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Americans Back French in Vietnam
Although the United States disliked Imperialism, the French were losing their imperialist grip on Vietnam. With a fear of communism spreading throughout Southeast Asia, the United States decided to assist the French militarily, so this would be categorized as mostly a military event. -
Defeat at Dien Bien Phu
Even though they had been receiving aid from the United States, French forces kept losing in Vietnam. In May of 1954, the French lost a decisive battle at Dien Bien Phu, which caused them to withdraw from Indochina. This was mostly a mostly a military event, of course, but it was also political because the war had become unpopular in with the French people. -
The Geneva Accords
In trying to end the war, the Geneva Accords were held. Vietnam was divided by communist rule in the north and anti-communist rule in the south, which was backed by the United States. These agreements called for elections, but southern leaders refused to hold the elections fearing that the communists would win. This was a entirely political event because these were politically created decisions. -
The Overthrow of Diem
After the failure of political agreements and no elections, the North Vietnamese began military actions to reunite the south. Diem, the leader of South Vietnam, became unpopular, and a successful military coup, planned by South Vietnamese generals and backed by the United States, removed and killed him. The political situation in the south worsened after this. This was mostly a political event to replace the leader, but it was carried out by the military. -
North Vietnamese Attack American Warships
North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson asked Congress for the approval to defend American forces. The Vietcong then began attacking American military bases, and Johnson ordered bombing in North Vietnam. These were military events and dragged the United States deeper into a military conflict. -
American Teach-ins Begin
After the attacks by the Vietcong, fighting continued to escalate between them and American soldiers. When this happened, teachers and students began to discuss opposition to the fighting in what were called "teach-ins." These were political events that were created to educate people about the war. -
Vietnam War Protests
Following the teach-ins, opposition to the Vietnam War escalated to become organized protests in Washington, D.C. The war had become even more unpopular because of the killing and the drafting of American citizens to fight in Vietnam. These were political events that happened to try to change the American policies of supporting and increasing the fighting in Vietnam -
The Tet Offensive
Americans had believed that the war in Vietnam could be won and that the Vietcong were near defeat. However, they were shocked in 1968 when the Vietcong successfully launched a major offense known as The Tet Offensive against Americans. After this event, Americans began to doubt that the war could be won. While this was mostly a military event, it had political implications in the United States by changing the public view of winning the war. -
Nixon Becomes President
As the Vietnam War worsened for the United States, President Johnson did not seek reelection. Running on a campaign to win the war and to restore peace in the United States, Richard Nixon won the presidency. However, as Nixon attempted to defeat the Vietcong by expanding the war, opposition to the war increased in America. This increased military action led to political events in the United States. -
The United States Ends Involvement
Nixon continued to expand the war into North Vietnam, and papers were leaked that showed he intended to continue to expand the war. This outraged many Americans who sensed that Nixon had lied to them. Protest became violent, and the Congress became angry toward Nixon's policies. Congress became to take power away from Nixon, and an agreement was signed to end the war and for United States troops to leave Vietnam. Nixon's military events led to political consequences in America.