Vietnam 4.3

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

The Cold War - Vietnam and the 1970s

Recap

Why was the Berlin wall built?

The Berlin Wall was built by the

1. British government
2. American government
3. Soviet government
4. East German government

Cuba Crisis = a crisis

CUBA CRISIS

easy peasy

miss some info

no clue

i'm ok

The Cold War - Vietnam and the 1970s

Lesson goals

At the end of this lesson:

- You can explain the essence of the Vietnam War including why it was a  part of the Cold War

- You can explain why the 1970s was a relatively conflict low period and why this ended

Goal: why did the USA lose the war in Vietnam? 

remever ... questions come back later ....

• To what extent were American military tactics responsible for their failure in Vietnam?

• How important was negative public opinion in America as a reason for the USA’s loss in the Vietnam War?

• To what extent did the American forces fail in Vietnam due to weaknesses in their South Vietnamese allies?

Vietnam war 1946-1954 (France) and 1964-1973 (US)

Important questions:

• Why is this a Cold War conflict?
  
• Why didn’t the Americans succeed in winning?

Cold War conflict

• It’s a Cold War conflict when the US and SU or one of their allies are involved in the conflict
  
• The communists from North Vietnam (Vietcong) want to take over the South (capitalist) and make it communist
  
• Truman doctrine: Containment
  
• Domino theory
  

Vietnam war

- French colony until 1954.

- Vietnam was divided into a communist north and a capitalist south, and conflict ensued.

- After almost ten years of fighting, the Americans admitted defeat in 1973.

- Vietnam was reunited into one communist country in 1976.

American Loss

American Loss

• Strongest army in the world
  
• Over half a million soldiers
  
• More bombs used than in WOII
  
• Napalm
  
• No success
  

Causes

• Jungle: enemy almost invisible. Makes fighting difficult and frustrating
  
• Enemy is persistent: leader Ho Chi Minh
  
• Homefront is not always on the side of the US government - sixties/hippies!
  

In at most three words: why did the Americans get involved in Vietnam?

More protests

against Vietnam

End of war

• Door alle media aandacht die de Vietnamoorlog krijgt ontstaan er protesten over de gehele wereld. 
• De soldaten die de oorlog voerden verloren moed,  het was een oorlog die niet meer te winnen was. 
• In 1973 verlaat Amerika Vietnam, zo wordt heel Vietnam communistisch 

Hippies

• Flower power
• Love, not war.
  

Laat de hippies zien van het tabblad dat open staat.

To Do

 Vietnam 4.3: 1, 3, 6a, 7, 11

Détente and renewed tension

From 1962, Cuba Crisis, to 1979 there is less tenstion between the Superpowers.

So what happens in 1979 (end of Détente)?

1. Soviets attack Afghanistan
2. Reagan elected as President of the US

 

What does it tell you about Reagan that he helped to end the Détente?