Conflict in Asia 1955-63 Flashcards
Consolidation of Socialism Ho Chi Minh
- No national election in 1956 forced Ho Chi Minh to consolidate communism in the North in order to fight for reunification of Vietnam
- Key process for Vietnam Worker’s Party (VWP) was land reform
- Thousands were executed and many more imprisoned in labour camps
- 1956 military put down revolt about 6000 people
- Full collectivisation was underway and agricultural production had increased
Revolutionary Violence Strategy
- End of 1958 decisions at the Fifteenth Plenum of the VWP was to reunify Vietnam
- Strengthening communism was underway by 1959
- Aim was to use military force to overthrow Diem’s regime but would be a struggle because the US had the back of Diem
- This meant supporting anti-Diem groups and lead to the creation of the North Liberation Front (NLF) in South Vietnam
Diem and South Vietnam
- A corrupt and nepotistic and his characteristics led to his own downfall
- John Foster Dulles admitted USA supported Diem because ‘knew of no one better’
- Diem’s brother Ngo DInh Nhu was the Prime minister
-Large amounts of economic aid designed for agricultural improvements were taken by Diem’s officials and his family - Eisenhower referred to him as the ‘miracle man’ of Asia in 1957
Formation of National Liberation Front
December 1960 NLF was formed and was to free South Vietnam from economic imperialism and create a unified state
- Diem lead campaigns to destroy communists in the south
- Ignored most of the population and replaced Local councils with government appointed officials
- After 1954 still remnants of the Viet Minh
- Leader of NLF Nguyen Huu Tho but was only figurehead and it was actually led by Ho Chi Minh
- NLF’s political manifesto the ten point programme also appealed to students and both middle and working class
- North set up complex trails Ho Chi Minh trail
Kennedy’s Policies towards Indochina
- Kennedy committed to containment and also domino theory
- Kennedy focused his policies on flexible response and would end the constraints with Eisenhower’s mass retaliation
- Communists in South Vietnam had much larger implications than just losing Vietnam
- Vietnam described as by General Maxwell Taylor as ‘laboratory’ for counterinsurgency attacks
What was Recommended to Kennedy for Veitnam
- November 1961 Kennedy sent General Taylor and Walt Roscow to Vietnam they suggested the following:
- Increase in helicopter force
- Greater training for South Vietnamese
Army - Increase in numbers of US forces
10,000 - Strategic Bombing of North Vietnam
Strategic Hamlet Program 1962
- Introduced March 1962 through Operation Sunrise to create armed stockades to protect peasants
- By September 1962 regime claimed 4 million people had moved into these hamlets
- By end of 1962 3000 such hamlets
- However it was largely a failure as mainly corrupt officials took the money meant for medical, projects, seeds and fertiliser
Buddhist crisis 1963
- Diem a Catholic and made his own brother the archbishop of Hue
- Started persecuting Buddhists
- May 1963 Buddhists banned from flying their flags on Buddha’s birthday
- Military used to prevent people listening to their leader Tri Quang and nine people killed in a melee and escalated over the following weeks
- Tri Quang had secret meetings with US officials in Saigon about the reform of DIem
- June Quang Doc burned himself on fire in Saigon
Assassination of President Diem
- August 1963 Nhu renewed assult on Buddhists
- Roger Hilsman, head of the state departments Far Eastern Bureau, sent letter to Henry Lodge urging other leadership in South Vietnam
- 29 August Lodge sent Kennedy message agreeing conflict in Vietnam could be resolved satisfactorily
- Late September Robert McNamara and General Taylor went to Vietnam and planned a coup against Diem
- 1 November 1963 activated the military coup against Diem
