The VIETNAM WAR [APUSH Review Unit 8 Topic 8] Period 8: 1945-1980

Summary

This video by Heimler's History delves into the Vietnam War, focusing on its causes, key events, and effects, particularly within the American context during the Cold War era. The discussion covers the geopolitical division of Vietnam, the domino theory, and the consequential U.S. military intervention authorized by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. It highlights the Johnson administration’s escalation strategy and the resultant friction at home, characterized by protests and the so-called credibility gap. The narrative concludes with Nixon's Vietnamization policy and America's eventual withdrawal, illustrating the war's complex legacy on U.S. foreign and domestic policies.

Highlights

• The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was pivotal in escalating U.S. military involvement in Vietnam 🚀.
• The credibility gap emerged as televised war reports contradicted the Johnson administration's optimistic portrayals 📡.
• The Tet Offensive marked a significant turning point, leading to reconsideration of military strategies in Vietnam 📈.
• Nixon's Vietnamization policy aimed to withdraw U.S. troops while still supporting South Vietnam 🌱.
• The Vietnam War sparked intense anti-war protests and debates about U.S. foreign policy and executive power 🗣️.

Key Takeaways

• The Vietnam War was deeply tied to Cold War dynamics and the U.S.'s goal of containing communism 🌍.
• Geopolitical tensions led to significant U.S. military involvement, justified by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 🚢.
• The war incited fierce debates in the U.S., exposing the 'credibility gap' between government reports and media reality 📺.
• Nixon's Vietnamization policy led to reduced U.S. involvement but sought to empower South Vietnam to continue the fight 🤝.
• The war highlighted the complexities and consequences of foreign intervention in an undeclared conflict ⚔️.

Overview

The Vietnam War, a key chapter in Cold War history, was driven by the U.S.'s commitment to stopping the spread of communism. Following the division of Vietnam into communist North and democratic South, America saw an opportunity to contain communism, a policy underscored by Eisenhower's domino theory. As tensions escalated, President Johnson's Gulf of Tonkin Resolution paved the way for a major U.S. military presence in the region, even as Congress hadn't declared an official war.

However, as U.S. involvement deepened, it became evident that the Vietnam War was unlike any previous American conflict. The war was heavily televised, with stark images from the battlefield challenging the Johnson administration's optimistic narratives about progress. This led to a growing 'credibility gap' as the American public grew increasingly skeptical of the government's assertions. The Tet Offensive further intensified doubts, highlighting the resilient opposition from North Vietnam.

Under President Nixon, the strategy shifted towards Vietnamization, which involved withdrawing American troops while continuing to aid South Vietnam. While this move eventually led to the end of U.S. military involvement, it underscored the deep divisions and lasting impact of the Vietnam War on American society and foreign policy, serving as a poignant reminder of the complexities involved in international intervention without a formal declaration of war.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter titled 'Introduction' delves into U.S. involvement in the Cold War, with a specific focus on the Vietnam War. It builds on previous discussions from unit eight of the AP US History curriculum, examining both domestic and international ramifications. The chapter aims to explain the causes and effects of the Vietnam War, continuing from where the last discussion on U.S. involvement in Vietnam left off, particularly with regards to its geographic significance.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Geographical and Political Context This chapter explores the geopolitical landscape post-decolonization, highlighting the division between North and South Vietnam. It delves into the political systems, with North Vietnam being communist under Ho Chi Minh, while the South was democratic and allied with the United States. The chapter also touches on U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, emphasizing the domino theory and its role in the American support for South Vietnam as a strategy to contain communism in the region.
• 01:00 - 01:30: U.S. Military Involvement Begins The chapter discusses the beginning of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam during John F. Kennedy's presidency. After succeeding Dwight D. Eisenhower, Kennedy supported the domino theory regarding communist expansion. To counteract this, Kennedy deployed military advisers to South Vietnam, publicly stating their purpose was to support the South Vietnamese government rather than engage in combat. Despite sending 16,000 personnel, Kennedy maintained that their role was non-combative, focusing on support against Northern Vietnamese aggression.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Gulf of Tonkin Incident The chapter titled 'Gulf of Tonkin Incident' recounts the events surrounding the escalating tension in Vietnam during the early 1960s, leading up to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Following the assassination of President Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency amidst a deteriorating situation in Vietnam. The chapter discusses how the North Vietnamese purportedly fired on a U.S. battleship stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin. However, it notes the disputed nature of this aggression, questioning whether the North Vietnamese actually fired upon the U.S. ship. This chapter underscores the complexities and controversies surrounding the incident.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Passed In this chapter, the focus is on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed by the U.S Congress. Despite the specifics of the incident with the U.S ship being somewhat irrelevant, President Johnson utilized it as a justification to escalate U.S military involvement in the region. He requested Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which effectively granted him the authority to take any necessary measures to protect American interests there. This resolution was not a formal declaration of war, as only Congress has the power to declare war. Instead, it authorized the commander-in-chief to act as needed to defend regional interests, leading to subsequent military engagements.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Increase in U.S. Military Presence The chapter discusses the complexities surrounding the increase in U.S. military presence, specifically focusing on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. It highlights the debate over whether the executive branch overstepped its authority by engaging in military action without direct congressional approval. Although Congress did eventually approve the intervention, the situation raised questions about the balance of power in foreign policy decisions. The chapter concludes by examining the logistical challenges of deploying sufficient military personnel from the U.S. to the affected region.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Escalation of the War By 1963, the North Vietnamese had significantly increased their military presence in South Vietnam, sending 40,000 soldiers to fight. The United States, under Johnson's leadership, believed that by gradually increasing military pressure, they could overpower the supposedly 'primitive' North Vietnamese forces. This chapter captures the onset of a gradual escalation in military involvement, signaling a step towards deeper conflict as a strategy to subdue North Vietnam.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Domestic Opposition and Credibility Gap The chapter discusses the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1967, as troop numbers surged from 200,000 to over 400,000. It highlights the ineffective strategies and underestimation of the North Vietnamese forces. The American soldiers faced a formidable enemy and suffered significant casualties, battling for a cause that seemed unclear compared to the distinct enemy in World War II, like fascism.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Tet Offensive and Change in Strategy The chapter titled 'Tet Offensive and Change in Strategy' discusses the intense opposition and debate surrounding the Vietnam War. The narrative focuses on how the war, which had not been formally declared by Congress, was justified as a means to prevent the spread of communism. This context fueled anti-war protests domestically, particularly as American casualties rose. The chapter also highlights the atmosphere of the era, marked not only by the Vietnam War but also by the civil rights movement and widespread dissatisfaction with the Johnson administration's misleading information about the war.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Nixon and Vietnamization The chapter titled 'Nixon and Vietnamization' discusses the shift in public perception during the Vietnam War, highlighting how the Johnson administration attempted to persuade the American public that the war was progressing well, despite evidence to the contrary. This was increasingly challenged by television broadcasts showing the brutal realities of the conflict, leading to a growing disconnect between official narratives and the grim realities on the ground. As the first war to be extensively televised, this exposure contributed to mounting public opposition to the war.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Conclusion The chapter titled 'Conclusion' discusses the shift in the American public's perception of the government's honesty during the Vietnam War, coining the term 'credibility gap.' This term highlights the growing distrust among Americans who began to believe that the president was misleading them about the war's progress, powered by the visuals provided by television coverage. The pivotal event in this narrative is the Tet Offensive, a large-scale surprise attack by the North Vietnamese that resulted in significant casualties for U.S. forces. Despite the heavy losses, the U.S. launched a counter-attack that inflicted even greater damage on the Vietcong. As a result of these developments, President Johnson and his administration requested an additional 200,000 troops.

The VIETNAM WAR [APUSH Review Unit 8 Topic 8] Period 8: 1945-1980 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hey there and welcome back to heimlich history now we've been going through unit eight of the ap us history curriculum and talking all about the u.s involvement in the cold war both in its domestic and international implications and in this video we're gonna keep a ride on going with that by talking about the vietnam war so if you're ready to get them brain cows milked tonkin resolution style then let's get to it now i'm a simple man and this is a simple video all we're trying to do is explain the causes and effects of the vietnam war now in the last video i left off talking about u.s involvement in vietnam by introducing its geographic
• 00:30 - 01:00 reality namely that it was divided into north and south after being decolonized they also talked about its political reality namely that the north was communist under the leadership of ho chi minh and the southwest democratic with strong ties to the united states additionally recall eisenhower's domino theory which said that u.s support of south vietnam was critical because if it fell to the communists then it would be like a domino knocking over the rest of the nations in the region which would soon be a giant communist block party in the pacific and remember u.s foreign policy during the cold war was largely devoted to the containment of communism
• 01:00 - 01:30 so eisenhower left office and john f kennedy came in to replace him and he agreed with the communist domino theory therefore kennedy sent no small amount of what he called military advisers into south vietnam and kennedy claimed that they weren't there to fight they were just there to support the southern government oh we hate the northern communists so glad you sent 16 000 people over here to help us fight them off oh no no no no we're not here to fight we're here to support so tell me how does the northern vietnamese aggression make you feel uh
• 01:30 - 02:00 what anyway you can see where this is going in 1963 kennedy went ahead and got himself assassinated and as vice president lyndon b johnson becomes president just as the situation in vietnam was degenerating and that is when things got bad in the gulf of tonkin incident the story goes like this the north vietnamese fired on a u.s battleship in the gulf of tonkin which remember was only there to get a sense of how the vietnamese were feeling why else would you have a battleship in the gulf of tonkin but even that aggression is disputed we're not sure whether the north vietnamese actually fired upon the
• 02:00 - 02:30 u.s ship but that didn't matter because johnson used this incident as a justification for u.s military involvement in the region and to that end johnson asked congress to pass the gulf of tonkin resolution which essentially gave the president a blank check to exercise whatever powers were necessary to protect american interests in the region now to be clear this was not a declaration of war because only congress can declare war this was just authority given to the commander-in-chief of the military to do what needed to be done to defend american interests in the region but it did lead to some military engagements
• 02:30 - 03:00 and that fact led to a huge debate back in america like had the executive branch abused its power by conducting foreign policy with military action apart from congressional approval and the answer to that is yes that's what happened but also kind of no because congress did give approval for the military intervention so yeah it's complicated the point is with the gulf of tonkin resolution in play the u.s military got heavily involved in the region now the real problem is how long it would take to deploy enough military personnel from the united states to make a difference
• 03:00 - 03:30 over there nope good thing we already had 16 000 military advisors over there okay i think i'm ready to talk about my feelings now man stuff your feelings it's time for some few people well by 1963 the north vietnamese had sent 40 000 soldiers to fight in south vietnam and baby now it was on now johnson's strategy was step by step escalation the idea was that the north vietnamese were backwards and primitive and if the mighty united states just applied a little more pressure than they would bring them to their knees well a little
• 03:30 - 04:00 pressure didn't work so let's just crank that knob again hmm still didn't work let's crank it a little more still didn't work let's crank it a little more then all of a sudden by 1965 nearly 200 000 american troops were fighting in vietnam and two years later it was more than double that number and this north vietnamese enemy turned out to be far more adept at fighting than the americans had predicted and so american troops were dying by the thousands for a cause that seemed at best vague to them i mean in world war ii the enemy was clear it was like fascism
• 04:00 - 04:30 totalitarianism in vietnam we're sending our sons into the meat grinder year after year so that we can stop the spread of communism and all in a war that was never officially declared by congress so as you can imagine the vietnam war was fiercely opposed and debated back home as americans continued to die the nation at home seemed to be coming apart at the scene not only was the civil rights movement in full force but intense anti-war protests were also erupting and part of this was due to the johnson administration's campaigns of disinformation on the war johnson never
• 04:30 - 05:00 stopped believing that just a little more escalation would win the war and so to keep americans from opposing it the johnson administration painted a very rosy picture of what was happening across the sea but the problem was that this war became america's first truly televised war and now that the television was a staple of most american households reporters in the field of battle in vietnam sent back reels of the actual situation on the ground which was that it was a bloodbath that america was certainly not winning and may have even been losing and so with these two different versions of reality flooding
• 05:00 - 05:30 the consciousness of the average american a new term is coined credibility gap the president is lying to us about the progress of the war and we can see it for ourselves right here on television anyway the event that broke johnson's ability to continue the escalation was the tet offensive this was a massive surprise attack carried out by the north vietnamese which inflicted heavy casualties on u.s troops however the u.s did counter-attack and inflicted even heavier losses on the vietcong and in response to this johnson and his staff requested 200 000 more
• 05:30 - 06:00 troops to be sent to vietnam and it was at this that johnson's advisers turned against him and said no you cannot do that and so johnson ended the escalation there after johnson's term was over richard nixon was elected president and his goal was to reduce u.s involvement in vietnam without looking like we had conceded defeat the chief program he proposed was known as vietnamization the program basically provided for the removal of american troops from vietnam while still lending financial aid and munitions to carry out the war for themselves and it was nixon who effectively ended the vietnam war okay
• 06:00 - 06:30 if you need more help on unit eight then here's the playlist right here if you need even more help then you can click right here in review packet which will give you what you need to get an a in your class and a five on your exam in may try it and i think you'll find that there is no credibility gap in what i am saying and finally if you want me to make more content like this and subscribe and i shall keep making it heimler out