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A force of 40,000 Vietminh charge towards the french at Dienbienphu. Vietminh make it impossible for the french to recienve any supplies by air. The french are ventually defeated.
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A Vietminh General and French General sign an agreement regarding Vietnam. Part of the agreement says that a line will be drawn at the 17th parallel to divided Vietnam until elections are held.
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Diem Rejects the conditions of the Geneva accords. They then refuse to participate in the nationwide election.
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Communist insurgency activity beigns in South VIetnam. Guerrillas kill 400 South Vietnamese officials. Armed companies beign to organize around the Mekong Delta. Terrorist bombings begin in Saigon.
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North Vietnam forms group 559 to move weapons into south Vietnam through the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
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The North Vietnamese government started the national liberation front to provoke insurgency in South Vietnam.
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400 Guerillas attack a small village in Kienhoa. They are defeated by South Vietnam.
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The South Vietnamese military overthrew Diem. He was then shot and killed, along with his brother.
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President Kennedy ws assasinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon Johnson took over to deal with Vietnam.
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The USS Maddox reported contact from the Noth Vietnamese navy. It resulted in the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which gave the United States justification for deploying troops into southeast Asia.
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This was the first major battle between United States troops and North Vietnamese.Both sides claimed victory.
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North Vietnam launched three phases of surprise attacks against South Vietnam that casued South Vietnam to temporarily lose control of areas that the U.S. and South Vietnam eventuallly recaptured. The attacks were a victory for the U.S. and South Vietnam however the Vietcong recieved a boost in morale.
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United States soldiers went into the village onf My Lai and killed hundreds of unarmed civilians who they thought were part of the enemy.
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Richard Nixon barely beats Hubert Humphrey for presidency. Nixon took a different approach to the war. He believed that the war could not be won and wanted to end it as quick as possible.
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Guardsmen open fire on students protesting the war in Ohio. four students were killed and eight were wounded.
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The North Vietnamese captured the capitol of South Vietnam. South Vietnam surrendered and the American embassy was evacuated.
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North VIetnam established the socialist republic of Vietnam. All of the government leaders were former North VIetnamese officials. They established a new capitol in Hanoi.
