Origins, 1945-60

Cold War – The Revisionist Interpretation of the Vietnam War, 1945-75

In this course, Dr Mark Moyar (Hillsdale College) discusses the revisionist interpretation of the Vietnam War from 1945 to 1975. In the first module, we discuss the origins of the Vietnam War from 1945 to 1960. After this, we look at Diem, Kennedy and the Coup of 1963. Them, we discuss the period of escalation from 1964 to 1965. In the fourth module, we explore US strategy during the years of stalemate from 1965 to 1967. After this, we discuss the Tet Offensive of 1968. Finally, we discuss the end of the war from 1969 to 1975.

Origins, 1945-60

In this module, we discuss the origins of the Vietnam War from 1945 to 1960. In particular, we look at: (i) an introduction to what we mean by the orthodox and revision schools of thought in the historiography of the Vietnam War; (ii) the background of the Vietnam War, including a discussion of the history of Vietnam under French and Japanese control; (iii) Ho Chi Minh and his background within the communist movement, including a discussion of how revisionists tend to view Ho Chi Minh; (iv) the French Indochina was and Dwight Eisenhower's refusal to aid the the French at Dien Bien Phu; (v) the Geneva Conference of 1954 and how this leads to the partition of Vietnam; and (vi) the revisionist interpretation of the Diem regime in the 1950s.