The U.s. And Vietnam

Front 1

President Johnson

Back 1

- Won the election in 1964 on a peace platform (opened new wounds in the Vietnam War) even though he wanted to be a reformer and healer of old wounds
- Greatly expanded the American role in the Vietnam Conflict
- Did not seek re-election in 1968
- Called for negotiations w/ N. Vietnam

Front 2

American Strategy in the Vietnam War

Back 2

- Escalate the war to break the will of North Vietnamese and their southern allies w/o overkill
- Gave massive military aid to South Vietnam
- the U.S. bombed North Vietnam w/ ever-greater intensity
- Strategy of limited warfare in N. Vietnam backfired
- American people grew weary and the leadership cracked
- It eventually divided the nation
- Initially saw the war as a legitimate defense against Communist Totalitarianism in all poor countries

Front 3

Anti-war Movement

Back 3

- Emerged on college campuses
- Oct. 1965, student protests joined forces w/ old-line socialists, New Left intellectuals and pacifists in anti-war demonstrations in 50 American cities
- 1967 critics denounced the war as a criminal intrusion into a complex and distant civil war

Front 4

Vietcong Tet Offensive

Back 4

- Jan. 1968
- Communists' first comprehensive attack w/ conventional weapons on major cities in S. Vietnam, failed militarily
- Suffered heavy losses
- Critics viewed it as an American defeat

Front 5

President Richard Nixon

Back 5

- Elected by a razor-slim margin in 1968
- Sought to gradually disengage America from N. Vietnam and the National Crisis
- Suspended the draft while simultaneously pursuing peace talks w/ N. Vietnam
- Cut American forces in Vietnam from 550,000 to 24,000 in 4 years

Front 6

People's Republic of China

Back 6

- Nixon went to China in 1972 and reached a spectacular reconciliation

Front 7

Peace Agreement with North Vietnam

Back 7

- Nixon and Kissinger reached a peace agreement in 1972
- Agreement allowed remaining American forces to complete their withdrawal and the U.S. reserved the right to resume bombing if the accords were broken
- Fighing declined in S. Vietnam

Front 8

Watergate

Back 8

- Nixon authorized spying beyond the law
- He allowed special units to use various illegal means to stop the leaking of government documents to the press
- One group broke into the Democratic Party HQ in Washington's Watergate complex in 1972 and was promptly arrested
- Nixon and many assistants tried to hush up the bungled job
- A congressional investigation eventually exposed the administration's web of lies and lawbreaking
- Nixon was forced to resign in 1974

Front 9

Political Crisis following Watergate Affair

Back 9

1) Resulted in a major shift of power away from the presidency and toward congress, esp. foreign affairs
2) After more than 35 years of battle, the Vietnamese communists unified their country in 1975 as a harsh dictatorial state
3) Shook America's postwar confidence and left the country divided and uncertain about its proper role in world affairs