VietnamPath

=VIETNAM - THE PATH TO WAR =

You all know that the United States was involved in a major military conflict during the Cold War ... but why? What was America's "path to war"? Using the resources below and Creating America, your task this evening is to write a description in YOUR OWN WORDS of the causes of American involvement in Southeast Asia. Pretend you are writing it as a summary for on online encyclopedia or textbook. Your description should ...


 * be between two and four paragraphs
 * contain the following terms - France, Ho Chi Minh, communism, Ngo Dinh Diem, military advisors, Gulf of Tonkin
 * be IN YOUR OWN WORDS (remember, it's easy to check this online)
 * contain two images THAT RELATE TO YOUR WRITING
 * Should end with the first Marines landing in Vietnam in 1965

Need some help? How about ... //Creating America// [|Into Vietnam (Overview)] from ABC-CLIO [|**Vietnam War** - the **Causes**] [|Timeline of the Vietnam War] [|Vietnam Online Timeline] Causes of the Vietnam War video below media type="youtube" key="Fd8wKKfN7sM" height="344" width="425"

The Causes of the Vietnam War

The French had ruled its colony of French Indochina, including Vietnam, from the late 1800s to WW2. France grew prosperous from Vietnam's resources, but the people of Vietnam lost their land and became impoverished. Many Vietnamese nationalist groups wanted Vietnam to become an independent country, so rebellion began. Ho Chi Minh brought together three Communist groups to creat the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) in 1930. Their goal was an independent Vietnam controlled by peasants and other workers. The ICP organized protests, and France's reaction was to arrest or execute communist leader. Ho Chi Minh was sentenced to death while he was living in China. During WW2, Ho Chi Minh secretly returned to Vietnam while under rule of Japan, and he organized the Viet Minh to train soldiers. The US helped Ho Chi Minh in their battle against the Japanese because America was also fighting Japan. Vietnam became independent after Japan's surrender to the Allies, but the conflict was not over yet. France fought for power of Vietnam starting in 1946.

In 1950, the US entered the conflict in Vietnam by offering $10 million in military aid to the French. The US was now fighting against the same group they had supported in WW2. Truman and Eisenhower funded France's efforts because they feared that if Vietnam fell to communism, surrounding countries would too. Although France had America's support, the Viet Minh won the battle. In 1954, the Geneva Accords was agreed upon. It divided Vietnam into North and South on the 17th parallel, creating a demilitarized zone (DMZ). It was only temporary as elections were to be held in 1956 to unite the country. North Vietnam was controlled by Ho Chi Minh and his communist friends. Ngo Ding Diem, an anti-Communist, held power over South Vietnam. Many anti-Communists from North Vietnam escaped to the South on ships provided by the US.

Ho Chi Minh became popular in North Vietnam while Diem had little support in the South. As a result, Diem refused to hold elections because he knew he would lose his power and was supported by Eisenhower. Diem did not establish a democratic government, instead he allowed landlords to take back land given to peasants. He also was cruel to his opponents, including the South Vietnamese Communists, known as the Viet Cong. They fought to overthrow the Diem government and reunited the country under communism. The Viet Cong were supported by North Vietnam; soldiers and supplies were sent along paths known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Viet Cong were soon nearing victory. When Kennedy became president, he sent military advisors and supplies to South Vietnam. Because of Cold War crises, Kennedy kept the military advisors there in an effort to contain communism in Asia. The Diem government was pushed by the US to make political, economic, and military reforms, all of which were rejected. Kennedy soon lost confidence in Diem and supported a military coup overthrow in 1963. Diem was killed against Kennedy's wishes. Kennedy was assassinated three weeks later and Johnson became president.

As North Vietnamese forces held power over much of South Vietnam, US involvement increased. Plans were made in 1964 to bomb North Vietnam to force Ho Chi Minh to halt his support of the Viet Cong. Congress did not approve of the plan until a North Vietnam attack. North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the US destroyer //Maddox// in the Gulf of Tonkin. A second attack was reported two days later, but it was not confirmed. As a result, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Only two senators voted "no" and the "yes" vote in the House was unanimous. The first Marines landed in 1965 and their numbers grew quickly.