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Ho Chi Minh was the leader of Communist North Vietnam from its inception until his death in 1969. He spent his time at the top trying to reunite South Vietnam with North Vietnam.
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FDR, during his presidency, supported Chiang Kai-Shek and Josef Stalin's ideas about Indochina. Later, however, the US would offer its support France's struggle.
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Vietcong forces would overrun Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954. This would signify the end of French military influence in Asia.
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The Vietnam War would help lead to counterculture movements, such as the hippie movement, which in turn would lead to a more politically active population. The US would also spend a lot of money on Vietnam, with a great proportion of the money going towards military innovations.
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As with all wars, support tends to waver as time goes on. However, due to its great length, the Vietnam War saw this more than possible any other war in the history of the country. People get tired of war real quick.
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Though the US lacked a clear, defined goal for the war, the general goal was to contain Communism. North Vietnam had fallen under Communist rule, and the US wanted to prevent South Vietnam from achieving a similar fate. After a while, the US would become less of a military force and more of an assister to South Korea.
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Ngo Dinh Diem was disliked by his people due to the tactics he used to instill Catholicism into their minds. The US would help aid in his assassination. His assassination would prove to be nearly meaningless, however, because his successor was arguably just as bad.
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Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson said that American battleships had been attacked twice by North Vietnamese forces. It helped spur a bit of support for the war effort for the time being. The legitimacy of the attacks have been questioned to this day.
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The Tet Offensive was a Viet Cong offensive that involved attacking 27 South Vietnamese cities. Though the Viet Cong's offensive would eventually be halted, it would prove Johnson's "gradual escalation" strategy to be ineffective.
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The Cambodian Campaign was the most effective military operation by the US and South Vietnam during the entire war. It saw the US and South Vietnam focus its attacks in Eastern Cambodia.
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The Paris Peace Accords pulled the US out of the war and temporarily stopped fighting between the North and South Vietnam. It was signed in Paris, France.
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North Vietnam captures Saigon, forcing South Vietnam to surrender. They rename it Ho Chi Minh City.
