PRESENTATION OUTLINE
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- Belligerents - North Vietnam (backed by the USSR) and South Vietnam (backed by the USA)
- More than 3 million people killed altogether (58,000 Americans)
- 11/01/1955 - 04/30/1975
- Also known as the Second Indochina War
- Ho Chi Minh led the communists, and President Diem led the nationalists
- Proxy conflict in Asia during the Cold War
- Ended in no victory for the USA and was one of the largest protested movements during the 20th century
Domino Theory
The domino theory was practiced by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Barnes Johnson and marked the largest proxy war in the Cold War. This practice fueled the Cold War in the East for three decades.
Longevity:
The Vietnam War lasted roughly 20 years with over 3 million direct casualties. This was one of the longest proxy wars, and ended in no clear victory of the USA. This is significant because the atrocities still affect South-Eastern Asia today.
Not only did the USA pour over 30 billion dollars into the war, but involved more than 600,000 troops in the war, spanned 4 presidents administrations, and polarized the country into anti-war and war-supporter camps.
Detente:
As Nixon took office towards the end of the war, and Ford assumed the office after Nixon’s resignation, troops were used sparingly and eventually pulled out. This led to a warming of relations with the USSR, eventually leading to detente a decade later under Ronald Reagan.
Opposition:
According to the Brookings institute, the Vietnam war was not only the wrong war, but neglected to materialize in the future like other conflicts such as Korea or the Berlin airlift. The domino effect seized to happen, relations were improved, and the Cold War still ended 15 years later.
