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Born with the name Nguyen That Thanh on May 19,1890 he was born into french controlled Vietnam. His father was a high ranking official but was removed due to criticizing the french.
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Ho Chi Minh traveled the world on a french ship for work.
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When living in paris in the 1920's he was a founding member of the French Communist Party.
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In 1930 he founded the Indo-Chinese Communist party (ICP). He spent the 30’s in the Soviet Union and communist China.
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When Vietnam was invaded by Japan he returned to revolt the Japanese and spread communism. He founded the Viet-minh based on those beliefs and named himself Ho Chi Minh which means ‘Bringer of light’.
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The viet-minh declared independence but the french disagreed there was then 8 years of civil war.
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The Domino theory was/is the idea that if one country or nation became Communist then the surrounding nations would follow suit (like dominos) and is now the reason/justification made for the US messing the Vietnam after Ho Chi Minh declared independence. Popularized in the 1950s
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This battle that was ended on May 7, 1954 was the final push of the viet-minh to remove the french from Vietnam. Dien Bien Phu was a town used as a base for the french, the Viet-minh overrun the base with almost 40,000 men armed with heavy artillery. After the defeat the french sought a treaty at Geneva and held lasting shame within the french army.
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He was highly supported by the US in his election in Southern Vietnam in 1955. The US’s goal was to use him to unite Vietnam as capitalist but he turned against them and became a total dictator after threatening people and arresting opponents to win the vote, received a 98% approval rate and forced his religion apon southern Vietnam. He was overthrown in November 1963
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This was the “first televised war”. By late 1960’s most Americans owned tvs .News networks overdramatized the action for profit.Through photos and videos, the public saw the war and horrors of the Tet Offensive.This made more join war efforts.Since combat and fighting was now recorded,many saw the brutal reality of war. Being drafted for war wasn’t a privilege but a duty that cost thousands of lives. People saw the realities the boys were living in, but also horrors the Vietnam army committed.
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War of Attrition is a traditional style of fighting, which the United States utilized during the Vietnam war. In War of Attrition, war is won through the conquering of land, with the goal usually being to wear down the enemy. This warfare style was controversial during the Vietnam War, as it involved civilian casualties which angered US peace activists.
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Guerilla warfare was used by the North Vietnamese army towards the beginning of the war. It involved non traditional battle techniques like ambushes, raids, and sabotages which meant to overwhelm the enemy. Guerilla warfare relied on the element of surprise. This style of warfare was effective when used by the North Vietnamese army, because of their knowledge of the land.
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To attempt to eliminate tree cover, in 1962 the US sprayed 20 million gallons of herbicide over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos’ forests in a program codenamed “Agent Orange.” It was later proven that this herbicide mix caused cancer, birth defects, rashes, and neurological problems. 2.4 American soldiers were also exposed to the harsh chemicals, and in 1979 a lawsuit was filed against Agent Orange, in which seven chemical companies payed $180 million in compensation.
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Napalm was used throughout the war Napalm is the name for a jelly like mixture of plastic polystyrene, gasoline, and hydrocarbon benzene. This lethal mix was used by American troops in flamethrowers, bombs, and other explosives against the Vietnamese army. When ignited, napalm sticks to the victim and burns for ten minutes, from temperatures ranging from 1500 f to 2200 f. Its side effects includes unimaginable pain, severe third degree burns, and usually death.
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Kennedy was assassinated on November 22 1963 from his car by Lee Harvery Oswald, and is viewed to this day as one of the saddest days in US history. His vice president, Lyndon Johnson took over the position, and expelled the previous presidents plans to remove all troops from Vietnam by 1965 therefore vetoing Kennedys plans to stop the US’s involvement in the war.
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An order by the US on August 7, 1964 to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression” against northern Vietnam, which is seen as the official introduction of the US in the Vietnam war.
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The infamous Vietnam protests took place primarily on college campuses across the united states.Thousands of people participated in protests, sit-ins, and “draft burning card” movements. The anti-war campaigns increased drastically after the 1966 draft. The first protest violence occurred at University of Wisconsin in 1967 when police and protestors clashed. These protests drew huge media coverage and took national spotlight.
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Vietnamization was a strategy implemented by President Richard Nixon in 1968 that meant to limit American involvement in the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War. US troops were moved to South Vietnam, where they aimed to prepare and weaponize South Vietnam’s military, as well as strengthen their government. The goal of Vietnamization was to make South Vietnam self-sufficient enough that American involvement in the Vietnam War was no longer necessary.
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The Tet Offensive was a series of coordinated attacks staged by North Vietnamese troops on January 31, 1968 against South Vietnam. 85,000 troops stormed five major Southern Vietnamese cities, countless military installations, and even small villages. North Vietnam lost most of these battles, but these attacks were not meant to help them win the war, but instead meant to escalate it. After the Tet Offensive, support for the United States entering the war increased among the general public.
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Republican Richard Nixon beat former Vice President and Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey. Nixon ran a campaign based on restoring “law and order” to the United States, which appealed to a nation engaged in the Vietnam War, peace protests, and civil rights movements.
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After Geneva, he became the president of communist northern Vietnam and America didn't like that very much so they decided to have a war in the 1960s (vietnam war). He died in 1969
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In April 1970, President Richard Nixon secretly authorized the bombing of Cambodia, which at the time was a neutral country. This expansion of the war lead to major backlash and protests from anti-war and peace activists
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Members of the Ohio National Guard fired into protestors from Kent State University, killing four and injuring nine. This event led to a national student strike that forced hundreds of colleges to close.
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Henry Kissinger was national security advisor to president Nixon. He began secret meetings in the 1970s with North Vietnamese representative Le Duc Tho to negotiate peace. Le Duc Tho was the 5th ranking member of Hanoi Politburo. Negotiations took place outside Paris. The Paris peace accords were created to end the war but collapsed two years later.
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When the communists took southern vietnam's capital in 1975 they renamed it after him.
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Before US troops were removed from the country, the communists violated the ceasefire clause of the peace and full war began again. In April of 1975 the final american troops were removed from Saigon which was taken by the communist party and south vietnam was taken wholly under control of the north.
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The socialist republic of Vietnam was officially proclaimed in July. Vietnam was not prepared for peacetimes and experienced many economic difficulties.Many were left homeless, wounded and killed from the war. The country then faces flooding and droughts dropping food supply. When socialization of the industry and agriculture was announced many people fled the country. Trying to maintain military forces also proved to be costly. By 1988 a new program was launched to fix these issues.
