Key Topic 4: Reactions to, and the end of, US involvement in Vietnam 1964-75 Flashcards
what methods did the student movement use?
sit-ins, boycotts and protest demonstrations and marches
when was the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) set up?
1960
what is meant by ‘the draft’?
compulsory service selecting people to fight in vietnam
what age were men drafted? What training were they given?
-from the age of 18
-given basic training course
how did the draft lead to more opposition?
many people felt it was unfair and that the draftees were too young and not well enough trained
how did the draft change in 1969?
changed to a lottery system - men born between 1944-50 were given a random number
how many men served in Vietnam and how many were draftees?
2.6 million served and 650,000 were draftees
what did the 2 platoons that were sent into My Lai do?
soldiers went berserk, gunning down unarmed men, women, children and babies
how many Vietnamese civilians were killed in cold blood at the hands of US troops in the course of 3 hours at My Lai?
more than 500
when was the story of My Lai exposed?
a year later in November 1969
what was the publics reaction to My Lai?
majority shocked and horrified whilst others accepted the killings and viewed Lt. Calley as a hero
why was My Lai important in the Vietnam war?
helped turn the tide of American opinion against the war
when did the Kent State shooting occur?
4th May 1970
what happened during the Kent State shootings?
Ohio national guardsmen shot dead four unarmed students during a protest on the Kent State University campus against the Vietnam war
what was the impact of the Kent State shootings?
led to further demonstrations, protests and strikes in universities and in major cities in the USA
what year was the term ‘silent majority’ first used?
1967
who was Nixon referring to with the ‘silent majority’?
middle aged and elderly all over America and Americans who didn’t participate in anti-war demonstrations
When was the Nixon doctrine first established?
25th July 1969
what did Nixon promise when he was elected?
promised to tell the truth and explain his polices in the public
who did Nixon send to start secret peace talks?
Henry Kissinger
why did Vietnamisation fail?
-US troops
-the ARVN
-training and equipment
-economic and political problems in south vietnam
when was Operation Linebacker launched?
6th April 1972
why did Nixon increase the bombing of North Vietnam in December 1972?
refused to accept the peace talks and to win more concessions
why was the bombing of north Vietnam called ‘diplomacy through terror’ by the New York Times?
the bombing of Hanoi and northern port of Haiphong was relentless and more than 1600 civilians were killed
when was the Paris Peace Agreement?
1973
