Vietnam-Path+to+War




 * A BRIEF HISTORY OF VIETNAM [[image:turningpoints/vietnamsill.gif align="right" caption="vietnamsill.gif"]]**

Pre 1800s – **Vietnam has Dynastic rulers, influenced by China**

LATE 1800s – **Vietnam is a french colony (french indochina)**

1930s – **communist revolts led by Ho ChI Minh – Ho Chi Minh flees to China and USSR**

1940s – **Ho Chi Minh forms Vietminh party in order to liberate Vietnam – declare independence in 1945**

1954 – **Vietminh successfully defeats French in north Vietnam and establish communist government in north**

1954 – **Vietnam is split temporarily** **by the Geneva Accords, with free elections to be held in 1956 to unite the nation**

LATE 1950s – **Civil War in Vietnam between Communist North and American-supported South (US is against HO CHI MINH because he wants to spread communism)**


 * PRESIDENTIAL INVOLVEMENT **
 * [[image:turningpoints/hst.gif align="left" caption="hst.gif"]] || [[image:turningpoints/dde.gif align="left" caption="dde.gif"]] || [[image:turningpoints/lfk.gif align="left" caption="lfk.gif"]] || [[image:turningpoints/lbj.gif align="left" caption="lbj.gif"]] ||
 * **TRUMAN**
 * Sent economin and military aid to france to help them keep their colonies in indochina( including Vietnam) wanted to stop the spread of communism: containment** || **EISENHOWER**
 * notes**
 * believes in the domino theory: one country falls to communism, all other countries fall to communism. sends military advises to help south Vietnam, and sets up a temporary government there. Ngo Dinh Diem--leads south Vietnam, won't hold free elections.**
 * People hated him so they killed themselves.** || **KENNEDY**
 * notes**
 * U.S. supports an overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963. Doesnt want to appear soft on communism--at his death there were 16000 military advisers, americans, in vietnam.** || **JOHNSON**
 * notes**
 * Commits the US fully to the war in Vietnam.** ||


 * =** The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution **=

notes -shots are fired at the USS Maddox. -" I want to take all necessary measures" to protect American Forces and "prevent further agression"--a blank check -passes unanimously..all except for 2 senators. Americans are scared of the spread of communism. -We don't want to send so many people so "Operation Rolling Thunder" is dropping more bombs than in the entire WWII. ||  ||  ||
 * Sec. of Defense Robert McNamera ||  ||


 * [[image:http://cdn.dipity.com/uploads/events/0bbab3dff8455159bcacb94c240ceb82_1M.png caption="external image 0bbab3dff8455159bcacb94c240ceb82_1M.png"]] || =** Operation Rolling Thunder **=

notes -We don't want to send so many people so "Operation Rolling Thunder" is dropping more bombs than in the entire WWII. -bombed the lving tar out of vietnam. -March of 1965--marines, the first ground troops are sent in. 3500 of them. ||

= =
 * = American ground troops enter Vietnam =

notes -March 1965--the fisrt American ground troops are sent in. 3,500 of them are sent in. || ||

My questions about the Vietnam War: