Vietnam History Essay

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HIST 425 - FINAL EXAM "TAKE HOME" (100 POINTS)

1. PART 1 (25 points): VIETNAMIZATION AND INDOCHINIZATION. Answer all

questions related to a. or b. below.

What was the Vietnamization?

In the 19th century, France conquered the Indochina colony that was made up of the

territories of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. However, during World War II these territories

were occupied by the Japanese and, in 1945, the communist guerilla of the Viet-Minh, led

by Ho Chi Minh, proclaimed the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1946,

France attempted to regain its sovereignty over the territory, exploding the so-called

Indochina War.

During the conflict in Indochina, the French country had the support of the United States of

America - a country that since the end of the Second World War had an indirect political,

economic, social and military confrontation with the Soviet Union because both powers were

trying to increase their influence globally, trying to impose the United States on the liberal

capitalist model and the Soviet Union on the communist model - however, despite the help

of the American country, France lost the war in 1954, being forced to leave from Indochina.

In 1954, the Geneva Conferences were celebrated, in which negotiations were held between

France and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in order to decide the future of the countries

that comprised Indochina. It was approved that Cambodia and Laos would be independent

from the French Union. The separation of Vietnam was also agreed, becoming two States

with the border marked by the 17th parallel: North Vietnam, which would have Hanoi as its

capital and as president Ho Chí Minh; and, South Vietnam, with Saigon as the capital and

under the rule of anti-communist nationalists, such as the former Emperor Bao Dai and Prime

Minister Ngo Dinh Diem. Likewise, it was agreed that four years later, in 1958, a referendum

would be held in the two new States —North Vietnam and South Vietnam— to determine

their definitive separation or reunification, however, such a referendum never took place due

to the conflicts lasting until 1975, when the fall of Saigon occurred, that is, almost twenty

years later.

Thus, on November 1, 1955, the Vietnam War began, known as the Second Indochina War.

This warlike conflict, called in Vietnam "War of Resistance against America", was developed

with the purpose of avoiding the reunification of Vietnam under a communist regime that

supposes a political, economic and social system based on the class struggle and the

suppression of private property.

In the Vietnam War, the support of the great powers was divided. On the one hand, countries

such as the United States of America, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand and

other allies that promoted capitalism and rejected any communist regime gave financial and

arms support to South Vietnam that fought in its territory to the guerrillas. Local of the Front

of National Liberation (Viet Cong) and the army of North Vietnam, which was supported by

the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union and their communist allies.

In the year of 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson became the President of the United States and, by

that time, the agreements made at the Geneva Conferences had not been fulfilled, so in 1964,

President Johnson authorized the bombing of North Vietnam by American troops. The war

broke out and for the following years President Johnson intensified the attacks to try to

subdue the rebels and the National Liberation Front, but he did not succeed.

In 1968, President Johnson ordered a halt to the bombings in North Vietnam; however, his

successor, President Richard Nixon, who took office in 1969, assured that the troops would

return.

From this moment, President Nixon prepared a new government policy with which he

intended to end the action of the United States in the Vietnam War. This policy, known as

Vietnamization, was based on a program that sought to strengthen the South Vietnamese

armed forces by increasing the number of effective members of the forces and training them

to acquire leadership and combat skills; in addition, they would be provided with the

necessary equipment so that they could continue in the war without the aid of the American

army. In this way, the American troops would stop fighting in this war and gradually

withdraw.

For President Nixon, since Vietnamization, the United States ceased to focus its interest in

the containment of communism and opened the way to a new vision, that of the world powers,

placing itself in a new world order of cooperation.

What was its rationale?

Vietnamization was the resource through which President Nixon responded to the protests

and civil demonstrations that took place in the United States beginning in 1963 due to the

intervention of the American army in the Vietnam War.

At the beginning of the war, a significant number of Americans agreed that the United States

defend South Vietnam from attacks by communist countries because they considered this to

be a matter of national interest; However, as the number of Americans dying in the war

increased dramatically, people stopped supporting US intervention in the war. And it is that,

the average age of the American ground soldier in Vietnam was 19 years old, and, in general,

these men who came from the lower classes were Latino or African American men.

Civil society began to demonstrate peace, although there were some riots in the streets. The

banners of the anti-war movement had slogans such as: "How many more dead?" People

realized that the war was going on too long and considered that the economic and moral

damages were excessive. Furthermore, many innocent Vietnamese were dying in Vietnam

and the environmental damage was increasing.

Among the protesters were relatives of American soldiers, students, academics, journalists,

hippies, doctors, lawyers, and military veterans. Immediate peace was demanded, although

there was a sector of society that demanded that the war to continue.

In 1964, other men protested by burning their military cards or their army recruitment cards.

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HIST 425 - FINAL EXAM "TAKE HOME" (100 POINTS) 1. PART 1 (25 points): VIETNAMIZATION AND INDOCHINIZATION. Answer all questions related to a. or b. below. b. What was the Vietnamization? In the 19th century, France conquered the Indochina colony that was made up of the territories of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. However, during World War II these territories were occupied by the Japanese and, in 1945, the communist guerilla of the Viet-Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, proclaimed the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1946, France attempted to regain its sovereignty over the territory, exploding the so-called Indochina War. During the conflict in Indochina, the French country had the support of the United States of America - a country that since the end of the Second World War had an indirect political, economic, social and military confrontation with the Soviet Union because both powers were trying to increase their influence globally, trying to impose the United States on the liberal capitalist model and the Soviet Union on the communist model - however, despite the help of the American country, France lost the war in 1954, being forced to leave from Indochina. In 1954, the Geneva Conferences were celebrated, in which negotiations were held between France and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in order to decide the future of the countries that comprised Indochina. It was approved that Cambodia and Laos would be independent from the French Union. The separation of Vietn ...
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