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French Control
France took over Vietnam and other countries to form French Indochina. This mattered because the U.S. supported the French against the communist party and that led to the U.S. going against Vietnam when the communists took over -
Formation of Communist Party
The Indochinese Communist Party was formed under Ho Chi Minh who led many revolts. The French sentenced him to death but he fled to the Soviet Union to grow Vietnam's independence movement. He also did this in China. This mattered because it allowed for the communists to start increasing in Vietnam without being stopped by the French. -
Japanese Control
Japanese took control of Indochina by signing an agreement them using forces to take over Vietnam in a week. This mattered because the French were no longer in control so the Communists had it easier to flourish -
Formation of Vietminh
Ho Chi Minh returned back to Vietnam and formed a group called the Vietminh. The Vietminh's goal was to win Vietnam's Independence from foreign rule. This was important because if they achieved their goal, then Vietnam would become communist and American involvement would happen -
Defeat of Japan
The allies defeated Japan which forced them to leave their rule of Vietnam. This mattered because Vietnam needed to get rid of foreign rule to become independent -
Independence
Ho Chi Minh officially declares that Vietnam is an independent nation which is important because this means that Minh can make it
a communist nation -
U.S. Involvement
President Truman sent $15 Million to France and over the next few years, they paid for a lot of France's war with Vietnam. The U.S. gave around $1 Billion to stop Ho Chi Minh. This mattered because this helped France in stopping communism in Vietnam -
France Surrenders
Even with all the money sent to France, they still couldn't take over Vietnam and were forced to surrender when the Vietminh took over the French outpost at Dien Bien Phu. This mattered because this meant that Vietnam could finally become independent and possibly communist -
Vietcong Attacks
An opposition group in the South called the Vietcong started attacking the Southern Democratic Diem government. People in the group killed thousands of South Vietnam officials. This mattered because this meant that Ho Chi Minh had people in the south that could help him take over -
Tonkin Gulf Incident
A north Vietnamese boat fired a torpedo at an American destroyer called the USS Maddox. The boat was in the Tonkin Gulf by north Vietnam and avoided the torpedo. It then returned fire. This event mattered because it prompted President Johnson to start launching bombing strikes at North Vietnam
