Opposition to the Vietnam War

Question 1

What were the 7 reasons why there was opposition towards the war?

Answer 1

The US wasn't winning
US Politicians
Lack of support for the South Vietnamese government
The Civil Rights Movement
The 'draft' system
Casualties
Media Coverage

Question 2

Why was the US Politicians a reason why there was opposition towards the war?

Answer 2

A huge amount of money was being spent on the war. Some people argued that more money should be spent on domestic issues such as housing, education, healthcare

Question 3

Why was the lack of support for the South Vietnamese government a reason why there was opposition towards the war?

Answer 3

Many Americans felt that the South Vietnamese government was corrupt and brutal

Question 4

Why was the Civil Rights Movement a reason why there was opposition towards the war?

Answer 4

Civil rights leaders spoke out against the war. They highlighted racial inequality in the army

Question 5

Why was the ‘draft’ system a reason why there was opposition towards the war?

Answer 5

Nearly 2,000,000 men joined the war between 1964 and 1972 as a result of the draft system
There was lots of hatred towards this system and many young people questioned if the human loss was worth it

Question 6

Why was the casualties a reason why there was opposition towards the war?

Answer 6

Around 300 US soldiers were dying each week
Average age of a soldier killed was just 23
There was huge shock as a result of these figures

Question 7

Why was the media coverage a reason why there was opposition towards the war?

Answer 7

Images and stories of civilian casualties, poor discipline and drug-taking in the army were widely reported on the TV and in newspapers

Question 8

Who was opposition to the war extremely strong with?

Answer 8

College and University students

Question 9

What did the war symbolise to the college and university students?

Answer 9

Control and authority by the government - they wanted to rebel against this

Question 10

What was the largest anti-war protest in US history?

Answer 10

The protest in Washington DC on 15th November 1969, when 500,000 people demonstrated

Question 11

What events happened on Thursday 30th April 1970?

Answer 11

President Nixon announced the US invasion of Cambodia
Protests took place outside many colleges and universities
Students at Kent State University arranged a protest for Monday 4th May 1970

Question 12

What happened on the weekend of the 2nd-3rd May 1970?

Answer 12

Clashes took place between protestors and local police around the university and the local town
The Mayor of Kent asked for help, so 1000 Ohio National Guardsmen were sent

Question 13

What happened on Monday 4th May 1970?

Answer 13

Around 3000 people gathered at the Kent State University - 1500 demonstrations and a further 1500 bystanders

Question 14

What happened as a result of the demonstrations at Kent State University?

Answer 14

The demonstrations turned violent, with rocks being thrown and tear gas fired by the National Guardsmen
National Guardsmen shot 4 students and injured 8 others
In total they shot between 61 and 67 bullets

Question 15

What were the consequences of the Kent State University shootings?

Answer 15

News of the shooting shocked the nation
Across the US, universities and colleges closed as 2,000,000 students refused to attend classes
8 of the guardsmen were arrested, but were then released due to lack of evidence

Question 16

By 1961, how many households in America had a TV?

Answer 16

93%

Question 17

What 3 new technologies were used in reporting the Vietnam War?

Answer 17

Lightweight video cameras and voice recorders made news reporting easier
No government censorship on stories
The full-colour horror of the war could quickly appear on TVs

Question 18

How was the media reflecting on the war at the beginning?

Answer 18

Media coverage was positive, focusing on the brave, skilful US troops
The Americans were the ‘good guys’ fighting against the Vietcong ‘bad guys’

Question 19

How was the media and the TET Offensive a turning point in the war?

Answer 19

Until the TET Offensive, the US government had been promising that the war was going well. Now, once the media had reported it, it caused the public to disagree?

Question 20

What 4 impacts did the media have after the TET Offensive?

Answer 20

Shocked Americans who had no idea how brutal the fighting was
Caused the public to question how much they could trust the government
Showed the Vietcong could attack with great force
Made some people question whether they should be involved in the war

Question 21

Who was Walter Cronkite?

Answer 21

America’s best known newsreader at the time
He was called the ‘most trusted man in America’
In a February 1968 news report, he stated that he thought the war was going to end in stalemate
When President Johnson heard this, he said that if he’d lost Cronkite, he’d lost America

Question 22

How did the New York Times influence public opinions?

Answer 22

In June 1971, the newspaper published leaked secret reports

These confirmed the suspicions that the US government had been lying about the involvement in the war

Question 23

How did Life Magazine influence public opinions?

Answer 23

They published a shocking article with the names and faces of 242 US troops who had been killed in a week
Seeing all the handsome young men, now all dead, shocked people even more

Question 24

How did stories about the poor morale and behaviour of the troops influence public opinion?

Answer 24

The coverage of the My Lai Massacre damaged the image of the US troops
An investigation revealed that Charlie Company had killed 500 innocent civilians
The army’s attempted cover-up led to many of the public distrusting the government and the army

Question 25

What other event fuelled the distrust of the US government?

Answer 25

The Watergate Scandal

Question 26

What was The Watergate Scandal?

Answer 26

President Nixon, a Republican, was linked to a burglary at the offices of his rival party, the Democrats
He took steps to try and cover it up afterwards
When his involvement in the robbery came to light, he resigned
The scandal led many to question the country’s leadership