Synopsis of the Vietnam War
Synopsis of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War was a war that had the many of the world stumped on how it accrued and what it was for. Many lives were lost and destroyed for a war that had no real purpose. As to why the US got involved is still a controversial issue to this day. Pin pointing exactly when the war started is a heated debate among historians. The war was not only in Vietnam but also right at home. Society was divided and conflict began. Was Vietnam a lost cause for the US?
In 1941, Ho Chi Minh, a communist activist, organizes a nationalist organization known as the Viet Minh. After defeating Germany in July 1945, World War II Allies U.S., Britain, and Soviet Union, hold the Potsdam Conference in Germany. During the conference, representatives from France requested the return of all French pre-war colonies in Southeast Asia. Their request was granted and once again Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia became French colonies. August 1945 Ho Chi Minh's guerrillas occupy Hanoi and declare a temporary government.
September 2, 1945, the Japanese sign a surrender agreement ending World War II in the Pacific. On the same day, Ho Chi Minh declares the independence of Vietnam. Two weeks later 1400 French soldiers are released from former Japanese camps in South Vietnam. The French soldiers entered Saigon and went on a deadly rampage, attacking and killing innocent civilians and some of the Viet Minh. French civilians joined the soldiers in the deadly rampage. After this rampage, the Viet Minh retaliate by successfully organizing a strike shutting down all electricity and water supplies. In the outskirts of Saigon, a Vietnamese criminal organization massacres 150 French and Eurasian civilians, including children.
September 26, 1945, the first American death occurs in Vietnam. Officer Peter Dewey was killed by Viet Minh guerrillas, who mistook him for a French officer. The French government becomes involved in Vietnam in October 1945. Thirty-five thousand French soldiers arrive in South Vietnam to restore French rule. The French succeed in expelling the Viet Minh from Saigon.
In December 19, 1946, 30,000 Viet Minh launch their first attack against the French. That is when the First Indo China war begins and last for about eight year. The French established the (South) Vietnamese National Army in July 1945. A...