Vietnam War

By abatra

  • Geneva Accords

    Geneva Accords
    The Geneva Accords ended the French Indochina War, in which Vietnam was divided temporarily at the 17th parallel (North Vietnam was governed by Ho Chi Minh and South Vietnam was governed by Ngo Dinh Diem). The elections to unify the nation were set to be in 1956.

  • Cancellation of Vietnam Elections

    Cancellation of Vietnam Elections
    Ngo Dinh Diem, who was a strong anti-communist and South Vietnam's president, refused to take part in the elections. The U.S. supported Diem and and the cancellation of the elections for fear that Ho Chi Minh, who was gaining popularity over Diem, would win.

  • Overthrowing Diem

    Overthrowing Diem
    While president of Vietnam, Diem had a corrupt government, did not return land to peasants, and restricted Buddhist practices. Because of Diem's decreasing popularity and harsh methods, the U.S. supported a military coup to overthrow Diem, where he was assassinated.

  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
    After the USS Maddox was fired on in the Gulf of Tonkin (where the U.S. was in North Vietnamese territory), Congress approved President Johnson's request for power to take any means necessary to prevent further attacks. This gave Johnson broad military powers over Vietnam without declaring war.

  • Tet Offensive

    Tet Offensive
    On the Buddhist holiday of Tet, the Vietcong attacked every major metropolitan center in South Vietnam, including an American base and the U.S. embassy in Vietnam. The American military was able to recapture all territory lost; however, this event was the turning point that lead majority of the Americans back home to be against the Vietnam War.

  • Invasion of Cambodia

    Invasion of Cambodia
    President Nixon initiated a temporary invasion of Vietnam's neighbor, Cambodia, in order to destroy the Ho Chi Minh trail that was there. This caused a lot of upset back home in America.

  • Kent State Massacre

    Kent State Massacre
    Students at Kent State University protested Nixon's decision of the invasion of Cambodia, where they thought it extended the war. The governor of Ohio sent in the National Guard to maintain control at Kent State, in which several soldiers fired their rifles, resulting in 4 students being killed.