...One Turning Point in the Vietnam War Valerie L. Kroll September 21, 2014 Professor Melissa Tennyson DeVry University There were quite a few events during the Vietnam War that can be considered “turning points.” One such event was the Buddhist crisis in 1963. The Buddhist crisis is a sorrowful and disheartening portion of history that could have very well been circumvented. Diem the president of South Vietnam provoked the Buddhist community. Diem operated his civilian and military organizations almost entirely with Catholics. Many had recently migrated south, and he saw to it that Catholic villages collected most of the U.S. aid funds (Moss, 2010). These strangers had exclusive pleasures; they did not speak the local languages, and did not understand their individual troubles. Southern Buddhist peasants begrudged having northern Catholics, who looked down on them and were not concerned to their well-being. The preferential treatment the Catholic’s received from Diem created impossibility for Diem’s administration to gain the confidence and devotion of many southern peasants (Moss, 2010). The government prohibiting the flying of the Buddhist flag prompted the Buddhist crisis (Moss, 2010). South Vietnam Buddhists started to gain attention around the world for their religious persecution through the circulation of writings in addition to demonstrations through hunger strikes, extreme acts that included of self-sacrifice, along with peaceful protests (Toong, 2008)...
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...D'état against Diem Jatha Mathew DeVry University May 22, 2014 Running Head: COUP D'ETAT 2 The meaning of Coup D'état according to Merriam-Webster dictionary is a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence. Ngo Dihm Diem was the first president of South Vietnam in October 1955. The coup d'état of Diem was a turning point in the Vietnam war and world history. South Vietnam was supported by United States but during his presidency the civil war still continued between anti-communist and communist guerrillas backed by North Vietnam. Diem valued power more than people of Vietnam. He was a core Catholic and was against all Buddhist. President Kennedy's administration urged government reform upon Diem- he was asked clean up the corruption within his government. He ignored the plea from the States and that was an insult to Kennedy Administration. Thus coup d'état against Diem on November 1, 1963 was plotted so it was a turning point in history. An event is what happened in history. A turning point is considered when something changes the direction. It was not a event because it was not supposed to happen this way but had to do the plotting against diem to avoid more conflict and spread of communism. The event preceding the turning point was necessary and essential in preparing for the turning point because Diem misuses his...
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...Knowing who is fighting whom during the Vietnam War is sometimes difficult. Many Individuals and organizations involved on both sides of the 17th parallel fought for control of the country. In the context of the Vietnamese society, the wars in Vietnam are better understood by taking a look at the leaders of North and South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem. Learning more about the two different styles of leadership will help to understand how they gained support from the Vietnamese people and other nations for their cause. The Democratic Republic of North Vietnam consisted of the land in Southeast Asia located north of the 17th parallel, as defined by the 1954 Geneva Agreements. The Soviet Union and China supported the DRV in its fight against the Republic of Vietnam in the south, which was supported by the United States. Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement that opposed French colonial rule, and president of the DRV from 1945 until he died in 1969. Ngo Dinh Diem served as prime minister and then was the first president of the RVN from 1945-1963. The DRV was based on the communist model and the RVN was based on a democratically elected government modeled after the U.S. Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem both gained support for their initiative, but with a very different approach. The details of Ho Chi Minh’s life are vague causing much speculation about how his worldview was shaped. It is believed that Ho’s father was a strong Vietnamese...
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...of 1963 Events that take place in history that influence the course of future events are considered turning points. There were several events during the Vietnam War which would be considered a turning point and the Buddhist Riot of 1963 is one such event. The magnitude of the riots and loss of innocent lives that characterized the six month period make the occurrences part of the turning point in American history (Schmidt, 2015). The Buddhist riots were religiously and politically instigated events in South Vietnam between the months of May and November in 1963. However these events did not only have repercussions in America, they proved to be instrumental in Ngo Dinh Diem’s demise. Prior to the Buddhist crisis, after the Geneva Accords, Vietnamese civilians were granted the opportunity to stay where they living currently or the option to move to North or South Vietnam depending on their preference. A million Catholics emigrated from the North to South to form support for Diem’s government. It was known that Ngo Dinh Diem was Catholic and favored other Catholics along with providing them special privileges. He discriminated against and ignored the wishes of the Buddhists, which was 85% of the South Vietnamese population. He prohibited the Buddhists to practice as they chose. Tension had escalated when Ngo Dinh Diem had banned flying any religious flags to prohibit the display of the Buddhist flag on Buddha’s birthday. The main event that led to the start of the riots...
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...Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem had different leadership styles with very few similarities. The northern Vietnamese people respected Minh because they viewed him as one of their own and the southern Vietnamese people respected Diem because they respected his patriotism. The Vietnamese people had been ruled by other countries for such a long time that when true leaders emerged the people embraced them. Ho Chi Minh is described as an emaciated goateed figure that was often seen wearing peasant clothing and frayed rubber sandals (Karnow, 1998). He was a seasoned revolutionary who was a passionate nationalist with a single goal of independence for Vietnam (Karnow, 1998). He was often referred to as ‘Uncle Ho’ and still today is referred to as the uncle of Vietnam by the Vietnamese people. Ho Chi Minh, which is roughly translated as ‘bringer of light’, portrayed himself as celibate but he is believed to have had two wives or possibly concubines. One was a Chinese woman and the other a cousin of his top general. Minh’s dream was to unify Vietnam under his flag and under communism. There was no flexibility in his beliefs or bending of his will (Karnow, 1998). Minh was viewed as a man of the people and a simple man who wanted only to see his country through to independence. His humble appearance helped inspire people to follow him. Ngo Dinh Diem was also a nationalist leader who believed that Vietnam needed a strong leader who could make tough decisions. Diem was often associated...
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...The Vietnam War also known as “The Second Indochina War” occurred between 1954 and 1975. It erupted from the conflict between France and Vietnam. In July 1954, France was forced to evacuate Vietnam after being defeated. This battle persuaded the French to no longer sustain their Indochinese colonies and Paris sued for peace. Worldwide events shaped the future of Vietnam's modern revolution as the two countries came together. The Geneva Peace Accords were signed by France and Vietnam in the summer of 1954 and reflected the strains of the global cold war. The Communist’s feared that this peace would anger the United States and its western European allies. Vietnam held national elections in 1956 to reunify the country. The United States supported...
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...American Foreign Policy Leading to the Vietnam War American involvement in the Vietnam War is one of the most controversial issues in our history. However, the United States foreign policies had been dictating our involvement in Vietnam long before the initial deployment of troops into Vietnam. The fear of communism and developments of the policy of containment and the domino theory set the stage for the eventual escalation of the Vietnam Conflict into a war which would claim the lives of thousands of Americans. United States' involvement in Vietnam began as early as World War II, when American forces of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor of the CIA, parachuted into the mountains in the northern region of Vietnam. Led by Major Allison Thomas, their mission, "Deer," was to rendezvous with and train a small group of Vietnamese soldiers that were fighting Japanese occupation troops, and were rescuing downed pilots, this group of Vietnamese were known as the Vietminh. This group of Vietnamese soldiers would soon be the communist leaders of North Vietnam, however, at the time American forces were not concerned that Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap were communists because America was still allied with the Soviet Union, a communist state, at that point during World War II (Westheider 2). The Vietminh under leadership of Ho Chi Minh and with training from American OSS forces were simultaneously fighting the Japanese, while at the same time gaining more political...
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...During the 1950s America became more and more drawn in to the conflict in Vietnam. Eisenhower was immediately put under pressure not to lose Vietnam to communism in the same way that Truman was perceived to have lost China before him - the American fear of a communist conspiracy was a major factor in the country’s continual support for the containment of it in Asia, regardless of the costs. Other factors that lead to an increase in American involvement in South East Asia included their support of the French in Indo-China until 1954, their response to the Geneva Accords 1954 and the formation of SEATO also in 1954. Arguably the most important reason for the US becoming increasingly involved in South-East Asia during the ‘50s was the perceived threat that communism posed. There was a widespread fear in America that there was a global threat of communism, which would destroy capitalist American values, being orchestrated from Moscow. This fear was worsened by the 12 year long conflict in Malaya between Britain and communist forces which started in 1948. This anti-communist sentiment was collated into the “Domino Theory” which suggested if one nation fell to communism, others would follow – Vice President Nixon visited Vietnam in 1953 and announced in a national TV broadcast upon his return that “If Indo-China goes under communist domination the whole of South East Asia will be threatened”, thus confirming the public’s fears and compelling greater US involvement in South East...
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...The Causes of the Vietnam War The Vietnam War is now considered as one of the most distressing moments during the 20th Century. The Vietnam War was caused by many factors that contributed to the war in Vietnam during the years of 1959 to April 30, 1975. This war just prolonged the struggles between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of Vietnam. Most of the factors that contribute to the war were the beliefs by a lot of people who wanted to prevent Vietnam of becoming an Independent Country. There are many people who suffered a lot due to this war going on and still due to this day people still picturing how they fought the war. What were the causes of the Vietnam War? Why did the United States become involved in this war? Why did the Vietnam War have such a huge impact both on the Vietnam and the United States? What was the impact that Ho Chi Minh had during the War? One of the most important features when describing the Vietnam War was why the United States became involved in the war, and their reasons for conflict amongst the Vietnamese in the North of the 17th Parallel. It is known that the US was involved for many reasons, particularly their belief in the Domino theory where if one country fell to Communism, the rest of South-East Asia would fall along with it. There are many other reasons why the United States became involved in this war. There are many reasons why the United States became involved was them being concerned with Vietnam and that would lead...
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...How significant was the Domino Theory as a reason for US involvement in the conflicts in Vietnam? Involve- * Bibliography * 1 Primary source – 1950’s/1960 * 5 books – Secondary sources * Watch films, documentaries and videos. * Historians point of views(opinions) Geneva Agreement – election to be held in 1956 to reunify Vietnam but did not happen because Ngo Dinh Diem cancelled it because he knew he would not win it. If Ho chi Minh wins 1956 elections: * Vietnam will re-unify as a communist country * Other surrounding countries will follow – communism will spread ‘Domino Theory’ (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Bangladesh, and India. Geneva Agreement – election to be held in 1956 to reunify Vietnam but did not happen because Ngo Dinh Diem cancelled it because he knew he would not win it. If Ho chi Minh wins 1956 elections: * Vietnam will re-unify as a communist country * Other surrounding countries will follow – communism will spread ‘Domino Theory’ (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Bangladesh, and India. Communist Communist Vietnam was split into North and South in 1954 – Geneva agreement officially split into North led by Ho Chi Minh and South ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem. Vietnam was split into North and South in 1954 – Geneva agreement officially split into North led by Ho Chi Minh and South ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem. Capitalist Capitalist Primary Sources Finally, you have broader considerations...
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...Point in the Vietnam War Anonymous March 24, 2013 There were several events during the Vietnam War that can be considered “turning points”, which can be described as the occurrence of an event that changed the course of history. One such event was the Buddhist crisis in 1963. The Buddhists of South Vietnam had experienced decades of religious persecution during French colonialism that continued with the Catholic government, which was backed by the United States (Toong, 2008). The demonstrations, protests and self-immolations that followed as a result of this religious persecution and the media coverage it generated encouraged the Kennedy administration to back a coup d’état against Ngo Dinh Diem, the leader of South Vietnam, which was a major turning point in the war. This paper will examine why the Buddhist crisis was a turning point in the Vietnam War, as well as why the events leading up to the Buddhist riots in 1963 were essential in preparing for the turning point and what subsequent events were dependent on the action of the turning point. Buddhists in South Vietnam began gaining the world’s attention for their plight of religious persecution through the distribution of literature, as well as through hunger strikes and peaceful demonstrations (Toong, 2008). As these demonstrations became more dramatic, including acts of self-immolation, public opinion around the world began to turn against Ngo Dinh Diem, the leader of South Vietnam as well as...
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...interpretation that the main reason America began and continued its involvement in Vietnam was to defend democracy All of the sources provide differing interpretations for the reasons for America’s involvement in Vietnam. Sources A and D provide evidence that supports the interpretation that America’s involvement in Vietnam was to ‘defend democracy’ while sources B and C provide evidence that refute it. Source A shows a letter from the formidable source of President Dwight Eisenhower to Diem the President of South Vietnam at the time. The letter shows Eisenhower expresses his support and his concerns for the new South Vietnamese government. The letter mentions the US sending aid to Diem and emphasises their support for the relocation of Vietnamese people away from places ‘ruled by a communist ideology they hate’. Source A emits the idea the US began its involvement in Vietnam for quite noble causes such like the aiding the protection Vietnamese to rescue them from a communist regime they despise. The letter portrays the US supporting Diem out of the goodness of their hearts shown in the final sentence: ‘I am glad that the United States is able to assist this humanitarian effort’ as far as this letter is concerned it would appear that US just wants to help a struggling democracy with no apparent benefits towards them .Eisenhower was a firm believer in ‘Domino theory’ and thought it as vital to prevent Vietnam from becoming yet another Asian communist state and to halt the spread of communism...
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...Succeeding Eisenhower, President John F. Kennedy also had to uphold a high level of responsibility especially regarding Vietnam where communist China and Russia sought control. In the 19th century, France annexed Indo-China. However, during World War II, France was overrun and became occupied by the Japanese. Indochinese nationalists opposed to both Japan and France, and joined forces to create an independent movement called Vietminh. This movement was controlled by communists despite the objections of the nationalists. The movement was led by Moscow who trained Ho Chi Minh. After World War II, France promised independence to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, three states under the Indochina regime; with the Vietminh movement proven to be independent without France’s offers, tension arose among communist China and democratic United States. This dispute led to the Geneva Conference: Truce for Indochina. The agreement stated that Laos and Cambodia will be independent and will observe neutrality in the cold war while Vietnam will be divided at the17th parallel – with the North under a Communist government in Hanoi, and the South under a French sponsored anti-communist government in Saigon. Then in mid-1956, the people of both the North and South will vote for a single all-Vietnam government. This agreement however, was not signed by the United States or South Vietnam. President Eisenhower still determined to...
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...Blah 2 Vietnam- Part of Indochina -France gains control in 1885 and all of Indochina under French control by 1893. -Japan controlled Indochina during WW2. - Ho Chi Minh fought against Japan - Ho Minh advocated for Viatnamese independence all of his life. Wanted to talk to Pres. Wilson at the Versailles Conference about Vietnamese independence. He was a communist who was educated in communist universities in the Soviet Union. Much stronger nationalist (wanted Vietnam free from France. - Ho formed a government in North Vietnam due to his successful guerilla attacks that drove ou the Japanese. -Guerilla attack means you hit and run an enemy and live off the land. -French attempted to reassert control- At the end of ww2, France attempted to reassert control over its colonial holdings. America tried to negotiate with Ho to form a provisional gov. The French refused and Ho returned fighting for Vietnamese independence. - America assists with funds- America helped the French with Marshall plan funds. The French used funds to rebuild their nation to fight Ho. -Dien Bien Phu- French Defeated- Ho’s forces surrounded them (Indochina- fall of military) causing them to surrender. France realized they couldn’t keep the area in their empire 3.Geneva Conference - Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam formed- (from Indochina) -Vietnam divided into North and South Ho and communists in the north -Ngo Diem in the South...
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...Forward March: an American Dilemma Stephanie C. Perkins DeVry University HIST 415: Vietnam & 20th Century Experience Fall B, 2014 Forward March: an American Dilemma On assuming office, a government’s leader is charged with making decisions, based on input from trusted collaborators, advisors, and associates. This element of cooperation, at times, has resulted in exposure to the possibility of being party to actions based on willfully manipulated information, creating political embarrassment, or worse, betrayal. America in early 1960s, believed the situation in South Vietnam was under control, since the President believed it was. President Kennedy had made public declarations in December of 1962, on the successes of the Diem regime in South Vietnam, in creating a stable government aligned with the American ideals of democracy, and progressing in the fight against the communists (Moss, 2010, p. 102). This optimism, despite numerous reports from diplomats as well as military personnel, advising Kennedy of the disintegration of the armed forces, as well as Diem’s dictatorial approach to his job (Winters, 1988). Definite Dictator Diem, although not a communist, based his stewardship of South Vietnam on an equally autocratic approach, described in his terms, as the management of “…an enlightened sovereign” (Moss, 2010, p.69). To Diem, those words meant centralizing all political powers under direct control of his government, much akin to the imperialists he displaced...
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