Actually the Chinese are watching! I was very surprised the last time I went to Beijing and found my uncle watching Crash Course World History. He's a big fan.
I'm glad John brought up the fact that Ho's primary concern was to see an independent Vietnam. Ho was a nationalist who, as a young man in France, when to Versailles to petition the Allies after World War One to declare French Indochina free, to which he was laughed out of the room. Understanding the West didn't take his request seriously, he turned to the USSR, which was all too happy to help. In the 20s and 30s he learned techniques for propaganda and guerrilla fighting, waiting for the right time, which came in 1945 after the French military had left to fight in Europe and the Japanese ran amok; when the Japanese left, between that time and the reinstallment of the French by the Allies who believed France had suffered enough in WWII and shouldn't be deprived of her colonies. It's an oversimplification, but the communists led by Ho were the most powerful faction and, with help from the Soviet Union, were able to keep France from retaking the country. After Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the war only changed in that the US took over from France, and as France saw the war as a reconquest, the US saw it as a crusade against communism. For Vietnam, they had been fighting the Chinese and the French for a thousand years for independence, and THAT is what the US government couldn't wrap their heads around; they saw Vietnam as just another Cold War theatre, Yankee vs. Russkie. The reason why the war became unpopular is because Americans not only didn't see the need to die there, some actually did their homework and realized the struggle for democracy was secondary to Vietnam; independence was their goal, and that should have been something every American could empathize with. This theme of not understanding the cultures we go to war with had been a common thread in our foreign policy ever since, which is why we can't win these wars we keep fighting, because we don't bother to understand the people and their history. Ho was a nationalist and a Vietnamese patriot who, because the Allies didn't take him seriously, sought help that would.
Well China was ignored again. The most powerful support during the war against France and the U.S. for Vietnam actually came from China, not the USSR. Thousands of Chinese soldiers died for this foreign independent war, not to mention the huge quantities of supplies China gave during his most difficult time. In fact, the Vietnam troops were directly commanded by a Chinese general called 韦国清 during the battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Yes, but how do we know what the true intent of the Rulers of the US had in going to war? The first rule of US war seems to be to kill lots of civilians and destroy stuff, particularly infrastructure. The second rule is to make lots of money for the Congress Military Industrial Complex while greasing the gears of corruption in the US. The third rule is to give the US reconstruction and mineral concerns a leg up in later reconstructing the country and cashing in on mineral deposits, particularly oil. And with that, the war (pick one) was a great success. Note that each succeeding war seems to succeed in dropping many more bombs than the last war, as if dropping bombs was the only conceivable solution to "conflicts". And in leading up to the war, the opposing country can be great friends. And after too! You would think these wars were contrived by racist psychopaths concerned only with money or something.
"We love you China. Just kidding. You're not watching because of the Great Firewall!" Me, showing my Chinese students this in our history class in China: "Well, that's awkward."
Bourne1710 Because, as an American, I am continuously disappointed with how my peers think that the Vietnamese were the evil communists that wanted genocide, when meanwhile they just wanted to be free. It was neat to hear another American acknowledge that.
As a Vietnamese i approved the content in this video,a lot of people misunderstood the reason why we were fighting but you nail it Crash Course,good job and awsome video as as always
The relationship between Vietnam and America was really bad during the Vietnam war. However, not a lot people know we had a really good relationship before that. During WW2, when the Japanese replaced the French and occupied Vietnam, the Viet Minh worked together with America, rescued American pilots and reported Japanese troop movement. We were allies, fighting together against the Japan Empire. The Vietnam Independent Declaration in 1945 was written based on America’s 1776 Declaration of Independence.
And imagine being from Vietnam, having looked up to the United States and it's declaration of independence just for them to give you the boot for trying to do the same lol damn.
^ If I'm not mistaken, after the Vietnamese and Americans joined forces to defeat the Japanese Empire, Ho Chi Minh hoped their shared struggle would bond the two and actually asked the Americans to help Vietnam gain independence from French rule once and for all. Imagine the kick to the gut when the U.S. took France's side instead.
Blue Bird pretty shameful on our (American) side. Funny how they didn't stop to think that colonialism was as invasive to the Vietnamese as communism was to Americans
@@spencer5028 The expansion of the Chinese territory is horrifying. They are declaring the sea to the right of Vietnam theirs, even Western geography textbooks acknowledge that it is "South China Sea". In Vietnam, we have never called it the "East Vietnam Sea" or just "Vietnam Sea", we call it the "East Sea", because it is a communal space. Even though it is an area of sharing, countries still would have to set their borders in case of an invasion. Which has been violated recently by the Chinese government who are conquering the seas, violating human rights and slowly invading Vietnam by playing Monopoly. Houses are being bought under lower class Vietnamese people of which the money was given by Chinese investors to keep this alarming movement "unnoticed". Why would these people sell their loyalties for cash? It could be due to lack of education or just simply too poor to care.
In which John Green teaches you about the Cold War as it unfolded in Asia. As John pointed out last week, the Cold War was occasionally hot, and a lot of that heat was generated in Asia. This is starting to sound weird with the hot/cold thing, so let's just say that the United States struggle against communist expansion escalated to full-blown, boots on the ground war in Korea and Vietnam. In both of these cases, the United States sent soldiers to intervene in civil wars that it looked like communists might win. That's a bit of a simplification, but John will explain it all to you. The Cold War in Asia: Crash Course US History #38
This taught me more about the Vietnam War than I ever learned from school. Granted, I'm Canadian and the study of American wars is minimal at best hereabouts, but it's nice to finally "get" what that conflict really was.
Hi, I'm Vietnamese and I live in Vietnam. I really want to watch this video when I found out this Crash Course series. I would like to share that understanding history is really complicated, but we should keep reading and asking questions. Born in 1993, it is hard for me to imagine where I live used to be fierce battleground.
Dear John and other crash course members, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your videos. The educational system around where I live (western Quebec) is lacking a severe amount of diverse historical content in the curriculum. These videos help me grasp a little more info that I've always been curious about with plenty of honesty and insight. They also help me to get started on my quest to google search further detail. Thanks so much. Please, feel free to review the history of every corner of the world. -Reilly
You know I realized something, in world history class, we never learn about the history of Southeast Asia. And the many wars and kingdoms in Southeast Asia.
That's true, but it would still be nice to have to take a class that focuses more on "not america" (or wherever you live haha). While it's definitely more important to learn the history of your own country first, they world is more connected than it ever has been and its becoming increasingly important to understand the history of other countries as well -- especially when that history affects us.
Belal DarkneSS I'm not necessarily talking about dressing codes or something specific like that. I'm talking more about just general history. For example, in the U.S. we don't learn a lot about the middle east. In my experience, we sort of skimmed it, but we aren't really taught why things are the way they are or given time to understand anything, and considering we were involved over there, you would think that would be relevant and important. I don't think we even had any questions about it on the big end-of-the-year test, and that was in a world history class, mind you. Actually, we tend to skim over everything that happened with the natives too. We've either taught a dumbed down version that doesn't include all the shitty things that happened, or it's a footnote in a bigger chapter about westward expansion. I MEAN, that's even more important because that's history about our own country. I think that was sort of OP's point. We focus a lot on all the white people in history (at least over here), and we don't give a lot of time to other cultures and people when their history is absolutely intermingled with ours and important for us to learn too. (That's how I took it anyway xD) I don't doubt that our countries are different, but considering we only have "like 300 years of history," you would think we would be able to focus more on "not America."
The religion of Science That's because you're connecting to a server halfway across the world, and encrypting and decrypting your connection before it gets back to you. The same would be true if you tried to connect to a China-based website from America through a VPN.
khai do i cant tell if you are criticizing that line or what but know this Ho chi minh was at the signing of the treaty of Versailles that ended WWI he supported wilsons 14 points and was fighting for independence from France after they reoccupied the colony following WWII
Johnny Pintozzi I knew . It was the U.S who trained Vietminh troops during the time Japanese occupied Vietnam.I guess everyone is just a tool for them , to use if it serve their goal and betrayed them when they are no longer of use .
It’s interesting that the Korean War is seen as “the forgotten war” is very much an American thing. In Ireland, we learned about Korea, Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis as one whole unit of study in Cold War history.
I'm so sad. My teacher bothered exactly 5 minutes to explain this topic and quickly moved on to the next one. Like, I waited 11 school years to learn about my CULTURE and you give me 5 minutes??
so ask yourself this: if the US gov lied about an incident in order to go to war in Vietnam, what other incidents are they lying about that victimize/harm other groups for US's benefit?
This is one of my favorite videos, the Vietnam war was the first major war to be on tv so now everyone is pretty aware of what mistakes to avoid, may not always work out that way though
Without Ho Chi Minh the Vietnamese would still be under the French colonial rules after 1945 when the Japanese had surrendered. Farming rice and letting the French steal Vietnamese resources to feed their empire. Vietnam was the first nation that had successfully resisted their colonial rulers. When the French was in control in Vietnam, their capital was Saigon which was where all the officials that help the French enslaved the Vietnamese populations were... It was only natural for the American to jump into that region to continue the French's dirty work. People don't just worship someone who did nothing. Ho Chi Minh was a real symbol of strength and freedom for the country of Vietnam.
Allowing people vote for a leader or a leading party will lead to a consequence that the candidates just try to satisfy what people want immidiately and don't think for future of the country. Ex, in Europe today, leaders and leading parties are deleting their tradditional nations by mass immigration. They don't care about the nation at all but they just care what to do to gain more votes. If importing people helps, why not. If make native Europeans think they're living in a better part of the world where other people want to come, why not. They try to make their people feel good by building up an illusion that they're better than the rest of the world while still bombing the people who have nothing to do with them. Vietnamese ordinary people can vote to elect communist party members. We don't think this system will exist forever but right now, it's reasonable for the country.
Nancy Vu I wasn't asking about the European refugee crisis, which has nothing to do with European democracy. Don't lecture us on a war you barely understand. Why doesn't the Vietnamese Communist Party allow free elections? Why do your all-seeing, all-knowing leaders filter the Internet or refuse to allow more press freedom? Why, despite a growing economy, do they allow their friends and business partners to snap up all the good real estate and factories? Sounds to me like you have a Beijing-like mafia running the country; private planes and shopping trips to Paris while they preach thrifty Marxist values to the proles who labor in their factories making Nike shoes. Face it, the only "future" your leaders care about are their stock futures.
I didn't say anything about Europe ferugee crisis, before the crisis happened, it was bad enough there. And I already say why, if you don't get it, it's your business.
No, I got the first part, I just think its a lame excuse. You're saying you're afraid of real elections because it might mean instability, political and economic. So you cling to this one-party structure, thinking they'll always do what's in your interest, never mind that the people over you are just as corrupt as those in any developing democracy, except that in the later these politicians can be openly criticized and replaced; people don't have to wait for some high committee to decide that a fellow cadre has been taking more than his allotted share before removing him.
I'm glad you mentioned what happened with Cambodia. A lot of people my age don't know that we were indirectly responsible for the Khmer Rouge coming to power. I spent about 2 and half weeks there this summer and you can still see the effects it has on Cambodian society today.
Did you know we dropped more ordnance on Cambodia alone during the war then all the Allies did on axis powers in WW2? We obliterated a whole nation and set the stage for decades of massacre. I don't think that campaign was ever acknowledged publicly by the US government.
DW42536387384 The ordnance number is unsurprising. However, to my knowledge, we did not bomb the whole country, "just" the northern part (where, you know, all of the temples and the extremely old and beautiful things are...) We certainly set the stage for the Khmer Rouge. There are 2 great movies about this: The killing fields and the tenth dancer. Also, I think we did acknowledge it publicly, if not it certainly became widely known by the public.
Digital Emperor true , they're always saying they fight for our freedom but they aren't , they just letting our own army to finish the war , then they're always saying that they save our country but the true heroes is our army not them , anyway from Philippines.
TheImpiroGirl That is fantastic. Also, very glad to hear it. I am always happy to hear that people from China, can get away from censorship. That way you all can know what is going on in the world, like, the Good USA does as well as the bad. But, I doubt the chinese government is just spending all day telling the chinese people how bad americans are lol.
as a history major, my senior thesis is the truman administration's relationship with south korea from 1945-1948. this video confirms why i love this topic. thanks guys.
This episode always makes me cry. The more I study East Asia and Southeast Asia the more difficult it becomes to separate myself emotionally from history. Thank you. You really helped pave my interest in Asia and human rights.
My grandfather fought with the Viet Minh during the 40's when the Japanese occupied the area. His understanding of the US's support at the time was that they would help establish Vietnam as an independent country no longer controlled either by the Japanese or the French. But when that didn't happen, and when the Viet Minh ideology turned more communist, he decided that was enough fighting and lived in Saigon until he evacuated with his wife on April 29, 1975. This is the first time someone outside my family has taught the history of the US's involvement while acknowledging that it was a little two-faced in its motivations. Good job John!
You do know that other countries were in the korean war. these countries were involved too :- ›United Kingdom ›Australia ›Belgium ›Canada ›Colombia ›Ethiopia ›France ›Greece ›Luxembourg ›Netherlands ›New Zealand ›Philippines ›South Africa ›Thailand ›Turkey so it was not just the USA and south korean in the krean war
Deliciousbutter no. The US civil war was against the north and south and had nothing to do with anyone but americans. other than arms trade between britain. That war was 100% american. there for not every war that America has fought in has been 90% of americans soldiers fighting. as well WWI it was probably 20% american and 30% british and 50% french and belgum. that dos not equel 90% americans.
Yes. But it's all America America America to US citizens. There’s a whole world other than America you know. History is told by the victors of wars not by the losers. And in this case it was a UN effort to perfil an American ideology set by harry s Truman called the Truman doctoring as well as the policy of containment. So I’m telling history how it was. not through the eyes of an American. Also the Korean War has not been won or lost so there is no victor to tell it from there side.
I now hate crash course because my teacher is making it mandatory to watch these to complete our assignments...And my slow brain can't keep up with these videos....
just found my 1994 kid's world atlas and it's pretty cool in the new countries section are all of the u.s.s.r. nations and the yugoslavia area is all still one country. i am surprised because it has czech republic and slovakia as two separate countries and germany as one. it's an atlas from kind of in the middle of everything changing. funny, it boasts completely updated edition on the front xD
Once you are done with Crash Course U.S. history I think it would be really good to do Asian history. It wasn't touched on very much during the World History series and i think its an area a lot of us westerners don't know much about. :)
I think the "mostly American and South Korean" line was off-colour and out of touch. Here in Canada we actually recognise the war for what it was an honour the fallen as part of Remembrance Day every year. We sent over 26,000 troops and lost over 500 men.
"Basically America and south Korea". American always seem to forget the people that help them so quickly. Load of people like you Canadians and us British were in that war.
I think that the reason that he didn't mention other nation's soldiers participating is that you can only cram so much info into a 14 min. long video , not to mention the fact the he was talking about the Cold War in Asia in general and wasn't covering the Korean War specifically ......
Peak SK forces in Korea:590,911 Peak US forces in Korea:325,270 Peak UK forces in Korea:14,198 Peak Canadian Forces in Korea: 6,146 John Green correctly assessed the troop levels.
This was a really great episode, one of the only ones i've added to my favourites. I found it really interesting, because as a Belgian i hadn't learned a lot about i yet, and it really made me look up some of the things you mentioned, like the My Lai massacre. Also, i though the ending was really beautifully done. It reminds me of the current situation in Afganistan.
Love the work John, but one sentence really stood out as being lazy a little arrogant. The UNC forces consisted of troops from: Republic of Korea (South Korea) - 590,911 United States - 302,483 United Kingdom - 14,198 Philippines - 7,468 Thailand - 6,326 Canada - 6,146 Turkey - 5,453 Australia - 2,282 New Zealand - 1,385 Ethiopia - 1,271 Greece - 1,263 France - 1,119 Colombia - 1,068 Belgium - 900 South Africa - 826 Netherlands - 819 Luxembourg - 44 A visit to the Korean War Museum in Seoul would let you know how thankful Koreans are to each and every solider and medic who came to their aid from all over the world. Rarely has such a diverse force been united to help what was effectively a civil war in what was (at that time) a third world country. By the way - 44 Luxembourgers? That's no small sacrifice on their part!
Thank you for this video. I am a young Vietnamese-Australian. The Vietnam war has permanently changed my life and the lives of those closest to me. I still have so many unanswered questions. As a Southern Vietnamese descendent should I hate the Viet Cong? Should I hate Ho Chi Minh? Why did we leave? What does it mean for those left behind? I believe by understanding why such a tragedy as the Vietnam War occurred I can look past the hate, prejudices and vengefulness and hope for a better more peaceful Vietnam.
May I suggest you do a Crash Course Archaeology in this really cool series? This wouldn't be another recounting of ancient history (you already did that really well in World History), but a look at the history of the discipline itself and thereby at how we deal with material remains of our distant past and how narratives about that past changed over time - from the beginnings of antiquarianism and imperialist looting of colonial riches to the development of techniques and refinement of theoretical constructs right down to cutting-edge stuff like aerial laser scans or decoding the Neanderthal genome (which would be a great way to get Hank involved). Current issues of archaeology like cultural protection in war zones, the fight against organized trade of looted antiquities - a main source of funding for terrorist organizations -, or excavations of modern remains to learn more about our current material culture should get a lot of people excited, as would the illustrious characters involved in its history such as the cunning archaeologist/entrepreneur Heinrich Schliemann or the dashing archaeologist/secret agent T. E. Lawrence. And while, yes, it might be true that what Indiana Jones does has little in common with actual archaeology, the sense of adventure conveyed in these and other movies is certainly a big part of it! I'm currently a grad student of archaeology, mostly specialized in Chinese archaeology, but well versed in many other regions around the globe, and I'd be thrilled to lend a hand on the research side of this!
EUREKA! I've finally found the video that isn't biased and focused on American good guys fighting USSR demons. These days, it's really hard to find a video that covers the Vietnam war in every aspect without the narrator demonizing one side or the other. And the comment section of this video actually seems peaceful. CrashCourse, you just earned yourselves a subscriber. Plus one like for the non-biased information and no propaganda included.
Great video as always! I wish, though, that to accompany this one there was also a "Cold War in Latin America" episode. Arbenz, Castro, Allende, Contras...
6:57 actually it was not Ho Chi Minh who was the ultimate NVA military tactician but Võ Nguyên Giáp, self-taught general. The ARVN had 1 prominent general well-regarded by his US counterparts, Ngô Quang Trưởng.
I really like the M3 Lee in the background at 8:46 . In one of the world war 2 videos from crash course I noticed that people were calling the platoon of M7s a "Bunch of M4s". They clearly can't distinguish the turrets LOL.
John I often disagree with your political views ( which are oft apparent in your videos); but this time I personally think you were spot on. And I was sincerely hoping that you would read one of Ho Chi Minh's/Nguyen Ai Quoc's many letters to U.S. Presidents, appealing for liberation from colonization. Not a defender of Ho by any stretch, but you are right in that we we're fighting against people fighting for liberation, and we thereby precipitated the rise of Communist influence in the region. The irony. A self fulfilling prophecy. Hopefully we learn from this lesson; but if our war on terror is any indication, history is repeating itself. Thanks for the vid.
I know this doesn't really have much to do with the video, but have you considered doing some videos on more present wars? I just feel that people don't know enough about the war in Afghanistan or Syria, mainly because it's not "historical" enough for it to be taught in History lessons.
So in the making of this episode they were all just like "We're talking about the Vietnam war at one point right?" "Right" "THEN USE AAAALLLLL THE APOCALYPSE NOW REFERENCES!!!!"
***** Which was a surprise to many, because for years the US had believed that the Soviet Union controlled the actions of pretty much every Communist nation and movement. Even after the China/Soviet Split it was thought that China was the Puppeteer. Seeing a crack like that would lead to real diplomatic gains for the in the late 70s and 80s. But this is pretty far off this course's subject, a general study of US history.
So since US history is nearly up to current day, does anyone know which subject John is going to cover next? O.o Another history? I'd be hoping for religious studies since his past videos on religion have been a lot more informative than mainstream media on religion buuuuuuut something tells me the comment section wouldn't be a happy one in that scenario.
Why not economics? He has some pretty good economic commentary in vlogbrothers, and the comments section would probably be just as unhappy as in religious studies.
That'd be pretty cool since economics isn't very well understood. Could go all the way into making a messy comment section by going straight for politics too. Extremely keen for Hank to hit physics at some point too.
these videos are so much better than any of the reading materials provided by my professors. Thank you for being my primary learning resource CrashCourse
Can someone explain this Red Scare thing to me? It may have made sense during and following WWII but I don't understand how it can keep so popular even today. Everything associated even distantly with socialism or even communism is by definition beyond redemption. It almost surprises me that no one has voted to abolish social security by now, it has social in the name!
The brainwashing was too good. I grew up in the Red Scare generation, and for decades was convinced that the Commies were going to take over. Even today, I have to take a step back and think for a second before I respond on the subject. The propaganda was intense, and compelling. The far right still pushes that agenda today, with the "slippery slope" argument that any movement that they perceive as socialist will result in the gov't stripping away our civil liberties completely. It's insane, but thinking men and women can overcome the training if we try.
Yes If I'm corrected, total number of bombs that American dropped in Vietnam had equal power to five nuclear bomb (the one they dropped to Hiroshima or Nagasaki). And that doesn't included artillery from ground, sea and ammunition from guns
Americans need to get over the butthurt. America lost Vietnam the moment you sided with the oligarchy government. You were fighting for a French puppet & family ruled government that wanted to force Christianity on a Buddhist population, while Ho Chi Minh's side was fighting for freedom and independence. Dinh Diem played the US, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was communist mostly in name only. Hell they fought Communist China and Cambodia after the US left. Ho Chi Minh embraced the ideas of liberty and freedom, and he admired how Americans fought for independence against the British. In his youth he tried to get Woodrow Wilson's support for Vietnamese independence at Versailles in 1919, thinking the US who went through a war for independence would understand his country's plight. He even modeled his Vietnamese Constitution on the American Constitution, and named North Vietnam the Democratic Republic of Vietnam or DRV. The only reason Minh took up communism was because he was turned away from Woodrow Wilson in 1919, leaving him with no other option but communism. If America understood what they were fighting for, and picked the right side, they would have had support both abroad and at home to win the war. Doesn't matter how many you kill, or how long you drag out the war. You can win every battle, but when you're fighting to oppress people, you're going to eventually lose the war.
Historically the US military was doing good in Vietnam. Many people mistaken the US Army for failing in Vietnam when It was really the politician who did. President Nixon funded the Enforcement Provision Plan- For every weapon S.Vietnam lose in the war... Replace it. Because of this N.Vietnam in fear halted attacking S.Vietnam. But Nixon resign and the Democrats won a new landslide victory for the New Congress. A majority of democratic members de-funded the EPP breaking the commitment to replace anything S.Vietnam lost. Any aggression from N.Vietnam, the US will provide for the S.Vietnamese but the U.S DID NOT keep their word. A MAJORITY of Democrat of the 94th Congress did NOT keep the WORD of the UNITED STATES. President Gerald Ford gave a long speech to literally beg congress to support the Enforcement Provision Plan, but many democrats walked out the door during his speech. The Vietnamese leaders admitted after the surrender of Saigon that they were testing the new President Gerald Ford. They started attacking villages, then towns, then cities, then provinces.... The only thing N.Vietnam waited for was the US word to resupply S.Vietnam which they did not. Soon after they continued their route to Saigon which was renamed Ho Chi Mihnn City.
FoxMikage fast forward to the present day, the now called socialist republic of Vietnam is accused of human rights abuses and for its corrupt, totalitarian regime. Do you call that "freedom" and "democracy? As the son of Vietnamese immigrants who came to America, in search of social freedom and economic opportunity that their homeland could not offer, due to years of warfare, your comment offends not only me, but to the thousands of Vietnamese and American soldiers who willingly or not, put forward their lives to fight for the idea of a truly free vietnam. No, the USA is far from being a perfect society, and the Ferguson events have really shaken our viewpoints on "freedom" and injustice, but we have to understand that America did pick the right side, in order to preserve a democracy, ( that was more flawed, but still more viable than dictatorial communism.)
He is right about Vietnam. Even though I hate my own country for being communist, yes we do fight for our country. Throughout history, Vietnam fought for the country and to defend it from other countries that try to take over us
Minecraftassasin77 Is there a chance that the Vietnamese people will fight for a new unified Vietnam under a new form of government called a Republic? I am just wondering, I am assuming you are from Vietnam.
Richard T There might be a chance. Since people now realize that the Communist Government is bad, but even so, they would be afraid to because of the government.
Minecraftassasin77 Hey, just tell my government you guys have stuff we don't. Freedom will come a knocking! I am kidding. But, only time will tell and it only takes one person to start a fire.
i do. i'm korean , my dad lived in the Korean war and lost his father so he won't talk about it but i would like to know more or just Korean history in general in this format. i think it would be interesting to see :3
I think that person was just making a joke, but jokes aside, I have to agree. It would be interesting to see a variety of different histories like this. Personally, I'd like to see the history of Mexico.
In 2005, an NSA report on the records from the night of the Gulf of Tonkin incident concluded that the event was blown out of proportion on purpose, which is pretty significant, since the NSA was the one who did the initial blowing. According to the report, "It is not simply that there is a different story as to what happened; it is that no attack happened that night." Yes, the North Vietnamese attack that started the Vietnam War didn't actually happen, and American officials knew it almost immediately.
A Vietnam civil war was happening but not the American Vietnam war. We some of our advisers killed. The Gulf of Ton-kin incident is what sparked our full involvement and us entering the war on the side of the South Vietnamese.
it's funny America fought to be freed of a empire they freed the blacks stopped slavey fought on the side of the good guy but in the cold of the cold war they became what they fought to imperialist country they fought against a nation that was just like them a small nation looking to be free from an empire and the US fought against them so they became what they fought against in the beginning
+midnight hugh dude America became that which they fought by the time of the French Revolution so in a generation since they turned on their ally, supported an imperialist regime(Napoleon) and sanction a freedom seeking state Hati heck the US post 1950's has more in common with Nazi Germany than is comfortable...experimentation on the populace, lying about war, using patroitism to prop up new wars, putting political enemies in prison(Guantanamo bay), even accepting "reformed" Nazi members into government, extermination of natives for living space the US is just more dishonest and subtle at their dirty deeds. They also don't hate Jews and have really good constitution which is the one saving factor
+Mary Epling That's great! I have a WW2, Cold War, MidCentury, overall 40's-60's, test and long essay tomorrow and I'm getting in some last minute video studying! My final exam won't be until may but I'm sure I'll end up back here for that!
A Chinese student has climbed over the Great Fire Wall and is currently enjoying the Great Crash Course lol😂
@the lost star warrior hhh，me
High five
same here
@Flamebuster32 here as well
🤣
Actually the Chinese are watching! I was very surprised the last time I went to Beijing and found my uncle watching Crash Course World History. He's a big fan.
Huaning Wang wait, youtubes there??
Tim Tran There's always a way. May not be legal but there is always one.
Kev In Lol when i was in China I was able to get on youtube
Jinchi Zhou So was I!!
Huaning Wang well....i would say like 1% of chinese bother to use youtube, because they dont get it.
I'm glad John brought up the fact that Ho's primary concern was to see an independent Vietnam. Ho was a nationalist who, as a young man in France, when to Versailles to petition the Allies after World War One to declare French Indochina free, to which he was laughed out of the room. Understanding the West didn't take his request seriously, he turned to the USSR, which was all too happy to help. In the 20s and 30s he learned techniques for propaganda and guerrilla fighting, waiting for the right time, which came in 1945 after the French military had left to fight in Europe and the Japanese ran amok; when the Japanese left, between that time and the reinstallment of the French by the Allies who believed France had suffered enough in WWII and shouldn't be deprived of her colonies. It's an oversimplification, but the communists led by Ho were the most powerful faction and, with help from the Soviet Union, were able to keep France from retaking the country. After Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the war only changed in that the US took over from France, and as France saw the war as a reconquest, the US saw it as a crusade against communism. For Vietnam, they had been fighting the Chinese and the French for a thousand years for independence, and THAT is what the US government couldn't wrap their heads around; they saw Vietnam as just another Cold War theatre, Yankee vs. Russkie. The reason why the war became unpopular is because Americans not only didn't see the need to die there, some actually did their homework and realized the struggle for democracy was secondary to Vietnam; independence was their goal, and that should have been something every American could empathize with. This theme of not understanding the cultures we go to war with had been a common thread in our foreign policy ever since, which is why we can't win these wars we keep fighting, because we don't bother to understand the people and their history. Ho was a nationalist and a Vietnamese patriot who, because the Allies didn't take him seriously, sought help that would.
Well said.
Bravo my friend, bravo from vietnam
Or they could just use paragraphs to divide up the text. that wall is very overwhelming xD
Well China was ignored again. The most powerful support during the war against France and the U.S. for Vietnam actually came from China, not the USSR. Thousands of Chinese soldiers died for this foreign independent war, not to mention the huge quantities of supplies China gave during his most difficult time. In fact, the Vietnam troops were directly commanded by a Chinese general called 韦国清 during the battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Yes, but how do we know what the true intent of the Rulers of the US had in going to war? The first rule of US war seems to be to kill lots of civilians and destroy stuff, particularly infrastructure. The second rule is to make lots of money for the Congress Military Industrial Complex while greasing the gears of corruption in the US. The third rule is to give the US reconstruction and mineral concerns a leg up in later reconstructing the country and cashing in on mineral deposits, particularly oil. And with that, the war (pick one) was a great success. Note that each succeeding war seems to succeed in dropping many more bombs than the last war, as if dropping bombs was the only conceivable solution to "conflicts". And in leading up to the war, the opposing country can be great friends. And after too! You would think these wars were contrived by racist psychopaths concerned only with money or something.
"We love you China. Just kidding. You're not watching because of the Great Firewall!"
Me, showing my Chinese students this in our history class in China: "Well, that's awkward."
"But the Vietnamese weren't fighting for communism. They were fighting for Vietnam" I didn't expect you guys to know this :)
+Thuy Nguyen Excellent us of historical evidence. John Kerry's speech?
It made me happy when they said that
+Shane Arnold Me too, I agree.
+Shane Arnold why?
Bourne1710 Because, as an American, I am continuously disappointed with how my peers think that the Vietnamese were the evil communists that wanted genocide, when meanwhile they just wanted to be free. It was neat to hear another American acknowledge that.
Really needing a Crash Course on The Vietnam War itself. This was great.
As a Vietnamese i approved the content in this video,a lot of people misunderstood the reason why we were fighting but you nail it Crash Course,good job and awsome video as as always
what is this man's shirt collar doing?
What are you doing here lmao
ecks dee wat da 'ell bru
fixes itself at 8:15 ish
Cyranek it doesn’t know what’s it’s doing, it’s okay.
jerking around.
The relationship between Vietnam and America was really bad during the Vietnam war. However, not a lot people know we had a really good relationship before that. During WW2, when the Japanese replaced the French and occupied Vietnam, the Viet Minh worked together with America, rescued American pilots and reported Japanese troop movement. We were allies, fighting together against the Japan Empire. The Vietnam Independent Declaration in 1945 was written based on America’s 1776 Declaration of Independence.
And imagine being from Vietnam, having looked up to the United States and it's declaration of independence just for them to give you the boot for trying to do the same lol damn.
^ If I'm not mistaken, after the Vietnamese and Americans joined forces to defeat the Japanese Empire, Ho Chi Minh hoped their shared struggle would bond the two and actually asked the Americans to help Vietnam gain independence from French rule once and for all. Imagine the kick to the gut when the U.S. took France's side instead.
Blue Bird pretty shameful on our (American) side. Funny how they didn't stop to think that colonialism was as invasive to the Vietnamese as communism was to Americans
wow im sad
@@spencer5028 The expansion of the Chinese territory is horrifying. They are declaring the sea to the right of Vietnam theirs, even Western geography textbooks acknowledge that it is "South China Sea". In Vietnam, we have never called it the "East Vietnam Sea" or just "Vietnam Sea", we call it the "East Sea", because it is a communal space. Even though it is an area of sharing, countries still would have to set their borders in case of an invasion. Which has been violated recently by the Chinese government who are conquering the seas, violating human rights and slowly invading Vietnam by playing Monopoly. Houses are being bought under lower class Vietnamese people of which the money was given by Chinese investors to keep this alarming movement "unnoticed". Why would these people sell their loyalties for cash? It could be due to lack of education or just simply too poor to care.
In which John Green teaches you about the Cold War as it unfolded in Asia. As John pointed out last week, the Cold War was occasionally hot, and a lot of that heat was generated in Asia. This is starting to sound weird with the hot/cold thing, so let's just say that the United States struggle against communist expansion escalated to full-blown, boots on the ground war in Korea and Vietnam. In both of these cases, the United States sent soldiers to intervene in civil wars that it looked like communists might win. That's a bit of a simplification, but John will explain it all to you.
The Cold War in Asia: Crash Course US History #38
You just know CrashCourse wants to quote that damn Katy Perry song. xD
Testing if i can comment.
Ian Glascock lol yes it worked
Gotta love that Intro
#Intro
Jahanam9994 i hated viet school for that statement
This taught me more about the Vietnam War than I ever learned from school. Granted, I'm Canadian and the study of American wars is minimal at best hereabouts, but it's nice to finally "get" what that conflict really was.
Over here at Mexico as well, this video is quite enlightening for a topic so controversial and messy.
As a Vietnamese, this is the first time ever I could identify a Mystery Document.
Hi, I'm Vietnamese and I live in Vietnam. I really want to watch this video when I found out this Crash Course series. I would like to share that understanding history is really complicated, but we should keep reading and asking questions. Born in 1993, it is hard for me to imagine where I live used to be fierce battleground.
Dear John and other crash course members,
I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your videos.
The educational system around where I live (western Quebec) is lacking a severe amount of diverse historical content in the curriculum.
These videos help me grasp a little more info that I've always been curious about with plenty of honesty and insight.
They also help me to get started on my quest to google search further detail.
Thanks so much. Please, feel free to review the history of every corner of the world.
-Reilly
Me:Why does Vietnam like the USSR
Friend:Easy, they were Communist
Me:No because they were SoViet
NO GOD PLEASE NO
NO
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Oh my god why did I come across this comment🙄😂
Comrade Turkey Got His Vodka Well
There communist because of desperation they were weakened so they just have to join
Plus I get the joke
You know I realized something, in world history class, we never learn about the history of Southeast Asia. And the many wars and kingdoms in Southeast Asia.
That's true, but it would still be nice to have to take a class that focuses more on "not america" (or wherever you live haha). While it's definitely more important to learn the history of your own country first, they world is more connected than it ever has been and its becoming increasingly important to understand the history of other countries as well -- especially when that history affects us.
Belal DarkneSS I'm not necessarily talking about dressing codes or something specific like that. I'm talking more about just general history. For example, in the U.S. we don't learn a lot about the middle east. In my experience, we sort of skimmed it, but we aren't really taught why things are the way they are or given time to understand anything, and considering we were involved over there, you would think that would be relevant and important. I don't think we even had any questions about it on the big end-of-the-year test, and that was in a world history class, mind you.
Actually, we tend to skim over everything that happened with the natives too. We've either taught a dumbed down version that doesn't include all the shitty things that happened, or it's a footnote in a bigger chapter about westward expansion. I MEAN, that's even more important because that's history about our own country.
I think that was sort of OP's point. We focus a lot on all the white people in history (at least over here), and we don't give a lot of time to other cultures and people when their history is absolutely intermingled with ours and important for us to learn too. (That's how I took it anyway xD)
I don't doubt that our countries are different, but considering we only have "like 300 years of history," you would think we would be able to focus more on "not America."
Geminisign123 you can take those kind of history class in college or universities, where they have class focus exclusively on said region or country.
because our history (i'm Indonesian btw) before the western colonialism are full of legends and myths.
I'm learning about Southeast Asian history in my Syllabus rn.Its very complicated since it encompasses from the Early ADs and has too many details 😭😭
11:34 onwards is gold.
"How did that work out Stan?"
"Ahhh.... not great."
1:12 No, we're watching, because piracy!
Yup
When u migrate to some other countries, you can watch yt. I did
And virtual private network, im actialy watching that from shanghai
Deitnerb I lived there for 3 years, it made my inernet soooo laggy
The religion of Science That's because you're connecting to a server halfway across the world, and encrypting and decrypting your connection before it gets back to you. The same would be true if you tried to connect to a China-based website from America through a VPN.
"But the Vietnamese weren't fighting for communism . They were fighting for Vietnam"
I cry everytime i heard this ;_; Like seriously ;_;
Same here ;_; one of favourite lines in all of UA-cam
khai do Yeah.It kills my heart to hear it. = (
30/4/2015 marked the 40th year since Saigon liberation .
khai do i cant tell if you are criticizing that line or what but know this Ho chi minh was at the signing of the treaty of Versailles that ended WWI he supported wilsons 14 points and was fighting for independence from France after they reoccupied the colony following WWII
Johnny Pintozzi I knew . It was the U.S who trained Vietminh troops during the time Japanese occupied Vietnam.I guess everyone is just a tool for them , to use if it serve their goal and betrayed them when they are no longer of use .
It’s interesting that the Korean War is seen as “the forgotten war” is very much an American thing. In Ireland, we learned about Korea, Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis as one whole unit of study in Cold War history.
I still trust my government... to repeat history
F
I'm so sad. My teacher bothered exactly 5 minutes to explain this topic and quickly moved on to the next one. Like, I waited 11 school years to learn about my CULTURE and you give me 5 minutes??
Huyen Nguyen Wanna learn about your culture? Go do it in your own time
like honestly this topic is something that America is not really proud of, so Its ez to understand why ....
It's complicated...5 minutes is better than 5 years of confusion. Just remember this, Vietnam No.1! Ok, move on. :v
Nonoun exactly
More than 40 years after the Vietnam War ended & it's still a very sensitive topic to bring up in America that could easily spark a fight...
"he doesn't write his own books because he's so busy with his secret career" i'm crying the Shade at james patterson omfg
so ask yourself this: if the US gov lied about an incident in order to go to war in Vietnam, what other incidents are they lying about that victimize/harm other groups for US's benefit?
This is one of my favorite videos, the Vietnam war was the first major war to be on tv so now everyone is pretty aware of what mistakes to avoid, may not always work out that way though
hi
>What mistakes to avoid
Except our political leaders.
12:47 "But the Vietnamese weren't fighting for communism. They were fighting for Vietnam."
Without Ho Chi Minh the Vietnamese would still be under the French colonial rules after 1945 when the Japanese had surrendered. Farming rice and letting the French steal Vietnamese resources to feed their empire. Vietnam was the first nation that had successfully resisted their colonial rulers. When the French was in control in Vietnam, their capital was Saigon which was where all the officials that help the French enslaved the Vietnamese populations were... It was only natural for the American to jump into that region to continue the French's dirty work. People don't just worship someone who did nothing. Ho Chi Minh was a real symbol of strength and freedom for the country of Vietnam.
+patrick levet How come they still aren't allowed to vote then?
Allowing people vote for a leader or a leading party will lead to a consequence that the candidates just try to satisfy what people want immidiately and don't think for future of the country. Ex, in Europe today, leaders and leading parties are deleting their tradditional nations by mass immigration. They don't care about the nation at all but they just care what to do to gain more votes. If importing people helps, why not. If make native Europeans think they're living in a better part of the world where other people want to come, why not. They try to make their people feel good by building up an illusion that they're better than the rest of the world while still bombing the people who have nothing to do with them. Vietnamese ordinary people can vote to elect communist party members. We don't think this system will exist forever but right now, it's reasonable for the country.
Nancy Vu
I wasn't asking about the European refugee crisis, which has nothing to do with European democracy. Don't lecture us on a war you barely understand. Why doesn't the Vietnamese Communist Party allow free elections? Why do your all-seeing, all-knowing leaders filter the Internet or refuse to allow more press freedom? Why, despite a growing economy, do they allow their friends and business partners to snap up all the good real estate and factories? Sounds to me like you have a Beijing-like mafia running the country; private planes and shopping trips to Paris while they preach thrifty Marxist values to the proles who labor in their factories making Nike shoes. Face it, the only "future" your leaders care about are their stock futures.
I didn't say anything about Europe ferugee crisis, before the crisis happened, it was bad enough there. And I already say why, if you don't get it, it's your business.
No, I got the first part, I just think its a lame excuse. You're saying you're afraid of real elections because it might mean instability, political and economic. So you cling to this one-party structure, thinking they'll always do what's in your interest, never mind that the people over you are just as corrupt as those in any developing democracy, except that in the later these politicians can be openly criticized and replaced; people don't have to wait for some high committee to decide that a fellow cadre has been taking more than his allotted share before removing him.
I'm glad you mentioned what happened with Cambodia. A lot of people my age don't know that we were indirectly responsible for the Khmer Rouge coming to power. I spent about 2 and half weeks there this summer and you can still see the effects it has on Cambodian society today.
Did you know we dropped more ordnance on Cambodia alone during the war then all the Allies did on axis powers in WW2? We obliterated a whole nation and set the stage for decades of massacre. I don't think that campaign was ever acknowledged publicly by the US government.
Don't spread American imperial ideology or you're gonna get killed for working with dictators.
DW42536387384 The ordnance number is unsurprising. However, to my knowledge, we did not bomb the whole country, "just" the northern part (where, you know, all of the temples and the extremely old and beautiful things are...) We certainly set the stage for the Khmer Rouge. There are 2 great movies about this: The killing fields and the tenth dancer. Also, I think we did acknowledge it publicly, if not it certainly became widely known by the public.
DW42536387384 Hello again, you really are tireless.
Hi I'm Chinese and watching this in China 👋 we love you too crash course!
10:37 "Let's local troops do our job while we pull out slowly"
Is that Vietnam war or Iraq war?
both.
or the Afghan war
america didnt fight
Digital Emperor true , they're always saying they fight for our freedom but they aren't , they just letting our own army to finish the war , then they're always saying that they save our country but the true heroes is our army not them , anyway from Philippines.
Sadly Vietnam War History now repeats itself in Iraq & Afghanistan & perhaps Syria too...
little mistake.
"North Korean patrol boats attacked US warships."
7:23
I noticed that too and it confused me for the entire time he was talking about the gulf of Tonkin resolution. They really need to fix that.
Just a typing error :)
CrashCourse should fix this line
Griggs Gibs more like big mistake, you don't mess with America
clearly, someone skipped straight to comment
I thought only me who noticed this
you should put all on these videos in audio on Spotify. I'd love to listen and get caught up when I'm driving.
"How does that work out, Stan?"
"Not great."
"Pfft yeah! I'll say"
What happened?
@@connorschultz380 Gulf War, Panama Invasion, Balkan Wars, Iraq War, Afghan War, Syrian Intervention.
Greetings from Suzhou, Jiangsu, CHINA, Asia. Believe me we are watching ;)
Nearly all of us have VPN here.
oo thats my hometown!!! gotta love dat VPN
That's awesome :)
TheImpiroGirl That is fantastic. Also, very glad to hear it. I am always happy to hear that people from China, can get away from censorship. That way you all can know what is going on in the world, like, the Good USA does as well as the bad. But, I doubt the chinese government is just spending all day telling the chinese people how bad americans are lol.
What's VPN?
Good stuff!!!
as a history major, my senior thesis is the truman administration's relationship with south korea from 1945-1948. this video confirms why i love this topic. thanks guys.
oh Truman, the common sense guy, who does not know that Stalin has already unlocked U.S's Atomic bomb secret.
This episode always makes me cry. The more I study East Asia and Southeast Asia the more difficult it becomes to separate myself emotionally from history. Thank you. You really helped pave my interest in Asia and human rights.
My grandfather fought with the Viet Minh during the 40's when the Japanese occupied the area. His understanding of the US's support at the time was that they would help establish Vietnam as an independent country no longer controlled either by the Japanese or the French. But when that didn't happen, and when the Viet Minh ideology turned more communist, he decided that was enough fighting and lived in Saigon until he evacuated with his wife on April 29, 1975.
This is the first time someone outside my family has taught the history of the US's involvement while acknowledging that it was a little two-faced in its motivations. Good job John!
You guys really should do an episode on the British Empire and The East India Trading Company
8:50 Gotta love those Apocalypse Now references
I'm learning more in 13 minutes than I have in the last 3 weeks in my history class xD
You do know that other countries were in the korean war.
these countries were involved too :-
›United Kingdom
›Australia
›Belgium
›Canada
›Colombia
›Ethiopia
›France
›Greece
›Luxembourg
›Netherlands
›New Zealand
›Philippines
›South Africa
›Thailand
›Turkey
so it was not just the USA and south korean in the krean war
Yeah, but about 90% of the UN forces that were sent to korea, which is what those soldiers were a part of were US soldiers.
Deliciousbutter no. The US civil war was against the north and south and had nothing to do with anyone but americans. other than arms trade between britain. That war was 100% american.
there for not every war that America has fought in has been 90% of americans soldiers fighting. as well WWI it was probably 20% american and 30% british and 50% french and belgum. that dos not equel 90% americans.
This is Crash Course: US History, not Crash Course: Britannia Rules The Waves
Yes. But it's all America America America to US citizens. There’s a whole world other than America you know. History is told by the victors of wars not by the losers. And in this case it was a UN effort to perfil an American ideology set by harry s Truman called the Truman doctoring as well as the policy of containment. So I’m telling history how it was. not through the eyes of an American. Also the Korean War has not been won or lost so there is no victor to tell it from there side.
You should try watching Crash Course: World History.
I now hate crash course because my teacher is making it mandatory to watch these to complete our assignments...And my slow brain can't keep up with these videos....
just found my 1994 kid's world atlas and it's pretty cool in the new countries section are all of the u.s.s.r. nations and the yugoslavia area is all still one country. i am surprised because it has czech republic and slovakia as two separate countries and germany as one. it's an atlas from kind of in the middle of everything changing. funny, it boasts completely updated edition on the front xD
Hahahaha
FishCakeIce It's an artifact!
I bought my first atlas then it was out dated the next day when Russia annex Crimea, bad timing I guess.
James Sayers oops xD
James Sayers nobody recognises it as russian by international standards its korrect
Once you are done with Crash Course U.S. history I think it would be really good to do Asian history. It wasn't touched on very much during the World History series and i think its an area a lot of us westerners don't know much about. :)
And Canadian history!
I like this idea! I did a paper on Asian History at Uni as was fascinated by how much we don't know in the west!
8:47 The mission accomplished sign in the background. Well played, Mr. Green. Well played.
They are a lot of easter eggs in this video, including the Full Metal Jacket "BORN TO KILL" helmet
I think the "mostly American and South Korean" line was off-colour and out of touch. Here in Canada we actually recognise the war for what it was an honour the fallen as part of Remembrance Day every year. We sent over 26,000 troops and lost over 500 men.
"Basically America and south Korea". American always seem to forget the people that help them so quickly. Load of people like you Canadians and us British were in that war.
Gareth Brooks-Martin But in no where near as much soldiers as either USA or South Korea
I think that the reason that he didn't mention other nation's soldiers participating is that you can only cram so much info into a 14 min. long video , not to mention the fact the he was talking about the Cold War in Asia in general and wasn't covering the Korean War specifically ......
Peak SK forces in Korea:590,911
Peak US forces in Korea:325,270
Peak UK forces in Korea:14,198
Peak Canadian Forces in Korea: 6,146
John Green correctly assessed the troop levels.
This was a really great episode, one of the only ones i've added to my favourites. I found it really interesting, because as a Belgian i hadn't learned a lot about i yet, and it really made me look up some of the things you mentioned, like the My Lai massacre.
Also, i though the ending was really beautifully done. It reminds me of the current situation in Afganistan.
who's watching this because of school ?
Love the work John, but one sentence really stood out as being lazy a little arrogant. The UNC forces consisted of troops from:
Republic of Korea (South Korea) - 590,911
United States - 302,483
United Kingdom - 14,198
Philippines - 7,468
Thailand - 6,326
Canada - 6,146
Turkey - 5,453
Australia - 2,282
New Zealand - 1,385
Ethiopia - 1,271
Greece - 1,263
France - 1,119
Colombia - 1,068
Belgium - 900
South Africa - 826
Netherlands - 819
Luxembourg - 44
A visit to the Korean War Museum in Seoul would let you know how thankful Koreans are to each and every solider and medic who came to their aid from all over the world. Rarely has such a diverse force been united to help what was effectively a civil war in what was (at that time) a third world country.
By the way - 44 Luxembourgers? That's no small sacrifice on their part!
Thank you for this video. I am a young Vietnamese-Australian. The Vietnam war has permanently changed my life and the lives of those closest to me. I still have so many unanswered questions. As a Southern Vietnamese descendent should I hate the Viet Cong? Should I hate Ho Chi Minh? Why did we leave? What does it mean for those left behind? I believe by understanding why such a tragedy as the Vietnam War occurred I can look past the hate, prejudices and vengefulness and hope for a better more peaceful Vietnam.
+Crashcourse
7:25 North *Korean* Patrol boats?
+Blaze MacArthur I just noticed this and it totally threw me off
+Alexander Charlick I know me two
7:23 you guys meant North Vietnamese patrol boats right..? not North Korean patrol boats LOL
Yes, he mispoke there. Please fix this little glitch!
"Asia! , not my best work" *flips table during intro*
This helped me a lot to revise for my gcse history exam tomorrow.
May I suggest you do a Crash Course Archaeology in this really cool series? This wouldn't be another recounting of ancient history (you already did that really well in World History), but a look at the history of the discipline itself and thereby at how we deal with material remains of our distant past and how narratives about that past changed over time - from the beginnings of antiquarianism and imperialist looting of colonial riches to the development of techniques and refinement of theoretical constructs right down to cutting-edge stuff like aerial laser scans or decoding the Neanderthal genome (which would be a great way to get Hank involved). Current issues of archaeology like cultural protection in war zones, the fight against organized trade of looted antiquities - a main source of funding for terrorist organizations -, or excavations of modern remains to learn more about our current material culture should get a lot of people excited, as would the illustrious characters involved in its history such as the cunning archaeologist/entrepreneur Heinrich Schliemann or the dashing archaeologist/secret agent T. E. Lawrence. And while, yes, it might be true that what Indiana Jones does has little in common with actual archaeology, the sense of adventure conveyed in these and other movies is certainly a big part of it!
I'm currently a grad student of archaeology, mostly specialized in Chinese archaeology, but well versed in many other regions around the globe, and I'd be thrilled to lend a hand on the research side of this!
I love Subbable.. i only give a little but it all helps
EUREKA!
I've finally found the video that isn't biased and focused on American good guys fighting USSR demons. These days, it's really hard to find a video that covers the Vietnam war in every aspect without the narrator demonizing one side or the other. And the comment section of this video actually seems peaceful. CrashCourse, you just earned yourselves a subscriber. Plus one like for the non-biased information and no propaganda included.
Great video as always! I wish, though, that to accompany this one there was also a "Cold War in Latin America" episode. Arbenz, Castro, Allende, Contras...
The key lesson from this episode is that Stan is in fact a real person...
6:57 actually it was not Ho Chi Minh who was the ultimate NVA military tactician but Võ Nguyên Giáp, self-taught general. The ARVN had 1 prominent general well-regarded by his US counterparts, Ngô Quang Trưởng.
Sorry dude, but I'm Chinese and we can watch UA-cam... you just have to use different browsers and a few skills of using loopholes!
Raymond Tong Incredible
Welcome!
A surprise, but a welcome one to be sure
My mother teaches Chinese students English, so I know this already XD
7:23 North Korean warships? You mean North Vietnam ones?
Actually, there was no such thing as Vietnamese "warships" back in that time.
Cu La They were torpedo/patrol boats
That's Chinese warship
I really like the M3 Lee in the background at 8:46 . In one of the world war 2 videos from crash course I noticed that people were calling the platoon of M7s a "Bunch of M4s". They clearly can't distinguish the turrets LOL.
John I often disagree with your political views ( which are oft apparent in your videos); but this time I personally think you were spot on. And I was sincerely hoping that you would read one of Ho Chi Minh's/Nguyen Ai Quoc's many letters to U.S. Presidents, appealing for liberation from colonization. Not a defender of Ho by any stretch, but you are right in that we we're fighting against people fighting for liberation, and we thereby precipitated the rise of Communist influence in the region. The irony. A self fulfilling prophecy. Hopefully we learn from this lesson; but if our war on terror is any indication, history is repeating itself. Thanks for the vid.
I know this doesn't really have much to do with the video, but have you considered doing some videos on more present wars? I just feel that people don't know enough about the war in Afghanistan or Syria, mainly because it's not "historical" enough for it to be taught in History lessons.
Just saw Dr. Manhatten in the backgroud at 7:34 and I'm loving it
your videos save me during finals :)
At 30secs that reminded me of Columbus, he thought he'd reach Asia but it ended up landing on the Americas.
I have been watching you for a long time and just today I figured that you wrote the fault in our stars and paper towns. I’m shook
The great fire wall means nothing to us!
So in the making of this episode they were all just like "We're talking about the Vietnam war at one point right?" "Right" "THEN USE AAAALLLLL THE APOCALYPSE NOW REFERENCES!!!!"
Hated being forced to watch these in high school, but I am returning for a 300 level college course lol they truly are valuable resource.
Who else is watching all of these videos in preparation for the AP US history test on Friday?
I want to thank you Mr.Green for saving my grades :)
It's 12:41 a.m. And I got an AP test in the morning, God bless john green
My shitty world history teacher just plays crash course videos for class. Jon you are my real history teacher thank you.
I wish he had touched more on Vietnams exclusive role in overthrowing the khmer rouge, to the distaste of China.
Yeah, but by then we were out of the region, and this one is focused on US actions.
touche
Did you ever watch Vietnam, the 10,000 day war 1945 - 1975? It's a 10 hour documentary series. Quite informative.
It's more about the Indo-China wars in general. I don't know any shows about the Vietnam/Cambodia fight, or the China/Vietnam fight.
***** Which was a surprise to many, because for years the US had believed that the Soviet Union controlled the actions of pretty much every Communist nation and movement. Even after the China/Soviet Split it was thought that China was the Puppeteer. Seeing a crack like that would lead to real diplomatic gains for the in the late 70s and 80s.
But this is pretty far off this course's subject, a general study of US history.
Wow great video! Finally found something that isn't boring to watch.
7:20 North Korean patrol boats, are you sure?
Before you all get your Jimmies rustled, I know what he meant, it actually took me several times of watching this to even catch it ;)
Good catch, I didn't even notice it.
So since US history is nearly up to current day, does anyone know which subject John is going to cover next? O.o Another history?
I'd be hoping for religious studies since his past videos on religion have been a lot more informative than mainstream media on religion buuuuuuut something tells me the comment section wouldn't be a happy one in that scenario.
Why not economics? He has some pretty good economic commentary in vlogbrothers, and the comments section would probably be just as unhappy as in religious studies.
That'd be pretty cool since economics isn't very well understood. Could go all the way into making a messy comment section by going straight for politics too.
Extremely keen for Hank to hit physics at some point too.
these videos are so much better than any of the reading materials provided by my professors. Thank you for being my primary learning resource CrashCourse
Cramming for my AS exam tomorrow.
8:19 i hear “rolling thunder,” i think of nishinoya
Knowing that the mystery document was Ho Chi Minh made me feel smart thank you Crash Course
Can someone explain this Red Scare thing to me? It may have made sense during and following WWII but I don't understand how it can keep so popular even today. Everything associated even distantly with socialism or even communism is by definition beyond redemption. It almost surprises me that no one has voted to abolish social security by now, it has social in the name!
The brainwashing was too good. I grew up in the Red Scare generation, and for decades was convinced that the Commies were going to take over. Even today, I have to take a step back and think for a second before I respond on the subject. The propaganda was intense, and compelling. The far right still pushes that agenda today, with the "slippery slope" argument that any movement that they perceive as socialist will result in the gov't stripping away our civil liberties completely. It's insane, but thinking men and women can overcome the training if we try.
"He doesn't write his own books because he's too busy with his secret career, being a historian"
Sounds like John Green to me.
This is how I'm going to pass my history class during quarantine. Time to binge
9:20
More bombs then _ALL_ of World War 2?!?!
HOLY SH--!?
Yes
If I'm corrected, total number of bombs that American dropped in Vietnam had equal power to five nuclear bomb (the one they dropped to Hiroshima or Nagasaki). And that doesn't included artillery from ground, sea and ammunition from guns
STAN HAS A VOICE!?!?!?!
I don't think I can handle this.....
Wonder what his face looks like.
he once voiced an opposition to John Green's tantrum "I want to be a professor of the Dark Arts". It must have been in World History, "The Dark Ages".
I have an exam on asian cold war tomorrow. This was really helpful!
Americans need to get over the butthurt. America lost Vietnam the moment you sided with the oligarchy government. You were fighting for a French puppet & family ruled government that wanted to force Christianity on a Buddhist population, while Ho Chi Minh's side was fighting for freedom and independence. Dinh Diem played the US, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was communist mostly in name only. Hell they fought Communist China and Cambodia after the US left.
Ho Chi Minh embraced the ideas of liberty and freedom, and he admired how Americans fought for independence against the British. In his youth he tried to get Woodrow Wilson's support for Vietnamese independence at Versailles in 1919, thinking the US who went through a war for independence would understand his country's plight. He even modeled his Vietnamese Constitution on the American Constitution, and named North Vietnam the Democratic Republic of Vietnam or DRV.
The only reason Minh took up communism was because he was turned away from Woodrow Wilson in 1919, leaving him with no other option but communism. If America understood what they were fighting for, and picked the right side, they would have had support both abroad and at home to win the war. Doesn't matter how many you kill, or how long you drag out the war. You can win every battle, but when you're fighting to oppress people, you're going to eventually lose the war.
You sir, deserve a medal!
Very well said! Seems like someone have been thoroughly doing their history homework! I give you an A+++!
Historically the US military was doing good in Vietnam. Many people mistaken the US Army for failing in Vietnam when It was really the politician who did.
President Nixon funded the Enforcement Provision Plan- For every weapon S.Vietnam lose in the war... Replace it. Because of this N.Vietnam in fear halted attacking S.Vietnam. But Nixon resign and the Democrats won a new landslide victory for the New Congress. A majority of democratic members de-funded the EPP breaking the commitment to replace anything S.Vietnam lost. Any aggression from N.Vietnam, the US will provide for the S.Vietnamese but the U.S DID NOT keep their word.
A MAJORITY of Democrat of the 94th Congress did NOT keep the WORD of the UNITED STATES.
President Gerald Ford gave a long speech to literally beg congress to support the Enforcement Provision Plan, but many democrats walked out the door during his speech.
The Vietnamese leaders admitted after the surrender of Saigon that they were testing the new President Gerald Ford. They started attacking villages, then towns, then cities, then provinces.... The only thing N.Vietnam waited for was the US word to resupply S.Vietnam which they did not. Soon after they continued their route to Saigon which was renamed Ho Chi Mihnn City.
both claimed victory
FoxMikage fast forward to the present day, the now called socialist republic of Vietnam is accused of human rights abuses and for its corrupt, totalitarian regime. Do you call that "freedom" and "democracy? As the son of Vietnamese immigrants who came to America, in search of social freedom and economic opportunity that their homeland could not offer, due to years of warfare, your comment offends not only me, but to the thousands of Vietnamese and American soldiers who willingly or not, put forward their lives to fight for the idea of a truly free vietnam. No, the USA is far from being a perfect society, and the Ferguson events have really shaken our viewpoints on "freedom" and injustice, but we have to understand that America did pick the right side, in order to preserve a democracy, ( that was more flawed, but still more viable than dictatorial communism.)
He is right about Vietnam. Even though I hate my own country for being communist, yes we do fight for our country. Throughout history, Vietnam fought for the country and to defend it from other countries that try to take over us
Minecraftassasin77 Is there a chance that the Vietnamese people will fight for a new unified Vietnam under a new form of government called a Republic? I am just wondering, I am assuming you are from Vietnam.
Richard T There might be a chance. Since people now realize that the Communist Government is bad, but even so, they would be afraid to because of the government.
Minecraftassasin77 Hey, just tell my government you guys have stuff we don't. Freedom will come a knocking! I am kidding. But, only time will tell and it only takes one person to start a fire.
Richard T True that. But in my opinion, Vietnam has more freedom than any other communist country.
Minecraftassasin77 Does it? That is great then. You know anything about malaysia?
I wish they could make a video with just the history of Korea I really like the format of these videos and would love to see that :3
korean war is forgotten war..no one cares😂😂😂😂
i do. i'm korean , my dad lived in the Korean war and lost his father so he won't talk about it but i would like to know more or just Korean history in general in this format. i think it would be interesting to see :3
I think that person was just making a joke, but jokes aside, I have to agree. It would be interesting to see a variety of different histories like this. Personally, I'd like to see the history of Mexico.
Anyone else here during online school? These videos are basically my teacher these days lmao
@Djmax34 exactlyyy
In 2005, an NSA report on the records from the night of the Gulf of Tonkin incident concluded that the event was blown out of proportion on purpose, which is pretty significant, since the NSA was the one who did the initial blowing. According to the report, "It is not simply that there is a different story as to what happened; it is that no attack happened that night." Yes, the North Vietnamese attack that started the Vietnam War didn't actually happen, and American officials knew it almost immediately.
A Vietnam civil war was happening but not the American Vietnam war. We some of our advisers killed. The Gulf of Ton-kin incident is what sparked our full involvement and us entering the war on the side of the South Vietnamese.
Rewatching this is like rewatching a blast from the past. A few of the information here is out of date but its still 80% accurate
it's funny America fought to be freed of a empire they freed the blacks stopped slavey fought on the side of the good guy but in the cold of the cold war they became what they fought to imperialist country they fought against a nation that was just like them a small nation looking to be free from an empire and the US fought against them so they became what they fought against in the beginning
+midnight hugh dude America became that which they fought by the time of the French Revolution so in a generation since they turned on their ally, supported an imperialist regime(Napoleon) and sanction a freedom seeking state Hati heck the US post 1950's has more in common with Nazi Germany than is comfortable...experimentation on the populace, lying about war, using patroitism to prop up new wars, putting political enemies in prison(Guantanamo bay), even accepting "reformed" Nazi members into government, extermination of natives for living space the US is just more dishonest and subtle at their dirty deeds. They also don't hate Jews and have really good constitution which is the one saving factor
midnight hugh lets not forget Switzerland the true land of the free
Nathan Palmer o and the Nordic nations and in way the UEA
midnight hugh Nah Sweden has major depression and their government is too big, Germany is unbalanced with the refugee crisis
Nathan Palmer and the uea
Actually Ho-chi-minh asked the USA for help... but they choose to be on the side of british-french-imperialism.
That is why we chose to stand alone!!
Ngân Trần We sided with the French, and they thanked us by leaving NATO. You made the right choice.
AFTER 8 YEARS OF WATCHING THIS CHANNEL I HAVE DONE IT!!! I HAVE FINALLY HEARD THE SACRED VOICE OF STAN! FINALLY
I have a history final on Monday and I'm cramming an entire semester of information through CrashCourse videos. :) send help
+Silver Note an 84. I took it happily.
+Mary Epling That's great! I have a WW2, Cold War, MidCentury, overall 40's-60's, test and long essay tomorrow and I'm getting in some last minute video studying! My final exam won't be until may but I'm sure I'll end up back here for that!