THE VIETNAM WARTHE VIETNAM WAR

BYBYLAURA LAURA

RODRÍGUEZ RODRÍGUEZ NAVARRONAVARRO

BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND Since 1887, the Indochina peninsula was a French

colony. Today it is formed by Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (former Burma) and Thailand.

1940 – France was under Nazi dominance and allowed Japan to access North Vietnam, facilitating also China’s entry into that territory.

1945 – Japan occupied Indochina progressively until this year, when it lost its control after the defeat in the WWII.

End of WWII– France controlled again Indochina’s territory.

1950 – Viet Minh, a communist organization from North Vietnam that fought for the independence, established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under the governance of the communist leader Ho Chi Minh.

1954 – France was defeated at Dien Bien Phu battle. Victory for Viet Minh.

BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND

Geneva Conference (1954)– Division of Vietnam: NORTH – Communism supported by the USSR; its first President was Ho Chi Minh. SOUTH - Republic of Vietnam supported by the USA; its first President was Ngo Dinh Diem. The war between both is about to begin.

Desire of reunification

fromNorth Vietnam

Refusal to the reunificationfrom the South

side.

The Vietcong was the military arm of the

National Liberation Front (NLF), created by the

North Vietnamese communists to escalate the armed struggle in

South Vietnam.

War breakout1956

Referendum forreunification was

cancelled.

CAUSE OF THE WARCAUSE OF THE WAR

The USA’s purpose

Stop the expansion of communism

NATOMarshall PlanTrumanDoctrine

INTERVENTION OF THE INTERVENTION OF THE USAUSA

The USA got involved in the war.

CharacteristicsIt is the first and only defeat of the

US army.A long war: aprox. 20 years.

Usage of massive bombs on the civil.

Chemical war (orange agent).Cruelty with the prisoners

from the other side.American Helicopters during the war

There was no front line -> Guerrilla warfare

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WARWAR

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WARWAR

PHASES OF THE WARPHASES OF THE WAR 1st 1st phasephase – – Guerrilla Phase Guerrilla Phase (1957-1964).(1957-1964). - US’s President Eisenhower began giving economic and

military assistance to the South Vietnamese to stop elections for reunification.

- In 1960, the NFL was created -> Vietcong. It received men and supplies from North Vietnam through the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

- Counter-guerrilla efforts (allied forces) were far to defeat the guerrillas.

- The south side lost lands year by year- 1961-63, There’s no direct intervention from the USA,

whose president was John F. Kennedy. Only advisors were sent.

- In 1963, Diem was overthrown in a military coup.- 1964: Gulf of Tonkin Incident

PHASES OF THE WARPHASES OF THE WAR 2nd 2nd phasephase – – Gradual escalation Gradual escalation (1965-1967).(1965-1967). - The war took a new dimension. The USA assumes a

new role. President Johnson raised American strength in 125,000 men. Troops were also sent by South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

- The communists responded too, they increased their forces. China and the Soviet Union supplied equipment.

- Intense fighting.- 1967-68: Tet offensive.

PHASES OF THE WARPHASES OF THE WAR 3rd 3rd phasephase – – Final phase Final phase (1968-1975).(1968-1975). - Peace talks. Until communists launched another

offensive in Tet holidays (1969)- 1969: “Vietnamization” from R. Nixon.- 1970: US troops began leaving Vietnam. - 1971: Extended war in Indochina: South Vietnamese

forces invaded Laos to cut off Communists infiltration.- 1972: North Vietnamese launched a large-scale

offensive into the south, and occupied much territory.- 1973: US troops are totally retired. Paris Peace

Agreement.- 1975: North Vietnam’s victory. Unconditional

surrender from the south side. Formal unification occurred in 1976.

HO CHI MINH TRAILHO CHI MINH TRAIL

Political consequences

Unfavorable image internationally and within its own country, because of the intervention in a foreign conflict and the cruelty of the tactics.

Its defeat damages “The Manifest Destiny”, a theory that was used to designate the belief that the USA was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean.

EFFECTS IN THE USAEFFECTS IN THE USA

Economical consequences

Factories that would have been producing consumer goods were being used to make items for the war.

EFFECTS IN THE USAEFFECTS IN THE USA

Military expenditures, combined with domestic social spending, created budget deficits which fueled inflation.

Interest rates rose, restricting the amount of capital available for businesses and consumers.

Funds were not returning to the country -> Weak dollar.

No consumer confidence

Social consequences

Hippie Movement

Internalopposition

Violent crashes between students and the police.

Addiction todrugs.

American soldierswere affected by theorange agent.

Vietnam Syndrome

58.209 dead303.635 wounded

1948 missed

EFFECTS IN THE USAEFFECTS IN THE USA

Universities as stages.

EFFECTS IN THE USAEFFECTS IN THE USA

Political consequences.

Country reunification by the communist regime.

EFFECTS IN VIETNAMEFFECTS IN VIETNAM

Social, economical and environmentalconsequences.

70 % of the Infrastructurewas shattered

Forests were destroyed Deeply damagedcrops

Mass exodusto cities

Orange AgentPremature abortionsSterilityMalformations

830.000 dead 900.000 wounded

EFFECTS IN VIETNAMEFFECTS IN VIETNAM

Consequences

A cruel imageof the USA wasadopted

Guerrilla warfare wasthe protagonist

Laos and Cambodiacame undercommunist rule.

EFFECTS IN THE WORLDEFFECTS IN THE WORLD

TIME LINETIME LINE

VIETNAM TODAYVIETNAM TODAY- “Doi Moi" (renovation) policy in 1986: economic

liberalization and structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries.

- Vietnam's exports to the US increased 900% from 2001 to 2007.

- 2007: Vietnam joined the WTO.- 2008, Vietnam assumed a nonpermanent seat on the

UN Security Council for the 2008-09 term.- GDP - Composition by sector: AgricultureAgriculture: 22% (paddy

rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; seafood). IndustryIndustry: 39.9% (food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper). ServicesServices: 38.1% (2008 est.)

“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”

“El hombre tiene que establecer un final para la guerra. Si no, la guerra

establecerá un final para la humanidad.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Bibliography

• http://www.vietnampix.com/intro.htm• http://history.howstuffworks.com/vietnam-war/vietnam-war.htm

• http://www.historycentral.com/sixty/Economics/Vietnam.html

• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html