Topic 8.8: Vietnam War (1 gen 1955 anni – 1 gen 1975 anni)

Descrizione:

Cause:

- The U.S. wanted to contain communism and believed in the domino theory (if one country became communist, others would follow).
- The U.S. did not understand the long history of French colonialism in Vietnam and the strong nationalism of the North Vietnamese people.
- Ho Chi Minh, the leader of North Vietnam, tried to get support from the U.S. by copying parts of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. But the U.S. supported France and South Vietnam, not Ho Chi Minh.
- Because the U.S. didn’t help, Ho Chi Minh turned to Communist China for support.
- The war began between U.S.-backed South Vietnam and Communist North Vietnam.
- The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave President LBJ and later Nixon almost unlimited power to fight the war, even without a formal declaration.
- JFK first sent advisors, and LBJ increased the war. Nixon expanded the war to Cambodia and Laos.
- The U.S. used harmful weapons like napalm and Agent Orange and committed war crimes like the My Lai Massacre.

Effect:
- The president’s power increased a lot during the war.
- The war caused debates in America about how much power the president should have.
- The War Powers Act was later passed to limit the president’s power and set time rules for troops.
- The Tet Offensive was a big defeat for the U.S. and hurt American morale.
- Vietnamization was Nixon’s plan to slowly remove U.S. troops and give control to South Vietnam.
- The war ended with “peace with honor,” but later, the fall of Saigon made it seem like a major failure for the U.S.

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