Why History? Are you curious? Do you need to know “why”? Do you want to contribute as an adult...
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Why History? • Are you curious? • Do you need to know “why”? • Do you want to contribute as an adult to your world? • Who, what, when, where and why are great conversation starters. • Do you want to learn more about why people treat each other the way they do?
Why History? Are you curious? Do you need to know “why”? Do you want to contribute as an adult to your world? Who, what, when, where and why are great
Why History? Are you curious? Do you need to know why? Do you
want to contribute as an adult to your world? Who, what, when,
where and why are great conversation starters. Do you want to learn
more about why people treat each other the way they do?
Slide 2
If any of your answers were YES, Then History is for You ! To
know about history helps you engage in society as an effective,
critical and independent thinker. You will become a more
interesting person. Your opinions will be based on accurate
knowledge, wide research and listening to a range of
perspectives.
Slide 3
Different Perspectives in History What is perspective in
History? How can my perspective be influenced? How does a Historian
decide which perspective is correct or right? Can more than one
perspective be correct?
Slide 4
Ho Chi Minh Hero or Villain?
Slide 5
Who was Ho Chi Minh? Will people ever agree on the truth about
Ho Chi Minh ? Do people need to agree on the truth of Ho Chi
Minh?
Slide 6
Ho Chi Minh Also known affectionately as 'Uncle Ho by his
adoring Vietnamese people. His birth name was Nguyen Sinh Cung,
Also called Nguyen Tat Thanh, Nguyen Ai Quoc, and Ly Thuy. Ho Chi
Minh translates to 'He Who Enlightens'.
Slide 7
Ho Chi Minh, founder and president of the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam, Communist North, is shown on August 11, 1965
Slide 8
What did Ho Chi Minh want for Vietnam? His cause was:
Liberation (freedom) of Vietnam from French colonial rule and
unification (joining together) of North and South Vietnam.
Vietnam's independence leader was a hero to his countrymen a wise
uncle to friends but a monster to his enemies.
Slide 9
War in Indochina The Indochina Wars refers to wars of national
liberation that erupted after World War II, fought in Southeast
Asia from 1947 until 1979.wars of national liberationWorld War
IISoutheast Asia19471979 They were wars between nationalist
Vietnamese fought against French, American, and Chinese forces. The
term "Indochina" originally referred to French Indochina, which
included the current states of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. There
were four wars in total. French IndochinaVietnamLaos Cambodia
Slide 10
Vietnam was divided into two countries at the 17 th parallel
near Da Nang in 1954. Ha Noi was the North Vietnam capital.
Communist Viet Minh troops Chinese and USSR support Democratic US,
Australian & South Vietnamese troops Saigon was the South
Vietnam capital
Slide 11
One View Adored by His People Communist propaganda elevates Ho
to the status of sage, national hero, saint. He has become the
Strategist, the Theoretician, the Thinker, the Statesman, the Man
of Culture, the Diplomat, the Poet, the Philosopher. All these
names are accompanied with adjectives like "legendary" and
"unparalleled." He has become Ho the Luminary, Ho the Visionary.
Peasants in the South build shrines to him. In the North old women
bow before his altar, asking miracles for their suffering
children.
Slide 12
Another view of Ho Chi Minh Others, like boat people,
anti-communist fanatics, many Americans and Australians, and those
who suffered in the re-education camps, see him in a very negative
light. They label him the enemy of the nation, the traitor who sold
out Vietnam, the source of all misery.
Slide 13
The Truth obviously lies somewhere in between. What is the
truth? It is difficult to know because Ho's life is shrouded in
shadows and ambiguities. Even the date of his birth has been
obscured by the authorities, who believe this uncertainty will
somehow add to his mystique. The official date is May 19, 1890, but
archives in Paris and Moscow show six different dates from 1890 to
1904.
Slide 14
How did this develop into War? Vietnamese anti colonial
(anti-French) movements being to join together early in the 20th
Century but are actively suppressed by the French. Ho saw that his
people were being treated unfairly by the French and wanted to do
something to give Vietnamese people more control of their own
lives.
Slide 15
Who supported Ho? Sharing his strong beliefs, Hos tattered
guerrillas overcame daunting obstacles to crush France's desperate
attempt from 1945 to 1954 to retrieve its empire in Indochina.
Slide 16
The First Indochina War (or the "French War" in Vietnam) began
after World War II, which lasted until the French defeat in
1954.First Indochina WarWorld War II After a long campaign of
resistance Viet Minh forces had claimed a victory after Japanese
and French forces surrendered in the North at the end of World War
II.Viet MinhJapanese French During World War II, the South was
temporarily occupied by the British forces, who restored French
Republic colonial control. The communist/nationalist Viet Minh,
whom the Allies had supported during the war, continued fighting
the French with support from China and the USSR, ultimately driving
the French out of Indochina in 1954.Viet MinhChina USSR
Slide 17
The Division of Vietnam into North and South From 1945 to 1954,
Hos Viet Minh forces retreated to the hills and fought against
French forces in the lowlands. By 1954, the French had wearied of
the war and sought a negotiated settlement. Ho used his influence
to gain the approval of his colleagues, and in July 1954 an
agreement was reached calling for a truce and a temporary division
of Vietnam into a communist north and a non communist south.
Slide 18
November 22 nd 1954 After the French were defeated by Hos
forces at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu this was how Time magazine
portrayed Ho.
Slide 19
Background to his struggle Why did Ho oppose the French in
Vietnam? The French begin to take control of Vietnam in the 1860s.
The entire country was made a French protectorate in 1883. Under
French colonial rule Vietnamese are prohibited from travelling
outside their districts without identity papers. Freedom of
expression and organisation are restricted. As land is
progressively alienated by large landholders, the number of
landless peasants grows. This lead to great poverty for many
people. Neglect of the education system causes the literacy rate to
fall.
Slide 20
Popular USA view of Ho Chi Minh An emaciated, goateed figure in
a threadbare bush jacket and frayed rubber sandals, Ho Chi Minh
cultivated the image of a humble, benign "Uncle Ho." But he was a
seasoned revolutionary and passionate nationalist obsessed by a
single goal: independence for his country.
Slide 21
Why did the USA join the conflict in Vietnam? Hos
revolutionary, communist, nationalist army was built into a largely
conventional army and they frustrated the massive U.S. effort to
prevent Ho's communist followers from controlling Vietnam. The USA
believed in the domino theory and forward defence.
Slide 22
Questions about the War for Independence or American War
(Vietnamese names for the conflict) or Vietnam War (USA name for
same conflict) Where was the fighting? What is guerrilla warfare?
Did other countries join in?
Slide 23
The Second Indochina War (or "Vietnam War" in the West, or the
"American War" in Vietnam) began as a conflict between the United
States- backed South Vietnamese government and its opponents, both
the South Vietnamese-based National Liberation Front and the
Communist North, beginning in the late 1950's and lasting until
1975.Second Indochina WarUnited States National Liberation Front
The United States, which supported France in the first war, backed
the South Vietnam government in opposition to the National
Liberation Front and the Communist-allied North. The North
benefited from military and financial support from China and the
Soviet Union, members of the Communist bloc.South VietnamNational
Liberation FrontCommunist
Slide 24
Laos Cambodia Both these neighbouring Indochinese countries
were dragged into the Vietnam war as well
Slide 25
The Viet Minh (later called the Viet Cong) moved men and
supplies into Democratic South Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh trail,
the large red arrow. This famous supply route was largely in
neighbouring Cambodia, hence the reason why America secretly bombed
a neutral country.
Slide 26
Suspected Vietcong sympathiser is summarily executed by South
Vietnamese Police. No trial, no questions.
Slide 27
This photograph is a harrowing exploration of an impact of war
that has extended through generations, uncompensated and largely
forgotten. To turn away and not see the photographs is to compound
the crime.
Slide 28
Napalm Victims with skin burning
Slide 29
The MyLai Massacre.
Slide 30
July 16 th 1965 Towards the end of his life Ho was again the
subject of the Time front cover. Note the US view of the war.
intransigent north
Slide 31
US aircraft carriers move in to evacuate the remaining embassy
staff and troops. The South Vietnamese Capital, Saigon, was invaded
by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in April 1975.
Slide 32
Famous photo of the last helicopters to leave the US embassy in
Saigon April 1975.
Slide 33
Slide 34
Sea Stallion Helos returning with refugees.
Slide 35
Helicopters returning to ships with evacuees from Saigon
Slide 36
South Vietnamese UH-1H being pushed overboard to make room for
a Cessna O-1 landing.
Slide 37
Time magazine May 12 th 1975 After the Fall of Saigon, (South
Vietnam capital) in April 1975 and the final withdrawal of American
troops. Note this front cover was published 6 years after Hos death
in 1969 and yet he is still the face credited as the victor.
Slide 38
America Defeated For Americans, it was the longest war and the
first defeat in their history, and it drastically changed the way
they perceived their role in the world.
Slide 39
Hos Legacy Ho was a central figure in the movement to free Asia
from the shackles of colonialism. He is considered by his
supporters to be a patriot who fought selflessly to free his
people. Detractors see him as an insincere schemer set on
introducing a totalitarian regime.
Slide 40
The Cambodian-Vietnamese War 1975 followed the Second Indochina
War, with Vietnam invading Cambodia and deposing the democidal Pol
Pot and Khmer Rouge regime.Cambodian-Vietnamese WarKhmer Rouge
Slide 41
The Third Indochina War (or the Sino- Vietnamese War) was a
short war fought in February-March 1979 between the People's
Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.Third
Indochina War People's Republic of China Socialist Republic of
Vietnam The Chinese launched an invasion of Vietnam as punishment
for the invasion of Cambodia and withdrew a month later.
Slide 42
The Truths of Ho. What is true is that under Ho's leadership a
poor third world country was able to withstand and defeat the might
of the US and finally win its independence. The pragmatism,
determination and self-sacrifice that enabled this feat is perhaps
the true legacy against which his character should be judged.
Slide 43
A Vietnamese Perspective Ho Chi Minh's importance to modern
Vietnam can hardly be exaggerated. He was not only the founder of
the Communist Party but also its recognized leader during most of
its first half-century of existence.
Slide 44
Hos Legacy Ho provided Vietnam with ideological guidance,
international prestige, a tradition of internal unity, and a sense
of realism that on many occasions enabled it to triumph over
adversity.
Slide 45
Hos Legacy. Today he remains the symbol of the united
Vietnamese nation. His memory is enshrined in a mausoleum in Hanoi
and in a new name for SaigonHo Chi Minh City.
Slide 46
Postscript to the Vietnam War a American Perspective Naturally
many in the USA will never forgive Ho and the Vietnamese for their
victory. Even now, 30 years on, much US reportage and political
rhetoric concerning Vietnam and the war is begrudging with praise
for Vietnam's achievements and too ready to point out faults.
Slide 47
Mr Searls View Some people just don't get it. The US and its
allies never had any business being there. How will history judge
other modern conflicts?