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Japan surrendered to the Allies
As japan surrenders to the Allies they gave up control of Indochina, people responded quickly to this as Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence. This however didn't last as the French did not want to lose a big source of their resources so they invaded in 1946. This falls into political as it caused conflicts between France and Vietnam. -
Geneva Accords
There began to be negotiations for peace, one of them being in Geneva, Switzerland. The Geneva Accords called for a division along the 17th parallel dividing Vietnam. The Accords also called for elections to be held in 1956 to reunite the country as a whole. This was political as it was held to try to come up with a compromise for peace. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On August 2nd, Johnson declared that North Vietnamese had torpedo boats firing on two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf Of Tonkin and two days later another attack. Then the Gulf Of Tonkin resolution passed which allowed the resident to take necessary measures to defend the U.S. for more attacks. This was military as the torpedo boats were an active attack on the U.S. but it was also political as the president requested Congress to allow the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. -
U.S. escalates war with new ground troops
In March, Johnson ordered the first U.S. combat troops into Vietnam along with a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. These events angered North Vietnam even more therefore escalating the war. This was military as it involved the U.S. increasing the war and sending more troops into Vietnam to fight. -
Tet offensive launched by North Vietnam
During the Vietnamese New Year, Tet, Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack called Tet Offensive. This is where guerrilla fighters attacked American airbases and blasted into the American Embassy in Saigon. This was military as guerrilla warfare is a common attack in the military as well as airbases being part of the military. -
Paris Peace Talks and release of prisoners
When coming to an agreement, the U.S. wanted all prisoners of war to be released within 60 days of signing. The peace agreement was signed in January 1973, and all prisoners were released by April. This was political as it was a meeting held to discuss a peace talk. -
Fall of Saigon
North Vietnamese troops were getting closer told Saigon, U.S. troops took action and used helicopters to evacuate 1,000 Americans and 5,000 Vietnamese within 19 hours. After this North Vietnamese captured Saigon and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City. This was military as it involved helicopters rescuing tons of people and North Vietnamese attacking and taking over Saigon. -
Vietnam Veteran's Memorial dedicated in Washington, DC
Due to the number of deaths during the war, Vietnam stayed in the United States mind over the years. So in 1982 a granite wall which was inscribed with names of those that were killed or went missing during the war. It was named the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial dedicated in Washington, DC. This was political as it was put in place to remember the people who died in the war.