Vietnam•Soviet supported North,
communist▫Ho Chi Minh
•USA supported South, Ngo Dinh Diem▫Dictator, but not communist
•Guerilla warfare started in the South
Communists, but many saw it as a fight to liberate Vietnam from
foreign domination
Early 1960’s
America Enters Vietnam•Domino theory:
▫American foreign policy▫A communist victory in Vietnam would
cause countries across SE Asia to fall to communism as well
America Enters Vietnam
•Domino theory:▫American foreign policy▫A communist victory in Vietnam would
cause countries across SE Asia to fall to communism as well
•Ho Chi Minh aided Viet Cong ▫Communist rebels trying tooverthrow S. Vietnam’s government
US first sent
suppliesthen troops
•President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ)
•August 1, 1964 S. Vietnamese raided North
•N. Vietnamese retaliated, attacked the Maddox (US Navy destroyer)
•LBJ reported attacks to Congress
•Gulf of Tonkin Resolution▫August 7, 1964
Authorized President to use all necessary
measures to prevent further aggression in
SE Asia
America Enters Vietnam
•US begin bombings•500,000 troops•Guerilla war
Viet Cong knew the land & villagers
North sent supplies
Turning
Point
Americans Oppose the War
Vietnamese & American casualties
POWsMIAs
North Vietnam Wins the War
•President Nixon established a cease-fire▫January 1973
•US agreed to remove troops•North Vietnam agreed not
to invade the South
•… 2 years later, North invades the South
Some dominos fell… Laos & Cambodia
Soviet “Vietnam” in Afghanistan
•Afghan warlords took up arms against Soviet-supported Afghan government
•1979, Soviet Union enters war with Islamic country, Afghanistan
Soviet Afghan War(1979-1989)
•Mujahedin: Muslim religious warriors▫Fought the Soviets▫Mountains of
Afghanistan
•Mid 1980’s, US began to smuggle modern weapons to mujahedin
As difficult as fighting in jungles
of Vietnam
Crisis in morale for Soviets
End of Cold War•Command economy
▫Inefficiency & waste▫Low wages & life time job security
•Western boom
•Soviet stagnation▫Unproductive agriculture▫Consumer goods were inferior, luxury
goods were rare▫Couldn’t keep up with arms race
Soviets envied the
prosperity of the West
•Soviet Union▫Economy struggled▫Morale was low from long
war▫Eastern Europe wanted
freedom
Fall of the Soviet Union
•Mikhail Gorbachev, 1985, came to power
•Reforms▫Glasnost- openness
•Wanted better relations with the world (USA) to better Soviet economy
•Bowed out of arms race•Removed troops from Afghanistan
•Communist governments ▫Late 1980’s, fell one by one
▫Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, etc.
▫Dissolved Warsaw Pact
First time since 1939, Eastern
European countries were
free
•Berlin Wall’s gates were opened•November 9, 1989•Country reunified
Fall of the Soviet Union•December 25, 1991
▫Gorbachev resigns▫Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Belarus,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan declared they were no longer a part of the Soviet Union
▫Peaceful end to long & terrifying Cold War
Communism Around the World•China opened economy to capitalism
▫Economic boom▫But no political reform
•Vietnam▫Opened itself to the world ▫Started diplomatic relations with USA
•North Korea▫Rigid totalitarianism, Isolation
•Cuba▫Economy deteriorated▫Many thought communism wouldn’t outlive its
founder, Fidel Castro
•United States emerged as sole superpower
•Americans seemed unsure of the new role as “the world’s policeman”
•Protector of freedom, but no rival threat
•What do you think America’s military role in the world should be?