How effectively did the USA contain the spread of communism? - The Vietnam War

Question 1

Why did America become involved in Vietnam?

Answer 1

• Diem’s government was weak and needed support
• US policy was based on the idea of “containment”. The French were supported to avoid the spread of communism across Asia
• President Eisenhower believed in the “domino theory” - if South Vietnam was allowed to become communist, then Laos, Cambodia, Burma, India, Thailand and Pakistan would quickly follow
• American airforce pilots were sent to support France
• After France had left, military and economic aid was offered to the South. Additionally 900 military advisers were sent to South Vietnam
• By 1963, the communist Vietcong controlled 40% of South Vietnam

Question 2

Why ddi Kennedy decide to increase American military presence?

Answer 2

He wanted to look strong after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 3

What did Kennedy send to South Vietnam to increase their strength?

Answer 3

He sent money to increase the size of the South Vietnamese army and he increased the number of advisers he sent to Vietnam by 100
The role of the advisers was to train the South Vietnamese army

Question 4

By 1963, how many advisers and helicopter did South Vietnam have?

Answer 4

16,000 advisers

300 helicopters

Question 5

What happened in November 1963?

Answer 5

President Diem was overthrown by a military coup

President Kennedy was assassinated

Question 6

What was “The Gulf of Tonkin Incident”?

Answer 6

American warships were attacked by North Vietnamese gunboats while in international water.

Question 7

When was The Gulf of Tonkin Incident?

Answer 7

August 1964

Question 8

What did the American Senate do in response to The Gulf of Tonkin Incident?

Answer 8

He granted Johnson permission to give armed support to South Vietnam

Question 9

What was Operation Rolling Thunder?

Answer 9

This was a US plan to stop North Vietnam suppling the Vietcong.
They bombed factories, military bases and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The idea was to make the bombing so heavy that ground troops would not be required

Question 10

What was Vietnamisation?

Answer 10

This was support given by the US to strengthen the South Vietnamese army to allow the gradual withdrawal of American combat troops

Question 11

What strategy was used by the Vietcong during the Vietnam War?

Answer 11

Ho Chi Minh based the Vietcong guerrilla warfare strategy on the methods used by the communists to gain power in China

Question 12

What was guerrilla warfare?

Answer 12

A method of fighting employed by the Vietcong. It involved hit-and-run tactics in an attempt to reduce the morale of the opposition

Question 13

What were the features of Vietcong guerrilla warfare?

Answer 13

• Guerrilla fighters did not have a base camp
• They did not wear a uniform, making it difficult to differentiate between villagers and Vietcong
• They used the element of surprised
• They ambushed American troops and set booby traps using trip wires and mines

Question 14

What was the impact of Vietcong guerrilla warfare?

Answer 14

• Reduced the morale of the American troops whose average age was only 19
• Increased the number of American casualties

Question 15

What were the strategies used by the USA during the Vietnam war?

Answer 15

• Strategic bombing
• Chemical weapons
• Search and destroy
• Strategic villages

Question 16

What was strategic bombing used by the USA during the Vietnam war?

Answer 16

During the war the US bombed Vietcong strongholds, supply lines and key cities
Operation Rolling Thunder started in 1965. Bombing continued after Operation Rolling Thunder stopped in 1968

Question 17

What were the chemical weapons used by the USA during the Vietnam war?

Answer 17

The Americans developed Agent Orange and also used napalm

Question 18

What is Agent Orange?

Answer 18

A strong chemical which killed living vegetation, much like a weedkiller does

Question 19

What is Napalm?

Answer 19

A fiercely burning form of petroleum jelly which sticks to the skin causing burns that go down to the bone

Question 20

What was the “search and destroy” tactic used by the USA during the Vietnam war?

Answer 20

In response to the guerrilla tactics of the Vietcong the Americans carried out raids using helicopter.
The helicopters would land near Vietnamese villages.
The US forces would then kill hiding Vietcong fighters and set fire to the Village

Question 21

What was strategic villages used by the USA during the Vietnam war?

Answer 21

Whole villages were moved to a new site

The new site was enclosed by barbed wire

Question 22

What was the impact of strategic bombing done by the USA?

Answer 22

• Supply lines were disrupted but not stopped.
• South Vietnamese targets were still attacked
• Executive bombing of Hanoi encouraged the commencement of peace discussion
• the cost of bombing to the US was huge

Question 23

What was the impact of Agent Orange used by the USA?

Answer 23

Agent Orange was used to carry out defoliation of the jungle in South Vietnam
The chemical was dropped from the air and removed the leaves from the trees in an attempt to prevent the Vietcong hiding in the jungle
The Vietcong underground supply lines were not affected

Question 24

What was the impact of Napalm?

Answer 24

Napalm was often dropped on villages to destroy them
Thousands of innocent Vietnamese civilians received terrible burns and often died
This shocked the American people back in the USA

Question 25

What was the impact of the “search and destroy” tactic done by the USA?

Answer 25

Some Vietcong were killed, impact was minimal
The raids were often based on incorrect information resulting in:
-villages being destroyed and large number of innocent villagers killed
-US troops becoming unpopular with the peasants who then gave their support to the Vietcong
-inexperienced US troops walking into traps

Question 26

What was the impact of strategic villages done by the USA?

Answer 26

The Americans were able to control and check those who entered and left the village

Question 27

What other problems did the Americans face during the Vietnam war?

Answer 27

• the use of inexperienced troops
• low morale
• declining support in South Vietnam
• aid from Asian countries

Question 28

Why was the use of inexperienced troops a problem for the USA?

Answer 28

The average age of American troops was 19
Many had just left school and just wanted to return home safely
They were often from poorer homes or immigrant background

Question 29

Why was low morale a problem for the USA?

Answer 29

The use of guerrilla warfare affected the morale of the troops as they feared what might happen to them
Troops turned to drugs, thousands deserted and many committed suicide

Question 30

Why was declining support in South Vietnam a problem for the USA?

Answer 30

The winning of “hearts and minds” was seen as crucial to US success by the use of tactics which killed civilians lost the support of the Vietnamese people
The My Lai massacre was an event that highlighted the failure of this policy

Question 31

Why was aid form Asian countries a problem for the USA?

Answer 31

Neighbouring countries of Vietnam showed sympathy to the Vietcong by allowing them to access arms and ammunition
America could not, for diplomatic reasons, enter these countries
Cambodia and Laos used the Ho Chi Minh trail to supply necessities to the Vietcong

Question 32

What was the Tet Offensive?

Answer 32

In January 1967, communist troops attacked major Vietnamese towns and cities including the American embassy in Saigon during the New Year holdiays
The hoped-for revolution in South Vietnam did not materialise and the Vietcong pushed back

Question 33

What was the My Lai Massacre?

Answer 33

In March 1968 an American troop patrol entered the village of My Lai. They were on a search and destroy mission
No Vietcong were found, by nearly 400 civilians were massacred by the Ameriacns
This shocked the American public, many stopped supporting

Question 34

Why did the press and media cause the USA to withdraw from Vietnam?

Answer 34

In the early year of the war, American newspapers and news journalists were supportive of the war
By 1967 reports from Vietnam were via television programmes which often showed scenes of shocking violence from search and destroy raids
At the same time TV reporters were increasingly arguing that the war was unwinnable

Question 35

Why did the USA withdraw from Vietnam?

Answer 35

• Tet offensive
• My Lai Massacre
• Press and media
• Protests against the war
• Human and economic cost

Question 36

What protests occurred against the war?

Answer 36

• Draft cards were burnt and President Johnson was taunted by students
• American student anti-war protests reached their height towards the end of the 1960s. They held the view that the war was morally wrong
• Protests involved the burning of the American flag and ended in violent clashes withe the Police
• One clash was at Kent State University, where the national guard fired into a group of unarmed protestor. Four students were killed

Question 37

Why did human and economic cost make the USA withdraw from Vietnam?

Answer 37

In 1967, Life magazine calculated that it was costing $400,000 for each Vietcong fighter killed
By 1968, 300 US troops were dying each week
Over 50,000 US troops lost their lives

Question 38

When was a ceasefire agreed?

Answer 38

February 1973

Question 39

What happened to South Vietnam after the war?

Answer 39

Within two year of the end of the war, South Vietnam fell to the communists, as did Cambodia and Laos

Question 40

When did communist troops take South Vietnam?

Answer 40

1975

Question 41

When were North and South Vietnam reuinted?

Answer 41

1976, ruled by Ho Chi Minh

Question 42

When was trade between Vietnam and USA resume?

Answer 42

1993

Question 43

What was the result of the war?

Answer 43

Over 700,000 veterans suffered psychological effects
Huge areas of land were left ruined by the use of chemicals
The land was littered with unexploded shells and bombs
The end of the policy of containment was announced by President Nixon