apsuki-2006

DBQ - Vietnam War

As the Cold War began at the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII, one of the devastating wars during the Cold War was the Vietnam War. The war challenged America to redefine its political and social beliefs through Tet offensive, protestors, and many more as many believed that the war was too violent and unnecessary and showed a political weakness.

The Vietnam War was a war between the North and South Vietnam, with their own allies; North for communism and South for anticommunism. The U.S. of course helped the South economically and militarily and the Soviet Union and China helped the North. Passed in 1965, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave permission for the U.S. to send as many troops as they want. But by 1968, the conflict did not end nor get any better and the American people became divided over the policy. Due to this, Nixon was elected president and his plan, Vietnamization, was to train the South Vietnamese army so that American forces can gradually withdraw. His opinion stated that he does not disapprove reunification of North and South Vietnam, but he only wants the decision that reflects the free choice of the Vietnam people.

Meanwhile in the U.S., some people who were opposed to the war broke out. Such as Kent State University, where four students were killed, and at Jackson State where two students were killed. Americans were now dying indirectly because of the Vietnam War. Some people also protested outside the White House on Nov. 30, 1965. Due to this, like on the Port Huron Statement, public opinion is that they should seek establishment of democracy but in a nonviolence way. Also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a nonviolent protestor, stated that the war was unnecessary and were just a waste of lives as brothers and husbands went to war and died for no reason.

In 1968, to end the war, the North Vietnamese and Vietcong attacked every major city in South Vietnam, an event known as the Tet Offensive. This was a political defeat for the U.S. government because it showed that they were stronger than the U.S. and the U.S. believed they were much weaker. On Jan. 23, 1973, an agreement was announced that ended the war and the withdrawal of all U.S. troops. Two years later, South Vietnam was captured by North Vietnam and fell in the hands of communism.

posted by Yoshimi Nomura @ 5:37 PM