Reasons behind American involvement in Vietnam 1945-1954

Question 1

What are the reasons behind America getting involved in Vietnam?

Answer 1

• To help the French
• Fear of communism 
  spreading (domino theory)
• Weakness of South Vietnam
• The Gulf of Tonkin incident

Question 2

How did America get involved in the war between France and the Viet Minh (1945-1954)?

Answer 2

They gave $500 million each year to France to help their war effort (this was approximately 80% of the cost of the war).

Question 3

What happened at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954?

Answer 3

The French built an airstrip at Dien Bien Phu to lure the Vietminh into battle. But they were surrounded by 50,000 Vietminh with anti-aircraft guns. After 55 days the French surrendered.

Question 4

Why were the French defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954)?

Answer 4

• The French did not have easy access to war supplies.
• China supplied the Vietminh with weapons and ammunition
• The Vietminh had local support

Question 5

What happened in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1954 after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

Answer 5

A Peace Agreement was signed.

Question 6

What was agreed at Geneva?

Answer 6

• To withdraw French troops
• To temporarily divide Vietnam into North and South along the 17th parallel
• Elections would be held in 1956 to reunify Vietnam

Question 7

Who was appointed leader of South Vietnam, and supported by the USA?

Answer 7

President Ngo Dinh Diem

Question 8

Who was the ARVN?

Answer 8

The Army of South Vietnam. Supported by the Americans.

Question 9

Why was Diem’s government weak?

Answer 9

• Many communists still controlled areas of South Vietnam
• Diem was Catholic and persecuted the majority Buddhist population
• Diem did little to gain support from the peasants

Question 10

Why did the situation in South Vietnam get worse after 1955?

Answer 10

• Diem was growing more unpopular due to having a weak government
• Diem refused to hold elections in 1956, with the support of the USA
• Diem refused to make reforms. Instead he began to arrest opponents and sent the ARVN to find and arrest communists
• Communist groups in the South continued fighting against Diem – they became known as the Viet Cong (VC). By 1960 they had formed the National Liberation Front (NLF)

Question 11

What image was given worldwide publicity in 1963?

Answer 11

A Buddhist monk setting fire to himself in response to increased persecution (Buddhists were banned from flying flags for Buddha’s birthday).

Question 12

What happened to President Diem in 1963?

Answer 12

He was overthrown and killed by his own troops (this was supported by the USA).

Question 13

What were Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson’s aims in Vietnam?

Answer 13

• Keep South Vietnam separate to stop it becoming communist
• Stop the war escalating/avoiding nuclear war
• Winning over the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese people

Question 14

How did President Eisenhower get involved in Vietnam between 1954 and 1960?

Answer 14

• Sent equipment and military advisors to South Vietnam even though he could have stopped involvement after the French lost.
• Prevented elections from taking place in South Vietnam, as he feared the Communists might win.
• Supported Diem with about $1.6 billion.
• Domino theory. Eisenhower feared that if one country fell to communism others like Laos and Cambodia would follow. This led him to set up SEATO.

Question 15

How did President Kennedy get involved in Vietnam between 1961 and 1963?

Answer 15

• Increased the number of advisers to more than 16,000 by 1963.
• Allowed Diem to be assassinated and supported his replacement by anti-communist army generals.
• Strategic hamlets programme to stop VC from recruiting peasants. 5,000 built by 1962.

Question 16

Describe the Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964), and its results.

Answer 16

• Two US ships were patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin on 2nd August 1964 and one, the Maddox, was fired on by North Vietnamese torpedo boats
• On 4th August in a bad storm the US ships claimed they had been fired on again although reports were not clear.
• Johnson told Congress and asked them to give him money to go stop future attacks.
• On 7th August, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave Johnson power to ‘take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression and achieve peace and security’ in Vietnam (i.e. declare war).

Question 17

Identify four reasons which explain why the USA became increasingly involved in Vietnam before 1965.

Answer 17

• Helping the French until 1954
• Their policy of containment due to fear of communism
• The weakness of the South Vietnamese government and the ARVN
• The Gulf of Tonkin incident