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Ho Chi Mihn and the creation of the Viet Minh
This conflict ended French control in Vietnam. This event impacted the Japanese and French empires because they could no longer control them. US was affected because they believed Vietnam was apart of the global communist movement. This led to the US helping South Vietnam. -
The First Indochina War
This conflict was Ho Chi Minh’s demand for indepednce and Frace wanting to regain control of Vietnam. Along with the pressures from the cold war. Civilians were affected from this war becuase the gurillla warfare was deadly and unlike anythign used in wars previjuosly. The US was affected because they funed the French war effort in order to stop communism. -
America Aids France
America provided enough aid, though they said they were neutral. This caused conflict between the US and France. The US and France were affected because the US needed their alliance with France to win the war, and France needed the US becuase they were struggling financially. The US was supposed to stay neutral because involvement would draw them into the war. This caused tension with Great Britain. -
The Domino Theory
The domino theory was a misrepresentation of the spread of communism. The US predicted that other countries would fall into communism after Vietnam, but they were wrong. This affected the soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War and all the citizens of both countries at war. Capitalists wanted to get rid of the spread of communism. This caused tensions for war along with the US process of containment. -
The Geneva Accords
This was the division of Vietnam. North Vietnam was under the control of communism, and South Vietnam with capitalism. The citizens of Vietnam were impacted by the split of their country and were trying to pick a side. This conflict escalated the Vietnam War. The US at first refused to participate because they were afraid of the spread of communism. -
Diệm’s Assasination
Diệm was in favor of catholics. He was experiencing many protests, and the US was becoming frustrated with his lack of military control. This impacted the republican government in South Vietnam, and its people saw this as an act of betrayal. His assassination ended the republican era and increased US involvement in the Vietnam War. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The US was patrolling Vietnam water and claimed to be attacked by a North Vietnamese battleship. This increased the tensions of the Vietnam War. Citizens were affected as more people were being sent into the war. This affected the escalation of the Vietnam War and the Cold War. The USSR was a key ally of North Vietnam, and US involvement threatened the spread of communism. -
My Lai Massacre
American troops brutally massacred innocent people in the village of My Lai. The people in the village were affected the most because they were killed and their homes were destroyed. This increased the US public's opposition to war. -
Use of Agent Orange
Agent Orange was supposed to clear forests and any vegetation to disrupt the Viet Cong’s ability to hide. However, this chemical had dangerous environmental and health effects. Affecting the people living in the area and the long-term environmental impacts in that area. This affected the airplanes and spread to the demilitarized zone, affecting almost all of Vietnam. -
The Tet Offensive
The main problem of this event was the effect on US public opinion against the war in Vietnam. Although the Viet Cong had lost a lot of people and the US was winning, a lot of casualties caused anti-war protests amongst the public. This affected the US becuase they didn’t know how to recover or how many numbers they would have coming forward. -
War Powers Act
A law to compromise the amount of power the U.S. president has over the military. Once it is passed, the president now has to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military forces. This affected the government and the president. This prevented escalating military action. This also limited the President's ability to respond quickly to the threats from the USSR so the tensions increasesed. -
U.S. troop withdrawals and Vietnamization
This event aimed to transfer fighting responsibility from U.S. Troops to the South Vietnamese military. Vietnam was affected by this becuase they are now on their own without the help of the U.S. troops. Although the U.S. still provided them with weapons and technology. This didn’t really affect the tensions, but it did make the Cold War dynamics more complex. -
The Fall of Saigon
This marked the end of the Vietnam War because North Vietnamese forces captured the capital of South Vietnam. South Vietnam is now under the control of communism. This affects all the people of South Vietnam. And the fear of communism in the U.S. increases. This weakened the U.S. international standing and boosted the strength of the USSR.