The USA and Southeast Asia Flashcards
When does Henry Kissenger secretly visit Moscow? Why?
April 1972, tries to get USSR support but they were not going to encourage North Vietnam to compromise now they were on the brink of victory.
When is the Paris Peace Agreement finalised
January 1973
When does the US stop bombing Cambodia?
August 1973
When do the last US troops withdraw from Vietnam?
March 1973
What was agreed in the Paris Peace Agreement?
- A ceasefire would begin in January 1973.
- Each sides forces would keep the areas they controlled at the time of the ceasefire
- Within 60 days the USA would withdraw it’s forces
- free elections in S Vietnam
Why was Thieu unhappy with the Paris Peace Agreement?
- South Vietnam not involved with discussions
- wanted USA to remain to avoid a communist South Vietnam
Did Nixon achieve peace with Honour through Vietnamisation?
Yes- USA gave over 1 billion in armaments, giving S Vietnam the world’s forth largest air force.
No- ARVN left demoralised, corrupt and unable to cope with Vietcong hit-and-run tactics
What was the watergate scandel?
Presidents employees had bugged the offices of the Democratic party in the Watergate hotel- Nixon forced to resign in 1974 and succeeded by Ford
How and when did South Vietnam collapse?
-April 1974- Thieu resigns
- April 1975 South Vietnam surrenders to the North
What happened in cambodia after the Paris Peace agreement?
- government hoped this would signal the end of hostilities but instead the Khmer Rouge intensified it’s fighting and launched an attack on the capital in Jan 1975.
-By April 1975- US forces were evacuated and Phnom Pneh was in the hands of the Khmer Rouge - 1 million Cambodians killed in the revolution of the Khmer Rouge which attempted to turn Cambodia into an agricultural country.
How was the situation with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia resolved?
- Rouge launched attacks across Cambodia-Vietnam border over frontier disputes.
- 25th December 1978- The Vietnamese with Soviet military aid invaded Cambodia and a pro-Vietnam Cambodian Heng Samrin was installed
How many American’s died in the Vietnam war?
58,000- the fourth highest death rate of all US wars.
How did Vietnam impact America?
1) cost 167 billion- couldn’t expand on domestic programming eg Johnsons ‘great society’
2) ‘Loss’ of South Vietnam implied a threat to Southeast Asia through the domino effect.
3) Without Indochina, SEATO lost its relevance and was bisbanded in 1976
How did the Vietnam war affect Vietnam?
1) 1.3-9 million casualities
2) major damage to infrastructure eg Operation ranch Hand
3) Poor economic growth due to US strategy designed to prevent Vietnam from developing economic relations with West.
