Key Topic 3: US involvement in Vietnam 1954-75 Flashcards
who controlled Vietnam before WW2?
france
who was the leader of the Vietnamese opposition to france after WW2?
Ho Chi Minh
what was the name of the communist guerrilla opposition that fought against France 1946-54?
Vietminh
what is meant by the term ‘guerrilla fighter’?
uses surprise and local knowledge to fight enemies
how much of Frances war was the USA paying for by 1954?
80%
what was the name of the battle at which French troops were defeated in 1954?
Dien Bien Phu
where were the peace talks held to resolve the conflict in Vietnam in 1954?
Geneva, Switzerland
along which line was Vietnam divided?
17th parrell
who became the leader of North Vietnam?
Ho Chi Minh
who became the leader of South Vietnam?
Ngo Dinh Diem
what was meant by the domino theory?
the USSR was causing the spread of communism to other nations which then was adopted by nearby nations one after another
which groups were opposed to Ngo Dinh Diems government in South Vietnam?
-nationalists
-buddhists
-peasants
-communists
what nickname was given to the groups that opposed Diem?
Vietcong
how did the North intervene in the South?
travelled down the Ho Chi Minh trail suppling men and weapons
when was the national liberation front formed?
1960
what was a Strategic Hamlet?
large new villages surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by the ARVV
what had JKF authorised the use of in 1961?
Agent Orange
why did Buddhist opposition to Diem grow in 1963?
Diem shot and killed 9 Buddhist monks
when was Diem overthrown?
November 1963
what year was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
1964
When did Johnson approve a massive and regular bombing campaign against North Vietnam called Operation Rolling Thunder?
February 1965
what did operation rolling thunder target?
the Ho Chi Minh trail
what was Agent Orange?
a strong herbicide used on the jungle forests
how many villages were sprayed with some form of herbicide?
24%
what year was the Tet Offensive?
1968
who was attacked during the Tet Offensive?
US embassy in Saigon
what was the aftermath of the Tet Offensive?
Vietcong lost 58,000 men
how many cities/ towns/ villages were attacked?
100 south Vietnamese cities (5 major)
