Paper 1 Theme 1 - Topic 2: Vietnam War Flashcards
First Indochina War
December 1946
War between Vietminh forces and France started
Viet Minh seized power
September 2 1945
French lost to Vietnam
May 1954
France lost to Vietnam in the Battle of Dien Bien phu
July 1954 - Established the 17th parallel in the Geneva Accords, separating the French in the South and the Viet Minh in the North.
Ngo Ding Diem
declared himself president in October 1955.
Diem = paranoid, corrupt (controlled extensive system of extortion, highly unpopular.
Vehemently anti-Buddhist.
Practiced nepotism heavily.
Viet Congh
is a guerrilla force formed by South Vietnamese sympathisers.
By 1957, begun terrorist activities and assassinated government officials. Viet Congh is also made up of non-communist Vietnamese who detests the corrupt practices of the government. Some Northern Vietnamese fighters also infiltrated into the South and joined the terrorist attacks.
National Liberation Front (NLF)
Formed at the end of 1960
Designed to serve as the political arm of the Vietcong.
The military body is called the People’s Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF).
Increased role of US in Vietnam
Kennedy saw the Vietnam War as a platform to regain his reputation after the colossal failure in Bay of Pig and Berlin.
Kennedy’s administration also wanted to test out their ability to conduct ‘counter-insurgencies’.
Being a strong believer of the Domino Theory, he also wanted to curb the spread of communism in East Asia.
Self-immolation of Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc
To protest against Diem’s repression, Quang immolated himself with gasoline. Sensational photographs hit the headlines of American newspapers, creating a wave of protests against US’s support for Diem’s regime.
Many South Vietnamese also joined the Buddhists.
Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem
2 November 1963
Assassination of JFK
22 November 1963
Lyndon B.Johnson in the Vietnam War
After November 1963
Believed that Vietnam was a test of U.S credibility. He was determined to commit to the war.
Increased from 16,000 in Nov to 23,000 by end of 1964.
Gulf of Tonkin incident
August 2, 1964
The USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese boats.
On August 4, the ships were reportedly attacked again. The captain of the ships cautioned that the evidence for the second attack was inconclusive. Johnson however chose to believe that the attack took place.
Gulf of Tonkin resolution
August 7, 1964
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively gave U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization, without a formal declaration of war by Congress, the use of conventional military force in Southeast Asia
US formal entry into the Vietnam War
August + 1964
Decided on a series of graduated air attacks that would become progressively more damaging until the North Vietnamese decided that the cost of waging war in the South was too high.
The resolution was eventually repealed during the agreement for the end of Vietnam War.
Operation Rolling Thunder
February 1965
At first, only military targets were hit but civilian targets were hit as the bombing turned into years. More bombs were dropped on Vietnam than the Allies used on the Axis powers during the whole of WWII.
Agent Orange and Napalm were also used to remove the jungle cover used by the Vietcong guerrilla fighters.
US Ground troops
US ground troops faced trouble identifying the enemy as the Vietcongs would pose as normal villagers. Any mistake would lead to an angrier population in SV and at home.
In July 1965, LBJ dispatched 100,000 more troops immediately and 100,000 more in 1966.
American ground troops were dying at a rate of 100 per week. By the end of 1967, nearly 500,000 American soldiers were stationed in Vietnam.
Credibility gap
During Vietnam war (Mid 1960s - late 1960s)
After combat, American soldiers would count the number of Vietnamese soldiers who had died. This is to measure the progress during the war. However, US troops tended to exaggerate the figures in what came to be known as the credibility gap.
Large protests against American involvement in Vietnam
October 1967
At least 35,000 demonstrators staged a mass protest against the cruelty and inhumane treatment of the North Vietnamese.
People also opposed the war as there was little evidence that there would be a victory anytime soon.
Tet Offensive
January 31, 1968
The communists launched a bold stroke that would cripple the South Vietnamese government.
The large offensive put up by the communists showed the American public that the US was not close to winning, contrary to the words of the White House. Television coverage of the fighting left many with the impression that the United States and its ally were in desperate straits.
This impression is further reinforced when General Westmoreland requested for 206,000 additional troops on March 10.
Richard Nixon’s ascension to the presidency
20 January 1969
Nixon was convinced that the US could not win the war militarily. So he wanted to end the war by an “honourable settlement” where South Vietnam was to be guaranteed survival.
US withdraws
June 1969 - Nixon announced the withdrawal of 25,000 US troops.
March 1970- he announced further withdrawal of 150,000 more troops
After long negotiations and a bombing campaign by the US (Christmas bombings), the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam was signed in January 1973.
On March 29,1973 the last US military left Vietnam
Fall of Saigon and Unification of Vietnam
July 2, 1976, the country was officially united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia
May 1975
