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Japan Surrendered
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States caused significant damage to these cities of Japan. Huge number of casualties caused by the bombs dropped on these cities made Japan surrender to the Allies in August 1945. President Harry S. Truman announced the unconditional surrender of Japan to reporters gathered at the White House. -
America Aids the French
Initially the United States had little interest in Vietnam and was equivocal about supporting France, but in 1950, due to an intensification of the Cold War and a fear that communism would prevail in Vietnam, the U.S. began providing financial and military support to French forces. -
The Growth of Vietnamese Nationalism
During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese nationalism was split between Chinese and Soviet-allied North Vietnam and US and Western-backed South Vietnam. Vietnamese nationalism is a form of nationalism that asserts the Vietnamese people as a separate independent nation. It encompasses a broad range of ideas and sentiments harbored by the Vietnamese people in regards with national identity. Vietnamese is recognized as the only language in the country. -
Defeat at Dien Bien Phu
On May 7, 1954, the French-held garrison at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam fell after a four month siege led by Vietnamese nationalist Ho Chi Minh. After the fall of Dien Bien Phu, the French pulled out of the region. -
The Anti-War Movement
The Vietnam anti-war movement was one of the most pervasive displays of opposition to the government policy in modern times. Protests raged all over the country. San Francisco, New York, Oakland, and Berkeley were all demonstration hubs, especially during the height of the war in the late 1960s and early 1970s. -
Nixon Wins the Presidency
The Republican nominee, former vice president Richard Nixon, defeated both the Democratic nominee, incumbent vice president Hubert Humphrey, and the American Independent Party nominee, former Alabama governor George Wallace. This was the last election until 1988 in which the incumbent president was not on the ballot. -
Nixon Moves to End the War
On 30 April 1975, Saigon was taken by North Vietnamese troops. Closely connected with the phrase is the idea that Nixon claimed in 1968 to have a secret plan to end the war. Nixon never made such a claim during his campaign, but neither did he explain how he would achieve peace. -
Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly called the Vietnam Memorial, is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War.