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The Beginning of Conflict
Video France took control of Vietnam over for over 100 years as a part as the colony known as Indochina. Japan occupied Vietnam during World War II. Ho Chi Minh decided to end French rule over Vietnam. The Americans rejected his proposal for them to help him. -
The Indochina War
The French did not accept the Vietnamese independence and they were soon at war. The war started December 19th, 1946. The US decided to side with the French and give them a lot of money and war support. The US hoped to prevent any communistic spread. The fighting continued for eight years. The turning point was in 1954 when the Vietnamese forced the French to surrender. The French vontrol over Vietnam was brought to an end. -
Eisenhower Cites the Domnio Theory
When Ho Chi Minh took control of Vietnam and defeated the French, many American leaders got afraid of the widespread of communism. Most people believed this to be called the domino theory- if one country fell to communisms it was thought that neighboring countries would be brought to communism. Pres. Eisenhower thought of it this way…. “You have a row of dominoes set up. You knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly." -
Campaign of Terror Against Villages Controlled by Deim
In March of 1959, Ho Chi Minh declares an armed revolution and declares a People's War to tr and combine all of Vietnam under his leadership. Then, Ngo Dinh Diem didn't like that. His government in the south blocked that. That launched an armed revolt from the south. This started the fighting between the north and the south. -
Vietcong Formed
Thousand of people who flee to North Vietnam in fear of arrest. Ho Chi Minh will later send all of those people back as soldiers to invade South Vietnam as the Vietcong, meaning Vietnamese communists. They blend in with the environment giving them the undercover advantage. -
U.S. Military begins using Agent Orange
Agent Orange was a mixture of chemicals that would kill the foliage in the jungles. The U.S. had sprayed over or more than 19 million gallons of AO over 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam. Later after the war, it was revealed to cause really bad health problems - including tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symtoms and different types of cancer. August 10th, 1961 was when it was first tested. -
Gulf Of Tonkin
South Vietnamese speedboats race to two military bases in north Vietnam. The USS Maddox was near here. Speedboats attack the USS Maddox with 3 missiles and 2machine guns but only 1 round of the machine guns actually hit the USS Maddox. The Ticonderoga attacked these speed boats and sank one but only damaged the other two. -
U.S. arial bombing - Operation Rolling Thunder
During the war, U.S. military aircraft bombed places throughout Vietnam from March 1965 to october 1968. This was intended to put pressure on the north's communist leaders. This was also to reduce their ability to wage war against US-supported government of the south. SOme say that this bombing came close to crippling North Vietnam's ability to wage war. Others also contend that the bombings effectiveness was limited. -
First US Troops Sent to Vietnam
3,500 military troops land in china to protect the da nang airbase. they join 23,000 military advisors already there. -
Tet Offensive
On January 31,1968, 84,000 Viet Cong guerrillas help the North Vietnamese troops launch Tet Offensive. This meant them attacking hundreds of cities through the South. 50 battalions of US and Southern troops defeat 35 NV army and Viet Cong battalions. That had happened during the battle of Saigon. During the Battle for Hue, NV Army and Viet Cong storm the historical city and execute over 3,000 “enemies of the people.” -
Vietnamization
In June 1969 Nixon announced Vietnamization, this meant that American troops began to gradually withdraw from Vietnam. Then it was south Vietnams responsibility for the war. In august 25,000 troops had returned home. -
KSU Incident
On May 4, 1970, a National Guardsmen shot and killed 4 students and wounded nine. These students were just simple protestors. In response to this, 400 colleges and universities across the US shut down. There were nearly 100,000 protestors surrounding Washington’s historical monuments and even the White House. Nixon exited the White House and gives a visit to the Lincoln Memorial and talks with the protestors. -
U.S. Troops Withdrawn from Vietnam
The last U.S. soldiers leave Vietnam for good. Although, military advisors and Marines still remain for protecting U.S. installations. The war is over for the U.S. -
Watergate Scandal
The Watergate scandal was where Nixon’s campaign advisors hired some guys to break into the democratic office and steal plans. They where caught and Nixon was later accused of approved of this scandal. -
Cites
