Transcript The Late Cold War Era: Part I and II

The Late Cold War
Era: Part II
Indochina
France left Indochina in 1954
 An international conference was held in Geneva,
Switzerland
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Ended French rule
 Laos and Cambodia became independent
 Temporarily partitioned Vietnam at the 17th parallel
• Communist North under control of Ho Chi Minh
• Non-communist South under Pres. Ngo Dinh
Diem

 Elections
were to be held in 1956 to determine
the future for a united Vietnam
Second Indochina War
The U.S. and South Vietnam refused to:
 recognize the Geneva Agreement
 hold elections
 The South Vietnamese Communists (Viet
Cong) revolted against the S. Vietnamese
government in 1958
 Other religious and political groups revolted
in Laos and Cambodia turning it into a
general Indochina war

Second Indochina War
becomes Cold War Conflict
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Soviet Union and China hailed it as “war of
national liberation” and supplied weapons,
economic aid, and technical advisors to North
Vietnamese.
N. Vietnam sent supplies and troops to the Viet
Cong in S. Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia
along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Eisenhower invoked Truman Doctrine and sent
military aid and advisors to help the South
Vietnamese army.
Kennedy expanded this policy to aid antiCommunist forces in Laos.
U.S. Involvement Escalates
Diem’s anti-Buddhist policies led to popular
protests (monk’s burn themselves to death
in protest)
 In 1963, the U.S. gave approval to a coup
by S. Vietnamese generals that overthrew
and killed Diem.
 Political instability followed as a succession
of generals tried and failed to organize
stable governments.
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U.S. Involvement
Escalates
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Lyndon Johnson became president in 1963 and
sharply escalated U.S. involvement in Indochina.
He maneuvered Congress to pass the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolutions on August 7, 1964
 Empowered Johnson to “take all necessary
measures”
Johnson increased combat troops until they
reached 500,000 in 1968
Authorized air strikes against N. Vietnam and
along the Ho Chi Minh trail
U.S. Involvement
Escalates
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Despite superior arms, equipment, & supplies,
the U.S. found it extremely difficult to fight
disciplined guerrillas in the hot jungle climate.
The poorly led S. Vietnamese government and
army were poor partners.
By 1968, most of the fighting was occurring in S.
Vietnam between the U.S. and North Vietnamese
forces.
Turning Point (1968)
The Tet (lunar new year) offensive
 The Communists launched attacks on all
important towns in S. Vietnam
 They were eventually driven back but at
the cost of heavy casualties
 The idea of a quick, victorious end to the
war by the U.S. vanished
 Johnson did not seek reelection in 1968
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The End of
U.S. Involvement
Richard Nixon tried to hasten the end of U.S.
involvement (Vietnamization)
 Improved relations with Soviet Union &
China
 Heavily bombed N. Vietnam, strengthened
the S. Vietnamese army, while slowly
withdrawing U.S. troops
 On January 27, 1973, the U.S. and N.
Vietnam signed the Paris Agreement
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The Paris Agreement
Cease-fire
 Complete withdrawal of U.S. troops within
60 days
 U.S. economic aid to both North and South
Vietnam
 Chief negotiators Henry Kissinger (U.S.)
and Le Duc Tho (N. Vietnam) won Nobel
Prize for Peace in 1973
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North Vietnamese Victorious
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Fighting ended in 1975 when North crushed the
South Vietnamese government.
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Cost
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The Communist victory ended the 30 year struggle for a
united, independent Vietnamese government.
3.2 million died (mostly Vietnamese civilians)
57,000 U.S. troops died.
Result
 A unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976)
 Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City (Ho had
died in 1969)
 Communists victorious in Laos and Cambodia
Overpopulation in Asia
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The newly independent nations were ravaged
by common problems
Overpopulation was the determining factor in
economic growth
 Improved public health and medicine had
eliminated epidemics and decreased the infant
mortality rate.
 Despite the huge population increase, there
had been no famine because of a high-yielding
“miracle rice” that doubled the world rice harvest
between 1967 and 1992. (Green Revolution)
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Overpopulation in Asia
Countries such as Singapore, which at
achieved almost zero population growth by
the late 1980s, thrived economically and
achieved a higher standard of living.
 Most countries, however, slipped further
into poverty and economic backwardness
because they could not control the
population explosion.
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Other problems
Large populations meant that it was difficult to
improve education and standards of living.
 Most Asian countries also suffered from inept
and corrupt governments that crippled
development.
 Large military expenditures also slowed
economic development.
 Because of the Cold War, all nations in the
region benefited from foreign aid, but at a cost.
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