17: The USA and Southeast Asia

Question 1

Who were the USA and USSR’s leaders at the time of the Paris Peace Talks 1972/3?

Answer 1

Nixon and Brezhnev

Question 2

What was decided at the Paris Peace Talks?

Answer 2

Ceasefire would begin in Jan 1973
Each side would keep the area they currently controlled
US would withdraw within 60 days
Free elections
Possibility of future unification

Question 3

Who was left out of the peace talks?

Answer 3

South Vietnam (Thieu)

Question 4

What happened when US troops left Vietnam?

Answer 4

North intensified their guerrilla tactics
South Vietnamese army couldn’t cope
Ford took over as US president and the North Vietnamese continued to advance
South surrendered in 1975

Question 5

Who was the communist group going against US involvement in Cambodia?

Answer 5

Khmer Rouge

Question 6

When was Khmer Rouge finally stopped and who helped with the take over?

Answer 6

1979 and Vietnamese with Soviet support

Question 7

What was the cost of the Vietnam War to the USA?

Answer 7

58,000 dead
Anti war feelings after the Tet Offensive
Veterans were ostracised as people thought they supported US war policy
Debate over draft dodgers (Johnson gave amnesty)
SEATO disbanded
Failure of containment

Question 8

What was the cost of the war to Vietnam?

Answer 8

Ford opposed their entry to the UN
Ford upheld a trade embargo until 1994
Damaged land because of chemical weapons
Large proportion of casualties
Large number of migrants moving away