Dien Bien Phu Flashcards
Who set up a fortified base in a valley in North Western Vietnam?
General Navarre
What was this fortified base in a valley in north Vietnam called?
Dien bien phu
Who was the Viet Minh commander?
Vo Nguyen Giap
How many air support did the French have? What did this mean they weren’t concerned about?
11,000
Weren’t concerned about jungles
Why were the French confident of victory?
They had more guns than needed
How many French soldiers occupied that base at Dien Bien Phu?
10,000
Who provided the Viet Minh with modern weapons?
China and USSR
Allowed them to confront and defeat the French in open battle
How many Viet Minh troops surrounded the 10,000 French troops?
50,000
What did the Viet Minh bombing do?
Destroyed the runway
Trapped French troops
Bombarded them with shells and rockets
When did the Viet Minh begin shelling the French?
13th March 1954
How many shells did the Viet Minh drop on the French?
50 shells a minute on the French
Who committed suicide?
The French general Navarre
What did Eisenhower refuse to intervene without?
European support
What did the US send to help the French? What was this without?
Transport planes without approval from Congress
What did the bombing of the runway do?
Trapped the French soldiers
Soon ran out of water and medical supplies
Why did the French surrender?
Neither the Americans nor the British would give direct help
Why did the USA intervene?
Domino Theory
What did Vo Nguyen Giap say in 1954 after the French war effort was devastated?
“A poor feudal nation had beaten a great colonial power. It meant a lot, not just to us, but to people all over the world”
When did the French surrender?
May 7th 1954
After 55 days siege
Who did the Viet Minh defeat?
A large, well armed force of French paratroopers
How many French died?
1600
How many French were wounded?
5000
How many Viet Minh died?
7900
How many Viet Minh were wounded?
15,000 (3x more than French)
How many French were captured?
8000
What happened to the captured French troops? How many died?
Marched off on foot on a 500 mile trek to prison camps
Half survived
In the wake of France’s defeat, who resigned?
The French prime minister
What did the leader who replaced the French prime minister realise?
The war in Vietnam was unpopular in France
What did the next French leader offer parliament? What was voted?
A choice between supporting him in peace talks or sending more troops to Vietnam
Parliament voted 471 to 14 to support the ending of the war and withdrawal of French from Indochina
What did the French vote to withdraw end?
A bitter eight year struggle against the Viet Minh in which 400,000 soldiers and civilians from all sides had died
What was defeated?
French war effort
What allowed a small Asian state to defeat a rich European power?
A combination of effective leadership, guerrilla tactics and sheer determination
What happened in 1954, shortly after the end of Battle of Dien Bien Phu?
The leaders of Britain, France, China, USSR, USA and Vietnam met in Geneva, Switzerland
Who represented the Vietnamese at the Geneva Agreement?
Both the Vietminh and politicians from the non communist government set up in the south of the country by the French
What was the aim of the Geneva Agreement?
To bring about a peaceful solution to the conflicts in Korea and Indochina
What was the aim of the Geneva Agreement?
To bring about a peaceful solution to the conflicts in Korea and Indochina
What was one of the issues of the Geneva Agreement?
Elections in Vietnam
Why were the elections in Vietnam an issue?
The Vietminh wanted early elections so the people could elect a government for the whole of Vietnam
Western powers wanted to delay in he elections due to the popularity of the communist led Vietminh (in particular Ho Chi Minh)
What points were agreed at the Geneva Agreement?
Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel
North Vietnam ruled by Ho Chi Minh
South ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem
French troops would withdraw completely from Vietnam
The Vietnamese people could freely choose to live in North Vietnam or South Vietnam
A general election for the whole of Vietnam would be held before July 1956
Laos and Cambodia would become independent nations
Why wasn’t everyone happy with the Geneva Agreement?
Ho Chi Minh wanted a united Vietnam but was confident that the north/ south split would be only a temporary arrangement
He felt that the people of Vietnam would elect a communist government in the upcoming general election.
Diem, who was to rule the new South Vietnam, was also reluctant to accept the division
He too wanted a united Vietnam, he was also openly supported by the Americans as he was a more desirable candidate than the communist Ho Chi Minh
What did the division of the country lead to in the USA?
The USA becoming politically involved in the future of Vietnam
What was President Eisenhower concerned about?
The growth of communism in this area of the world
He was determined to contain it
