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Ho Chi Minh officially declares independence from Japan after the end of WWII and that Vietnam is a sovreign nation.
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Vietnam fights to free itself of French influence. The war results in the division of Vietnam in North and South. Communism reigns in the North while development in the South is highly influenced by the United States.
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Responding to the defeat of the French by the Vietminh at Dienbienphu, President Eisenhower outlines the Domino Theory: If one falls, its neighbors will quickly follow. This theory was strongly applied to the spread of communism throughout southeast Asia.
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9 countries meet in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the situation in Korea and "Indochina" (Vietnam). The outcome regarding Vietnam is the signing of the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam. The agreement ends the Indochina War and divides the country at the 17th paralleld.
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In a rigged election, Diem is elected president and declares himself President of The Republic of Vietnam and becomes a rigid leader, unpopular with the people but backed by the US.
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Communists in North Vietnam use the Ho Chi Minh Trails to transport weapons into the South to support a revolt against Diem and the US.
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The Gulf of Tonking Resolution greatly expanded US involvement in Vietnam in response to the attack on a US naval vessel and the alleged attack of a second in the Gulf of Tonkin. The second incident was proved to be fake and this evidence cast doubt on President Johson and his cabinet. Many believed that LBJ purposefully misled Congress and US citizens in order to launch all out war in Vietnam.
