Chapter 29 Reading Flashcards
France
had control of Vietnam as a colony before the war; strong independent movement happened
Ho Chi Minh
led independent movement; fought for Vietnamese independence for 30 years; fled Vietnam in 1912; embraced communism and formed ties with Soviet Union; took over North Vietnam
US involvement
with Vietnam to keep France as an ally; Truman and Eisenhower wanted to contain communism
to ensure french support in the Cold War
Truman agreed to help France regain control of Vietnam
domino theory
if Vietnam fell to communism, its closest neighbors would follow and then spread throughout the entire region
France
lost its hold on Vietnam
Dien Bien Phu
French troops trapped at military base for 56 days; French surrendered
Geneva Accords
peace conference in Geneva, Switzerland; France granted independence to Vietnam; divided the country into North and South; anticommunist government took over south
SEATO
US channeled aid to South Vietnam through
Vietcong
communist gorilla fighters; supplied by communists in North Vietnam; attacked South Vietnamese government officials and destroyed roads and bridges
Kennedy began sending
US troops to South Vietnam
Johnson increased US involvement
after North Vietnam attacked a US destroyer patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
gave Johnson the authority to use force to defend American troops; gave the president the power to commit US troops to fight without asking congress for a formal declaration of war
operation rolling thunder
Johnson took US deeper into the war by ordering a large bombing campaign; later ordered more troops to fight on the ground
Robert McNamara and General William Westmoreland
more active strategy of continuing to fight on ground; Secretary of State; American commander in South Vietnam
napalm
jellied gasoline that covered large areas in flames
agent orange
herbicide that destroys plant life; used to disrupt the enemy’s food supply
Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army fought
with guerrilla tactics in the jungle trying to wear down US because they knew they couldn’t defeat them traditionally; followed Min’s doctrine
Ho Chi Min’s doctrine
fighting should never be on the opponents terms
communist forces used
hit and run attacks, nighttime ambushes, and booby traps