Vietnam War, Versailles Treaty, and American Revolution: A Summary

The Vietnam War

Many people in South Vietnam resented the government, which led to the Viet Cong.

The Viet Cong fought to overthrow the South Vietnamese government with help from North Vietnam.

The new US president, Lyndon Johnson, was determined to keep South Vietnam communist-free.

However, the war was very difficult for the Americans. It ended in 1975 when Saigon fell to the Viet Cong, and the USA left.

The Treaty of Versailles

In early 1919, the Allied leaders met in Versailles, France, to agree on a peace treaty. Britain, the USA, and France all attended. Germany was not invited.

The USA and Britain were not so sure about the terms.

Aims of the Treaty:

• To reorganize Europe
• To establish the culprits of the war
• To find a system to maintain the peace

Terms of the Treaty:

• Germany was declared the main culprit for the outbreak of the war.
• Germany had to pay for all the war damage to France and Great Britain, which further worsened its perilous economic situation.
• Germany had to reduce its army so that it could not cause trouble in the future.
• Germany lost all its overseas colonies.
• Parts of Germany were given to France, Denmark, and Poland, but many of the lands were rich industrial areas.
• Germany was not allowed to join the League of Nations.

The American Revolution

The American Revolution was a period in which the 13 colonies on the Atlantic side of North America won independence from Great Britain.

It is also called the American War of Independence.

Independence Day dates from July 4, 1776, when 12 of the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. He later became the 3rd president of the USA.

The North American colonies had been founded by European migrants, and from the beginning of the 18th century, they had belonged politically to Great Britain.

The colonies began to have differences in life interests and thoughts from Great Britain.

The Americans complained that they had to pay high taxes to Great Britain but were given no political representation.

France helped the settlers in the war against Great Britain.