government” and greater freedom • Free Speech Movement – focused criticism on the American “machine” – business and government

  41. Campus Activism • SDS and FSM ideas spread across campuses of colleges and universities • Protested dress codes • Curfews • Campus issues • Students started joining together in protest against these issues, but would later protest the Vietnam War

  42. The Protest Movement Emerges • April, 1965 – SDS helped organize a march on Washington, D.C., by 20,000 protesters, other marches followed • Johnson changed college deferment rules, requiring students to be in good academic standing • Protests erupted after this – SDS calls for civil disobedience at campuses

  43. Opposition to the War • Youths opposed the war for many different reasons: • Most common belief was that the war in Vietnam was a civil war, and the U.S. had no business there • Some said Diem’s South Vietnamese government wasn’t any better than North Vietnam • Some thought war was draining America’s strength • Some just saw the war as morally unjust

  44. The Movement Grows • Movement grew beyond college campuses • Returning veterans • Folk singers • “Eve of Destruction,” a protest song by Barry McGuire, talked about the wrongs of the Vietnam war

  45. Protest to Resistance • 1967 – antiwar movement had intensified • Spring of 1967 – protesters marched on New York City’s Central Park - many people burned their draft cards • Draft resistance continued up until President Nixon phased it out in the early 1970s • Some Americans had fled to Canada to avoid the draft

  46. March on the Pentagon • In October of 1967, a demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial drew 75,000 protesters • About 30,000 demonstrators marched on the Pentagon to “disrupt the center of the American war machine.” • Protesters were turned back with tear gas and clubs – about 700 arrested

  47. War Divides the Nation • Americans were increasingly divided into two camps: • Doves – those who were opposed to the war and thought it should end • Hawks – felt America should use its military might to win the war • Some believed that the protests were acts of disloyalty

  48. Johnson Remains Determined • Johnson remained firm • Doves attacked him for continuing the war • Hawks attacked him for not increasing military power • Johnson continued his policy of slow escalation • Johnson’s own administration started to doubt the war – Robert McNamara resigns

  49. 1968: A Really Messed Up Year Mr. White’s US History 2

  50. Main Idea and Objectives • Main Idea – An enemy attack in Vietnam, two assassinations, and a chaotic political convention made 1968 an explosive year • We should be able to: • Describe the Tet offensive and its effect on the American public • Explain the domestic turbulence of 1968 • Describe the 1968 presidential election

More Related