PSEM developments in North/South , US policy to 64 Flashcards

1
Q

How many commies in the South after the split of Vietnam?

A

40,000 commies stayed in the South to agitate for communism and perform organisational tasks for the North

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

North & South’s opinions on the reunification referendum of 1956

A
  • The North was mad that it didn’t happen but did not feel as though they were in a stable enough place to actually take action until later
  • The South didn’t hold it because they claimed, back by the US (who were sure that the North would win bc of the instability of the South) that the North would rig it.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How much did the North recieve from the USSR and China?

A

As they were a pariah state globally, NV relied a lot on political alliances & eco support from other commie states - hence, USSR gave the North $100million USD and China gave then $325M USD

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Brain Drain in the North?

A

The South’s policies towards the Catholics appealed strongly to them, hence the North lost 9,000 Catholics, creating a ‘brain drain’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

The Land tribunals of the North

A

Redistributing 7,000 ha of land to the peasantry but it was resultant in excessive persecution , with Fall estimating that at least 50,000 were killed - led to HCM publicly apologising for going too far, stating “We have made mistakes”, shifting away from extremism and released over 24k prisoners

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Collaborative policies of the North following the failure of the Land tribunals?

A

Due to their wish to “avoid errors” of the tribunals (Kolko), the North introduced new policies in which over 85% of the peasantry were involved. This meant by 1957, the North’s economy had stabilised a lot

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

NLF in the South in the 1960s?

A

In 1959, secret troops had entered the South to determine whether or not it was ripe for an uprising. When it was concluded that it was, over 2,000 village officials getting killed in an uprising in the South catalysed the beginning of the North’s revolution in the South. By 1963, the NLF controlled approx. 80% of the countryside.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Binh Xuyen, Cao Dai and the Hoa-Hao

A

1954- BX and ARVN get into a street brawl, resulting in 500 dead and 20,000 left homeless bc the ARVN’s tanks recklessly razed the streets of Saigon
CD- Diem and US offer them half a million dollars as bribe to work with them
HH- CIA and ARVN bribe them for support after decapitating the head

^ his annihilation of his opps in this way created a political void as well as pockets of resistance that the north capitalised on

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

1955 election to get rid of Bao Dai

A

Diem rigged it by claiming that 100% of Saigon and 99% of the total population supported getting rid of Bao Dai (2,000 more votes than registered voters)
US backed this rigging and even advised that he give 70% as a more believable stat (he did not)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

1955 campaign of denunciation in the South

A

20,000 supposed commies in jail by the end of the year

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

10/59 law in 1959

A

could indefinitely detain anyone suspected of being a commie which only further contributed to Diem’s unpopularity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Economic position of the South

A
  • had the Mekong Delta
  • US gave them $1.2B USD
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

DIem being stupid to the buddhist majority

A
  • buddhists were 80-90% of South
  • imposed land reforms that were the opposite of HCM’s land tribunals, in which he to0ok land away from the peasants and gave them back to landlords
  • silly move because “with 85% of the population living in the countryside, it was difficult to find a single issue of more profound social, economic and political sensitivity than land” (Sheehan) –> he was effectively building up his own opposition base
  • 50% of the population owned no land and 45% of the land was owned by 2% of the population
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Agrovilles 1960 in the South to counter growing Northern counterinsurgency

A

Placing peasant population in these little villages which only failed to acknowledge the matter of sensitivity that was the land (Sheehan) and thus only succeeded in “alienating a significant proportion” of the population (Kahin), as well as “unleashing social discontent and creating actual and potential enemies” (Kahin) deterring them away from the US and Diem and instead towards communism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Buddhist protests and self-immolation in the South

A

Hunger strikes and protests as Buddhist rebellion
De-facto first lady: “If the buddhists wish to have another BBQ, I will be glad to supply the gasoline and match” in response to the self immolation of a buddhist monk (because people setting themselves on fire is not funny on an international stage)
1959-1960: people turning to communism in masses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Economy and the South’s dependency on US

A

“wholly dependant upon American military and economic support” (Apply) by 1960

17
Q

military opps to Diem

A

by the time the North came into the South, the 10,000 or so opps that had been left uneradicated (because of Diem’s spotty attempts) joined the commies
- DIEM WAS ASSASSINATED BY ARVN!

18
Q

How much money did Eisenhower give to the South?

A

By 1955- aid package of $322M
-“Diem enjoyed vigorous backing from the US” (Bradley)

19
Q

Advisors in Vietnam through the years <3

A

1960: 900 US advisors
1961: 3,200 US advisors
1962: over 11k US advisors
1963: 16.7k US advisors

20
Q

Strategic Hamlet programs of the US in 1961-1963

A

-Became a “breeding ground for the Vietcong” (Harpur)
- Of the first 205 families to be resettled, only the first 70 volunteered, showing the force that went into it
- Collapsed entirely by 1964

21
Q

Under Kennedy- WHAM!

A
  • winning Hearts and Minds program to distract south vietnamese population from the fact that Diem sucked
  • Invested over $2B USD
  • associated with the idealism of Kennedy- “South Vietnam is our offspring, we cannot abandon it!”
22
Q

1961 Bay of Pigs - US failure

A
  • failure to overthrow the Cuban government (commie)
  • Links to cold war motivations/fear of communism
    -“outgrowths of the same containment strategy, each involved American efforts to prevent the spread of communism” (Schulzinger)
23
Q

Kennedy growing uneasy about US involvement during 1963

A
  • “In the final analysis, it is their war” (Kennedy)
    -expressed support of a “phased withdrawal plan” (Jones) but before any decisive action could be taken, he was assassinated
24
Q

Gulf of Tonkin 1964

A
  • LBJ prestige - “I’m not going to be the first US president to lose a war”
  • LBJ comparing the commies to “a bully chasing you out of your own house”
  • Development of elaborate bombing programs in 1964 (Pentagon papers released in 1971)
  • “Tonkin Resolution” - US could take any decisive action in the South + SEATO
  • 70% to avoid a humiliating defeat (McNamara)