The Vietnam War & Social Change
Major Changes
- For the first time in history, a mass of American citizens lose hope in their military. The failures in Vietnam spark a hippie movement that urge the government to stop fighting and pull troops back home.
- Women gain the right to choice. With the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme court precedent, women are allowed to have an abortion. This was a milestone for expanding the rights of women in America.
- Rock 'n' Roll evolves with The Beatles. Rock stars such as John Lennon gain the ability to captivate the thoughts and attention of thousands of citizens and open their minds to the corruption in society.
Vietnam war in Asia
vietnam splits with the Geneva Accords*![]() In 1954, The Geneva Accords went into effect. The goal was to split Vietnam into two to make it easier for the French to withdraw. Also, an election was set to be held in 1956, however a political group who called themselves The Democratic Republic of Vietnam had arisen. The Republic of Vietnam did not agree with this. The U.S. backed the Republic with money and supplies. The split occurred at the 17th Parallel.
The Domino Theory*![]() The Domino Theory is the whole reason the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War. We feared that if we let one country fall to communism, the ones around it would soon follow. This goes against the policy of containment that was established right after WWII. The president was not about to let Vietnam start the chain reaction, yet he was again held back by congress to enter the war. Something had to be done.
The Cu Chi Tunnels![]() Part of the reason the U.S. Was doing so poorly in the war was because we could never find the Viet Cong soldiers we were fighting. The Viet Cong build an elaborate maze of tunnels where they could live. they also made quick escapes from napalm. Napalm is essentially a ball of gas that is dropped from a plane and set on fire. Many airstrikes that the U.S. used during the war involved napalm but the Viet Cong would simply hop in their tunnels and be unaffected.
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Ho Chi Minh's Regeim*![]() After the split, the country was divided into two political ideologies. The Northern half were the Communists, and the Southern half were the Capitalists. Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the Communists, as well as the leader of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). He was a fierce leader and refused to surrender under any circumstances.
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution*![]() On August 2nd, 1964, President Johnson's dream was about to come true. The White House reported that a U.S. Naval vessel, the USS Maddox, was blown up by Northern Vietnamese troops. 5 days later, Congress issued the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which allowed LBJ to spend as much money on a war in Vietnam as he wanted to. This is when the U.S. committed a large amount of troops. Years later, in 2005, the documents were declassified and it was released that this whole incident was over-exaggerated. Turns out that the ship was never blown up, it was just fired upon and it returned fire. The radicals fled after they returned fire.
The tet offensive*![]() The TET offensive was one of the biggest wins for the U.S. while in Vietnam. During the Vietnamese new year, a two day cease fire was called. The Northern Vietnamese decided to attack anyways and they ambushed Southern Vietnamese and U.S. Troops unexpectedly. The U.S. ended up winning the battle by a landslide. Thousands of Viet Cong lost their lives on this ambush yet Ho Chi Minh refused to surrender. This was a turning point in the war for many Americans back home. Many recognized that this war was pointless because the Viet Cong were never going to surrender. Still the war waged on.
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trouble on the home front
Vietnamization*
![Picture](/uploads/9/6/3/5/9635469/3669363.jpg?710)
Nixon ran his campaign promising Americans that he would end the war in Vietnam. His plan to withdraw troops became known as Vietnamization. It called for a gradual withdraw of troops in order for the South Vietnamese to take on a more active combat role in the war. These Southern Vietnamese troops were trained by our U.S. troops. By August of 1969, the first 25,000 troops had returned home from Vietnam. Over the next three years, hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops were withdrawn to less than 25,000.
Social change
core american values |
- Patriotism: One of the weirdest forms of patriotism we have is through the silent voters. Looking on TV, one would think that the majority of Americans opposed the war, but it was quite the opposite. The ones who spoke out against the war were simply the radical activists. As we found through the election of Nixon, the silent majority was mostly republican. Many people actually supported the war and this silent support through voting is a form a Patriotism.
- Economic Help: Through Nixon's policy of Vietnamization, we pulled U.S. troops out of Vietnam. At the same time, we provided Southern Vietnamese troops with training and arms so they could fight their own war.
- Hope: The hippie movement sparked a huge hope for peace among America's radicals. Many felt that you cannot fight in a war for peace so many hoped that our president would end the war.