History β³ | Vietnam and the trail against America π‘ | 5.3 Flashcards
1
Q
Which countries does Indo-China refer to?
A
Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos
2
Q
Who controlled Indo-China in the 1860s?
A
France
3
Q
When did France lose Indo-China?
A
1940
4
Q
Who did France lose Indo-China to?
A
Japan
5
Q
Who was the president of North Vietnam?
A
Ho Chi Minh
6
Q
When did Ho Chi Minh announce the independence of Vietnam?
A
September 2 1945
7
Q
Why was there a war between France and Vietnam?
A
They regained control of Vietnam after brief communist leadership
8
Q
How many French losses were there between 1946 and 1954?
A
72,000 men
9
Q
How much aid did the USA give France in the first war (the war where they tried to gain control of Vietnam)?
A
$2.6 Billion
10
Q
How did the Chinese revolution make things harder for France in the first war in Vietnam?
A
Mao supplied arms to the North Vietnamese forces, the Viet Minh
11
Q
Define Viet Minh and Viet Cong
A
Names given by western politicians and journalists to Vietnamese communist forces
12
Q
Where did France lose the first war in Vietnam?
A
At Dien Bien Phu
13
Q
When did France lose the first war in Vietnam?
A
1954 March
14
Q
Define Geneva agreements 1954
A
The main points set out in the peace treaty on Indo-China
15
Q
What were the main points of the 1954 Geneva agreements?
A
- Indo China would be divided into 4: North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
- Division of North and South at the 17 degrees North line of latitude
- Foreign troops to withdraw from Indo-China
- Elections to be set for 1956
- International commission ensured that measures were followed
16
Q
What countries was Indo-China divided into by the 1954 Geneva agreement?
A
North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
17
Q
Where was the North and South divided by the 1954 Geneva agreement?
A
17oN line of lattitude
18
Q
When were elections set for by the 1954 Geneva agreement?
A
1956
19
Q
Who refused to sign the 1954 Geneva agreement?
A
The USA
20
Q
Why did the USA refuse to sign the 1954 Geneva agreement?
A
The USA realised the communists would win so Eisenhower persuaded president Diem to not have an election.
21
Q
Who was the president of South Vietnam?
A
Ngo Dinh Diem
22
Q
Who led the Vietnamese independence movement?
A
Ho Chi Minh
23
Q
When was the National Liberation Front / Viet Cong created?
A
1960
24
Q
What kind of tactics did the Viet Cong use?
A
Guerrilla tactics
25
Who did the Viet Cong consist of?
A mixture of anti-government forces, including Buddhists, patriots, and communists
26
Define *Guerrilla*
A guerrilla war in which small groups use raids, assassinations, and sabotage against larger armies.
27
What makes Guerrilla fighters often hard to identify?
- They often passes as children or old people who passes messages and hid weapons
- Use of a complex network of tunnels and underground bases
28
North Vietnam was controlled by ... and South Vietnam was controlled by ...
North Vietnam: *USSR*
South Vietnam: *USA*
29
What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
A logistical network of roads and trails that ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam to infiltrate Viet Cong troops and supplies into Vietnam
| It ran through Laos and Cambodia too
30
How did the Ho Chi Minh's backgrounds specialise them to use the Ho Chi Minh trail?
They were born southerners but were trained by the North, which gave them insight on the land.
31
Define *domino theory*
The idea that if one country falls to communism, the neighbors also will
32
Why did Kennedy start aerial bombing in Vietnam?
The communist group the *Pathet Lao* were trying to overthrow the monarchy
33
Who were the Pathet Lao?
A communist political movement which worked with the Viet Minh in the French Vietnam war
34
When did Kennedy start aerial bombing?
**1961**
35
How did the USA respond to the Pathet Lao trying to overthrow the monarchy?
The CIA trained an anti-communist force and supplies were flown in from Thailand
36
In 1961 how many military advisers were sent to help Diem?
**16,000** military advisers were sent
37
When did Buuddhist protests against Diem's government begin?
**1963**
38
Why was a coup staged against Diem by the CIA?
Because Kennedy had gotten tired of Diem after the embarrasing defeat at Pathet Lao
39
What was the result of the coup against Diem?
The bloody execution of Diem
40
When was the coup against Diem?
**November 1963**
41
When was Kennedy assasinated?
**November 1963**
42
Who succeeded Kennedy?
Lyndon B Johnson
43
Which idea did Johnson believe in?
Domino theory.
44
Why was Johnson under political pressure to be tough on communism?
The next presidential election was due in November 1964
45
When was the Gulf of Tonkin?
1964
46
Describe the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
- The *Maddox* ship in the Tonkin gulf was alledged to have come under North Vietnamese fire
- Despite this have been a false alarm, congress allowed Johnson to send more military power to Vietnam
47
When did *Total War* start in Vietnam?
**1965**
48
Why did American bombing intensify with Operation Rolling Thunder in the Vietnam war?
The Viet Cong attacked the US base at Pleiku.
49
When was Operation Rolling Thunder?
**March 2 1965**
50
Why was the USA afraid of bombing the port of Haiphong?
They feared it would hit Soviet ships
51
What were the USA's tactics for victory during total war?
- Heavy use of aerial bombing to destroy Viet Cong strongholds
- Use of chemical weapons such as napalm and agent orange to destroy trees and jungle (hiding places for enemy)
- 'Search and destroy' missions. Combat units would go out into the countryside to locate Viet Cong bases and supplies, punishing villages helping the enemy.
52
When did Operation Rolling Thunder end?
**November 2, 1968**
53
When was the Tet Offensive?
1968
54
What was the Tet Offensive?
An offensive where on Vietnamese New Year, Viet Cong troops almost captured the US embassy in Saigon. It failed.
55
Why did Anti-War protests in the USA start in 1968?
- Reporters and TV started publishing horrifying images of the search and destroy missions
- The Tet offensive failed, showing that the US government was lying about winning the war.
- (Though the next year), the reveal of the My Lai Massacre
56
How did Johnson react to the 1968 protests?
He announces he wouldnt seek re-election as president
57
What was the My Lai Massacre?
The brutal killing and rape of many unarmed civillians in the small village of My Lai the USA.
58
Who led the search and destroy mission of the My Lai Massacre?
Charlie Company
59
How many people were slaughtered in the My Lai Massacre?
**374**
60
When was the My Lai Massacre?
**March 1968**
61
How did the My Lai Massacre end?
When USA helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson landed and threatened to shoot the American soldiers unless they stopped
62
When was the My Lai Massacre publicised?
**1969**
63
Who is the commanding officer found guilty in the My Lai Massacre?
*William Calley*
64
Define *Vietnamisation*
The reduction of US troop levels and getting the South Vietnamese army to do more of the fighting
65
Who replaced Johnson?
Richard Nixon
66
Which policy did Richard Nixon follow?
*Vietnamisation*
67
When did Nixon extend the aerial bombings to Cambodia?
1970
68
When did some war veterans start protesting against Nixon?
**1972**
69
Why did people criticise Nixon?
- He extended aerial bombing to Cambodia without telling Congress
- He replaced the Cambodian ruler with the corrupt and unpopulat Lon Nol
70
Who led the 1972 peace talks?
Nixon's National Security dviser, Henry Kissinger
71
What actions did Nixon take in 1972?
- He launched the heaviest aerial bombardments yet: Operation Linebacker I and II
- He made a secret promise to the South that the USA would support them if they were invaded by the North again
| He did this without telling Congress
72
What actions did Nixon take in 1972?
- He launched the heaviest aerial bombardments yet: Operation Linebacker I and II
- He made a secret promise to the South that the USA would support them if they were invaded by the North again
| He did this without telling Congress
73
When was the peace treaty signed in Vietnam?
January 1973
74
Who won the Vietnam war?
The North / Communists
75
Why did Nixon resign?
Because of the watergate scandal
76
What was the watergate scandal?
A scandal where a group of men were arrested breaking into the Watergate hotel in Washington DC to steal documents from the Democrat's offices in the USA presidential campaign. They were caught and it was found that Nixon was involved
77
When did the North invade South Vietnam for the final time?
March 1974
78
When did the North win the Vietnam War?
April 1975
79
# Effects of the war
How many Civillians were lost in South Vietnam
**2.5** million
80
# Effects of the war
How many citizens of South Vietnam were tortured in re-education camps after the war?
**300,000**
81
# Effects of the war
How many men did *North Vietnam* lose?
**650,000**
82
# Effects of the war
How many men did the Viet Cong lose?
**1 million**
83
# Effects of the war
How many men did the USA lose?
**58,220**
84
# Effects of the war
What happened to Vietnam's economy after the War?
It was destroyed by bombing and chemical weapons. (Increased cancer and deformed babies)
85
How did the failure to stop communism in Vietnam lead to murder?
Communism in Cambodia under Pol Pot leed to the mass murder of **2 million** people
86
What are the two reasons why the USA lost the Vietnam War?
1. Military factors; Viet Cong was too well organised and Ho Chi Minh trail was well hidden. Use of modern tech by the USA would have cost public opinion.
2. Domestic factors; Public was more and more against the war, the USA couldn't afford to be seen killing innocent people. With many changes of presidents, it was unstable. Propaganda was not that important in the cold war.
87
How was the domino theory proved incorrect by the Vietnam War?
Cambodia and Laos fell to communism but Thailand and Philippines did not.
