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Ho Chi Minh and the creation of the Viet Minh
Ho Chi Minh was a revolutionary and fought against France so Vietnam could be free. All of the countries in the area and the French were affected by this. This worried the US because a communist was taking over in Asia, especially because of the domino effect. -
The First Indochina War
The French and the Viet Minh fought because the French wanted to reclaim the area that they once had. The Vietnamese people suffered like the civilians, and the military but as well as the French soldiers. Also, Laos and Cambodia were drawn into the conflict. The Vietnamese won and the US didn’t want the domino theory to happen which drew them in. -
America Aids France
The US recognized the non-communist South Vietnam and sent aid to France. The American taxpayers were impacted because they had to pay millions of dollars for a war that they didn’t support. This increased tensions of the Cold War because it was the main capitalist country fighting against a newer communist country. -
Domino Theory
This was the idea that if one country became communist, then the others around it would eventually fall to it. The US was affected by this because they were scared that other countries would fall to communism. This increased tension because it was the thing that the US was scared of. -
The Geneva Accords
During this, the division of Vietnam happened, and the US did not sign the accords. This impacted the Vietnamese, especially the North, who were now under the control of Ho Chi Minh. This raised tensions because it officially made North Vietnam a communist country. -
Agent Orange
The use of this was to kill vegetation and food supplies of the Viet Cong. The Vietnamese civilians were impacted the most because Agent Orange causes cancer and deformation, which is still happening today with infected people. This rose tensions because it showed that the US was willing to do whatever it took to stop a communist country. -
Diem's Assassination
Diem was assassinated by South Vietnamese generals to get the support of the US. This impacted the US because it almost forced them to get into the war following the assassination. This rose tensions because it basically pushed the US into the war to fight against communism. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The US put a navy ship in the Gulf of Tonkin, and the Vietnamese fired torpedos at it multiple times. The president of the US was impacted because, after this, they resolved it by giving him all of the power in the country. This rose tensions because he decided to go to Vietnam due to the attack and the domino theory. -
The Lai Massacre
It was the mass killing of 500 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by the US, including women, children, and the elderly. The perception of the US was impacted the most after this because of how brutal it was. This increased tensions because the US attacked civilians on their side of the war. -
The Tet Offensive
It was a major military campaign between the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong against the South Vietnamese and the US. The people of South Vietnam and the US were impacted by this because it was an attack against them. This led to tensions because a communist country was fighting the US, which could lead to war. -
US troops withdrawals and Vietnamization
The troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, but never truly achieved a non-communist Vietnam. The US troops were impacted the most because they were treated so poorly when they returned home. This didn’t really raise tensions because they were being withdrawn. -
The War Powers Act
This was to limit the power of the president after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, and Congress passed it. The President was impacted the most because he lost a lot of the power he had prior to it. This didn’t really raise tensions because the US president just lost power. -
The Fall of Saigon
This was the ultimate win by the North against South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese were affected the most because they were now under communist rule. This raised tensions of the Cold War because a communist country defeated the US.