Chapter 11: Conflict in Asia 1955-63 Flashcards
Start of Vietnam war: NLF, Hamlets, Buddhists, Diem's assassination
1
Q
How had the first Indochinese war ended?
A
- 1954 Geneva Conference
- Vietnam split into North and South
2
Q
What was meant to happen in 1956 and why didn’t it?
A
- Elections for reunification
- Stopped by US as they are scared of a communist win
3
Q
What was the name of North Vietnam?
A
- Democratic republic of Vietnam
4
Q
Who led North Vietnam?
A
- Ho Chi Minh
5
Q
What was South Vietnam called?
A
- Republic of Vietnam
6
Q
Who was the leader of South Vietnam?
A
- Ngo Dinh Diem
7
Q
What was Ho Chi Minh’s short term goal?
A
- Strengthen North Vietnam after the war
- Infrastructure, rebuilding, army etc
8
Q
What was the long term aim in the North?
A
- Reunification with the south under communism
9
Q
What policies were introduced in the north?
A
- Land reforms through Vietnam Workers’ Party (VWP)
- Seize private land, publicly denounce land owners
- Execute and imprison hundreds - esp Catholics, pro-French, land lords and owners
10
Q
What were the consequences of these new policies in the north?
A
- 1956 - military forced to put down a revolt - around 6000 killed
- 1 million fled to South Vietnam
- Loyal communists who had owned land started to oppose Minh
11
Q
What was the general situation in South Vietnam?
A
- Brutal, authoritarian
- Anti-communist
- Relied heavily on US aid
12
Q
What things did Diem use to rule? (4 things )
A
- Corruption - economic aid meant for his country taken by his family and officials for their own use
- Nepotism - his brother was PM and other family members had prominent positions in government
- Repression - silenced any political opponents
- US support - heavily relied on financial and military aid from the US
13
Q
What policies were Kennedy’s biggest concern in Vietnam?
A
- Containment
- Domino theory
14
Q
What new policy did Kennedy begin to rely on / be more involved in?
A
- Flexible response
- Could not always rely on nuclear weapons - needed to still have conventional forces
- Large shift from Eisenhower and massive retaliation / brinkmanship
15
Q
What new military tactic did Kennedy favour?
A
- Counterinsurgency
- Tactics to defeat guerrilla / unconventional forces
- Focused on gathering intelligence , targeting leaders, infiltrating the enemy –> instead of fighting head on
16
Q
How was Kennedy involved in Vietnam?
A
- Strategic hamlets
- Economic and military aid
- Military advisors for training the South Vietnamese army and just as troops
17
Q
Who recommended and what were the recommendations to Kennedy about US involvement in Vietnam?
A
- Nov 1961
- Taylor and Roscow
- Recommend helicopters, to increase training of South Vietnamese army, increase US combat forces, strategic bombing on North Vietnam
18
Q
Which aspects did Kennedy focus on?
A
- Counterinsurgency
- Helping the South Vietnam army
19
Q
When was the NLF formed and who was its leader?
A
- 1960
- Figurehead leader –> Nguyen Huu Tho
- Most considered Ho Chi Minh as the leader
20
Q
What was the aim of the NLF?
A
- Opposition to Diem and socialist reunification
- Want to free South Vietnam from American imperialism
21
Q
How did the NLF view the US?
A
- New colonial power that took over from France
- The US did little to help change this view
22
Q
How did the US view the NLF?
A
- As a communist tool
- Diem renamed them the Viet Cong
- Seen as a revolutionary army
23
Q
How did the NLF gain support in South Vietnam and who did they appeal to?
A
- 10 point programme
- Appealed to intellectuals, students, middle and working class
24
Q
What other thing helped the NLF to infiltrate the South?
A
- Supply route from north to south
- Supplied equipment and personnel
- Ho Chi Minh trail
25
What was the strategic hamlet programme?
- Began 1962
- Put peasants in villages behind barricades like strongholds
- US backed policy of counterinsurgency and US military advisors oversaw them
26
What was the aim of the hamlets?
- To contain the influence of the NLF and promote their own influence
27
What was the scale of the hamlets in the first year?
- 1962
- 4 million people in hamlets
- 3000 hamlets
28
What was the impact of the hamlets?
- NLF were not interested in the hamlets or the peasants --> instead went after corrupt and embezzling officials
- Peasants felt forced to protect against an enemy that targeted their government not themselves
- Influence of NLF + north makes their regime seem more appealing
- Hamlets became breeding grounds for NLF recruits
29
Why were the Buddhists persecuted?
- Diem was catholic and him and the catholic minority in South Vietnam imposed this on the rest of the people - who were in the majority Buddhist
30
Why did the Buddhists protest?
- May 1963
- In Hue were banned from flying flags to honour the Buddha's birthday
- Military stopped them hearing the speech of their leader Tri Quang
31
What ways did the Buddhists oppose?
- Trained in making anti-government propaganda
- Mass rallies and hunger strikes
- Self-immolation
- Engaged with foreign press
32
How did Tri Quang help the protests?
- Secretly talked to US officials in Saigon
- Told them to put pressure on Diem to enact reforms or be removed
- Blamed the US for supporting Diem and so helping to create the situation
33
What US action helped to cause Diem's assassination?
- US considered removing support for Diem to pressure him into reform
34
What do these US actions encourage?
- South Vietnamese generals to overthrow Diem
35
When and how is Diem assassinated?
- 1963
- 1 Nov - generals organise a coup
- 2 Nov - Diem and PM brother assassinated
36
How does the assassination impact the US?
- Claim to have had no involvement but this is still debated
- Brought even more involvement for the US into the Vietnam war
