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Treaty of versailles
Almost half a century after the proclamation of the German Empire. Find out more, French President Clémenceau savoured his revenge on 28 June 1919, when the defeated German delegates signed the peace treaty in the Hall of Mirrors, in the same place where Germany had previously proclaimed its empire. -
vietnamese independence
By the 1940s Vietnam had struggled against foreign rule for centuries, long before France seized control in the late 1800s. For much of World War II, the Japanese occupiers allowed a puppet French government to retain nominal control over Vietnam. But in March 1945, Japan dispensed with that policy and took direct control of Vietnamese governance. -
Domino Theory
Cold war policy suggested a Communist government in the nation. but they would take over the neighboring states. -
Vietnam war
The Vietnam War was a long, costly, and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The conflict was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
Buddhist Crisis
The suppression of Buddhists in South Vietnam became known as the "Buddhist crisis." President Ngo Dinh Diem did little to ease the tensions, though he later promised reforms. Many people suspected that his brother and closest advisor, Ngo Dinh Nhu, was the actual decision maker in the Saigon government and the person behind the Buddhist suppression. -
US cold war foreign policy cable 243
drafted by Roger Hilsman and sent to US Ambassador to South Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., suggests, "If, inspite of all your efforts, Diem remains obdurate and refuses, then we must face the possibility that Diem himself cannot be preserved." -
Diem Coup
On November 1, 1963, South Vietnamese Pres. Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown and killed in a coup mounted by his own military with the prior knowledge of the U.S. government. From Vietnam Perspective (1985), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. -
Diem's Assassination
Diem was assassinated led by Dương Văn Minh. He was assassinated because his brutal treatment of the opposition to his regime alienated the South Vietnamese populace, notably Buddhists. -
Kennedy's Assassination
On Monday, November 25, 1963, President Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral was attended by heads of state and representatives from more than 100 countries, with untold millions more watching on television. Afterward, at the grave site, Mrs. Kennedy and her husband's brothers, Robert and Edward, lit an eternal flame. -
gulf of tonkin incident
On August 2, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox, while performing a signals intelligence patrol as part of DESOTO operations, was approached by three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats of the 135th Torpedo Squadron. Maddox fired warning shots and the North Vietnamese boats attacked with torpedoes and machine gun fire. -
gulf of tonkin resolution
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing President Johnson to take any measures. he believed was necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
On March 2, 1965, the USAF began a systematic bombing campaign against North Vietnam named rolling thunder. Planners hoped to provide a morale boost to South Vietnamese forces, interdict the flow of supplies going south, and discourage North Vietnamese aggression.