Vietnam War - Causes and Effects

Introduction

• Part of AP US History curriculum, focusing on US Cold War involvement.
• Discussing both domestic and international implications of the Cold War.
• Focus on the Vietnam War.

Background

• Division of Vietnam: After decolonization, Vietnam was divided into communist North (led by Ho Chi Minh) and democratic South, allied with the US.
• Domino Theory: US supported South Vietnam to prevent a domino effect of countries falling to communism.

US Involvement

• Eisenhower to Kennedy:
  • Eisenhower promoted containment of communism.
  • Kennedy endorsed the domino theory, sending military advisers to South Vietnam.
  • Advisers were claimed to support, not fight.
• Kennedy Assassination & Johnson Presidency:
  • Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson became President.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

• Event: North Vietnamese allegedly fired on a US battleship.
• Resolution: Johnson used this to justify military involvement.
  • Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving broad powers to the president, but did not declare war.

Military Escalation

• Initial Troops: Already 16,000 US advisers in Vietnam by 1963.
• North Vietnamese Forces: 40,000 soldiers in South Vietnam by 1963.
• US Strategy: Johnson's step-by-step escalation failed; led to increased troop deployment.
• Troop Numbers: 200,000 US troops by 1965, over 400,000 by 1967.

Opposition and Impact

• American Opposition:
  • War was not officially declared by Congress, causing debate.
  • Civil rights movement and anti-war protests intensified.
  • Credibility Gap: Discrepancy between Johnson administration's reports and televised reality.
  • Tet Offensive: Surprise attack by North Vietnamese; heavy casualties but ultimately inflicted greater losses on Vietcong.

End of War

• Escalation Ends: Johnson's advisors opposed further escalation.
• Nixon's Vietnamization:
  • Aimed to reduce US presence while supporting the South Vietnamese.
  • Nixon effectively ended the Vietnam War.

Conclusion

• Overview of US policy and military action in Vietnam during the Cold War.
• Contextualizes the social and political impacts domestically in the US.