Paper 2 Vietnam

Question 1

Which European country had ruled Vietnam?

Answer 1

France

Question 2

What crucial decision was made about Vietnam in 1954?

Answer 2

It was divided into the north and the south

Question 3

Who ruled in North Vietnam?

Answer 3

Ho Chi Minh who was a Communist

Question 4

How would you describe Ngo Dinh Diem? Think of 3 words

Answer 4

Anti-Communist, leader in the south, Catholic, anti-Buddhist

Question 5

What was the religion of the majority of people in south Vietnam?

Answer 5

Buddhism, although these people were treated badly by the Catholic leaders

Question 6

What was the name of the communist guerrillas in South Vietnam?

Answer 6

The Vietcong

Question 7

Who were the Vietcong receiving supplies from?

Answer 7

The Communists in the north who in turn were being supplied by China and Russia

Question 8

What was the domino theory?

Answer 8

That Communism would spread across countries

Question 9

What role did the USA have in Vietnam between 1954-1960?

Answer 9

They provided military equipment and sent military advisers.

Question 10

Did President Johnson increase or reduce US involvement in Vietnam when he became president?

Answer 10

Increased involvement.

Question 11

What was the Gulf of Tonkin inccident in 1964?

Answer 11

American destroyers (ships) were supposedly attacked by North Vietnamese boats.

Question 12

What was the key aim of ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’?

Answer 12

To break the Communists supply line from the North.

Question 13

In which year were US combat troops first on the ground in Vietnam?

Answer 13

1965

Question 14

True or false - more bombs were dropped by the US in North Vietnam than in the whole of WW2.

Answer 14

TRUE

Question 15

What was napalm?

Answer 15

A petrol based chemical used to destroy crops and land. It also burnt people terribly.

Question 16

What was the Tet Offensive?

Answer 16

A co-ordinated attack by Vietcong on key South Vietnamese and US sites.

Question 17

What was Nixon’s policy of Vietnamisation?

Answer 17

To withdraw US troops from Vietnam and to hand over to the south Vietnamese forces.

Question 18

Were the US right to worry about the ‘domino theory’?

Answer 18

They were right in a way as south Vietnam, Loas and Cambodia all became Communist.

Question 19

True or false - the USA had better weapons than the Vietcong.

Answer 19

True - but the Vietcong has better tactics.

Question 20

Why was it difficult for the US troops to identify Vietcong?

Answer 20

They did not wear a uniform and were impossible to identify from average peasants/ villagers.

Question 21

What was the average age of US troops in Vietnam?

Answer 21

19 years-old

Question 22

Were any US troops prosecuted for the massacre at My Lai?

Answer 22

No - Calley served 3 days of a life sentence and was then released to house arrest

Question 23

What impact did Agent Orange have?

Answer 23

Leaves were removed from the trees by this chemical. Some areas in Vietnam are still uninhabitable.

Question 24

Which side suffered the highest death rates?

Answer 24

The Noth Vietnamese and Vietcong. It is thought that 900,000 people lost their lives compated to 58,000 US troops.

Question 25

How much money did the war cost the USA?

Answer 25

$30,000 million a year

Question 26

In what way did US tactics help to fuel the growth of Communism?

Answer 26

The tactics led to many deaths and injuries which turned people against the Americans.

Question 27

What methods did the Vietcong use to hide from the US troops?

Answer 27

Blend in with the villagers and networks of under-ground tunnels.

Question 28

True or false- the Vietcong had underground hospitals?

Answer 28

True - the tunnels were complex including hospitals, workshops to make weapons, kitchens and sleeping areas.

Question 29

True or false - 75,000 US troops were permanently disabled in the war.

Answer 29

TRUE

Question 30

What approaches to protest were used in the US against the war?

Answer 30

Burning of draft cards, mass street protests, protest songs like Bob Dylan’s Masters of War.

Question 31

Was the My Lai massacre reported in the press?

Answer 31

Yes, about a year after the event the story was exposed by the journalist Seymour Hersh.

Question 32

In which year did all US combat troops leave Vietnam?

Answer 32

1973

Question 33

When did South Vietnam fall to Communist fighters?

Answer 33

1975

Question 34

What is meant by the ‘hawks’ and the ‘doves’?

Answer 34

Hawks were people who supported the war and doves were people who wanted the war to end.

Question 35

What two main points could you use for a 6 mark question on why the US failed in Vietnam?

Answer 35

Failure of military, strengths of Vietcong tactics versus USA, public opinion at home, role of media in keeping US citizens informed

Question 36

Is Vietnam still Communist?

Answer 36

Vietnam is politically Communist but has freedom of economy.