The USA Conflict Home and Abroad: 4.3 Flashcards
The war ends
1
Q
Describe the terms Johnson set out for peace settlement on the 6 April 1965, as well as the North Vietnamese response on the 8 April 1965 and the significance
A
- Johnson = independent, capitalist South Vietnam must be part of any peace settlement
- NV = reunification of Vietnam as per the Geneva Accords of 1964 must be part of any peace settlement
- conflicting wants + unwillingness to compromise = no prospect of a peace settlement any time soon
2
Q
What were both the NV and US attitudes towards war in 1965, when the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was heralded as a declaration of war ?
A
involvement from both sides escalated until both were committed to a war neither really wanted
3
Q
When did the first significant peace talks begin and why ?
A
- Paris peace talks, 1968
- all sides shaken by the Tet Offensive, particularly the US and South Vietnam
- despite this, they fell apart since all sides just restated their demands and didn’t compromise
4
Q
Who was the South Vietnamese president from 1967-1975 ?
A
President Thieu
5
Q
Describe the key barriers to agreement over a peace settlement to end the Vietnam War
A
- whether or not to reunify Vietnam
[] USA and South Vietnam didn’t want this, as a communist government was extremely likely to be elected immediately and the war would’ve thus been in vain - how to organise the system for peaceful reunification
[] North Vietnam wanted nationwide elections very soon as discussed in the Geneva Accords, as they knew they were likely to win in a landslide; also, the longer they waited to hold elections, the more stable that South Vietnamese’s government would get and thus the more political opposition to communism and the communist party in support of the South Vietnamese capitalists
[] North Vietnam didn’t want US as the international overseer if there was one, due to its support for capitalism and earlier suspicion of “fixing” the South Vietnamese referendum to keep President Diem in place - deciding who would rule a unified Vietnam (if not decided by election)
[] NV communists
[] NFL, renamed as the Provisional Revolutionary Government
[] South Vietnam’s capitalist government - negotiating the speed and scale of troop withdrawals from South Vietnam both by the US and North Vietnam
6
Q
Describe the significance of Nixon’s peace talks with China and the USSR to end the Cold War for peace talks with North Vietnam
A
- NV feared that the US having peace with the USSR and China would lead to a drop or cut off from USSR or Chinese aid, either by agreement or as a general product of peace with the US
[] this would devastate the NV war industry and they might not have been able to sustain pressure on the ARVN and South Vietnam if the US decided to press ahead and fight after potentially agreeing peace with the USSR and China, leading to a loss for the communists - NV thus was pressured into peace talks to race to get its own way before it was defeated and lost bargaining power
7
Q
Describe the significance of Nixon’s secret peace talks with North Vietnam for the South Vietnamese
A
- once the secret peace talks began, with prior Vietminh general Le Duc Tho as a representative for the North Vietnamese, it became clear to Nixon that the North Vietnamese wouldn’t accept any government led by Thieu, but were slightly open to the idea of an independent South Vietnam
[] led to Nixon contemplating abandoning Thieu’s government if Kissinger (US representative in the talks) could negotiate an independent South Vietnam, as this was the primary goal of the war in the first place - later, Thieu was furious about his exclusion in these talks as well as later peace talks
- contributed to South Vietnamese fears of US abandonment when they knew they couldn’t survive alone
8
Q
Describe the key ways in which Nixon kept pressure on the North Vietnamese to make sure they would continue to be open to peace negotiations
A
- Operation Linebacker
- invasions of Cambodia and Laos in order to wipe out the Ho Chi Minh Trail
[] despite failure in Laos, still put pressure on the North Vietnamese - peace negotiations with the USSR and China for an end to the Cold War, threatening to cut off support for the North Vietnamese as a possible result of the talks
- continuing both official and secret talks with the North Vietnamese
- continuing Vietnamisation
9
Q
Describe the key reasons for the North Vietnamese to restart official peace talks and make actual effort to negotiate in 1970-72
A
- threat of loss of aid from USSR and China due to end of Cold War negotiations with the US
- continual indiscriminate and unpredictable bombing of North Vietnam by the US
- victory being possible BUT faraway and thus detrimental to the country’s political and social health long-term
10
Q
Describe the key reasons for the USA to restart official peace talks and make actual effort to negotiate in 1970-72
A
- reduced funding from Congress
- continually shifting public opinion
- growing anti-war sentiments in the US
- no decisive victory at all in sight due to the North Vietnamese time and publicity advantages
- cost of the war
- rising casualties
- problems in the US that were more important than the Vietnam War to the nation
11
Q
Describe the events of the 8th of October 1972 in relation to Paris peace talks and official peace agreements
A
- USA and North Vietnam produced a peace agreement at the official talks in Paris
[] all of this agreed upon beforehand in their secret talks as well - South Vietnam (Thieu) refused to sign due to the lack of inclusion
[] accused the US and North Vietnam of forcing the agreement on him when he had no say in the agreement’s formation
[] fury of Thieu translated into American sympathy for the South Vietnamese and slight condemnation of the US government for being unethical in its lack of consideration of the South Vietnamese for its own political gain - North Vietnamese accused the US of using Thieu’s refusal to back out of the agreement
[] both sides grew more distrusting of one another and relations soured temporarily as a result
12
Q
Describe how Nixon worked to restart peace talks after Thieu’s refusal to sign the agreement in Paris on the 8th of October, 1972
A
- continued heavy bombing of North Vietnam
- persuaded Thieu to come to talks and participate this time round by promising immediate shipment of supplies and equipment to South Vietnam, as well as yearly supplies after that
[] demonstrated how heavily reliant the ARVN and South Vietnamese government were on US support due to the US’ early coddling of them and thus not learning how to fend for themselves - Nixon encouraged China and the USSR to pressure North Vietnam during Cold War peace talks
[] showed that Nixon fully understood how deeply the USSR and China’s opinions influenced North Vietnam
[] crucial to the interpretation of the Vietnam War as a proxy war of the Cold War
[] demonstrated the importance of Nixon’s political manipulation to ending the Vietnam War
13
Q
When did the peace talks begin again with the inclusion of South Vietnam this time ?
A
8th January 1973
14
Q
Describe the key features of the Paris Peace Accords
A
- signed by the Provisional Revolutionary Government, Thieu’s South Vietnamese government, the North Vietnamese and the USA
[] all in agreement, even South Vietnamese communists
[] shows a greater drive for true peace unlike the first proposed agreement, which was only talked over by the US and North Vietnamese - all parties and nations to accept Vietnam as a unified, single country
- unification would be ONLY by negotiation and agreement, not war or unpeaceful methods
- election of the new Vietnamese government was to be done with international supervision
- a ceasefire to be kept by all who signed the Accords
- ARVN and PRG armies to remain, but no more US aid to South Vietnam or the ARVN could be given
- the US to not interfere with Vietnamese politics or economy at all, including via the military, government etc.
- US troops, equipment and advisors all to be withdrawn, and all military bases dismantled within 60 days of the Accords
- prisoners of war and captured equipment to be returned to either side within 60 days
- USA to give monetary aid for reconstruction to both North and South Vietnam
15
Q
When were the Paris Peace Accords signed ?
A
27 January 1973
[] relatively short time between starting peace talks and reaching agreement (19 days)
16
Q
Describe the significance of the Paris Peace Accords for the USA
A
- Congress cut funding for the ARVN, leaving them badly supplied
[] Saigon fell in 1975 as a result of this, and the US lost face globally despite all its efforts to maintain honour
[] caused anger in the US as countless damage was done to both sides as a result of US escalation and involvement in the war, all of which ultimately amounted to nothing since the communists took over anyway - Accords provided a brief ceasefire whilst Americans withdrew
17
Q
Describe the significance of the Paris Peace Accords for the North Vietnamese
A
- NV became impatient with Thieu’s refusal to negotiate with communists
- sent troops and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail to launch new attack December 1974
[] disobeyed the Accords; added to the interpretation that the Accords were simply a means for the US to escape the war and absolve itself of any further damage
[] the ARVN couldn’t cope due to governmental corruption and a lack of support from the people
[] Congress did nothing to help despite US promises to support the South Vietnamese in the case of a breach in the Accords by the North Vietnamese
[] Saigon fell on the 30th April 1975, allowing Vietnam to become fully communist and the North Vietnamese to have achieved their end goal in spite of all the faff of the US involvement and escalation in the Vietnam War
18
Q
Describe the significance of the Paris Peace Accords for the South Vietnamese
A
- economy partly collapsed due to US withdrawal as well as sudden drop in aid and thus a sudden loss in jobs
[] 300 000 lost jobs - Thieu didn’t make his government more democratic or have less corrupt officials
[] led to the growth of the VC in the countryside again
[] helped to sway political power to the North Vietnamese for their aim of a communist, united Vietnam, as meant that Thieu was unpopular and wouldn’t gain the majority of votes against the communist parties - Thieu refused to talk to, work with or negotiate with any communists, making him weak and with little bargaining power
19
Q
Describe the key costs of the Vietnam War for the USA, in all aspects, not just financially
A
- lost $167 billion funding the war
[] this money could have been used in the US to improve ghetto conditions and work towards the equality that civil rights campaigners demanded
[] Johnson’s “Great Society” to improve the lives of the poor lost out on funding due to the war - lost stature politically on the global stage, and lost bargaining position in international politics in the future
- around 58 000 US troops killed
- around 300 000 US troops wounded, with 75 000 severely disabled
- affected the way that the US saw itself
[] had lost to an economically and industrially weak, small communist nation
[] the final US citizens made an undignified scramble to leave Vietnam during the fall of Saigon, not the “honourable peace” Nixon had talked about - the war contributed to the growing distrust and gap between Americans and their authorities (government, police and military), all of which were underlying issues brought to light first by the civil rights movement
- US society was left deeply divided in its reaction to and interpretation of the Vietnam War
20
Q
Describe the treatment of returning soldiers during and after the Vietnam War
A
- few large parades welcoming them back, as the draft meant that troops were coming and going throughout the war
- lots of hostility towards veterans
[] discriminated against when looking for work
[] beaten up/spat on
[] verbally harassed in the streets, told they killed innocent people etc. - very little understanding of PTSD at the time so few soldiers were given free counselling
[] led to the doubling of suicide rates amongst veterans, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands due to uncertainty in reports - many found it hard to cope and couldn’t return to normal life
[] ESPECIALLY those affected by PTSD or disability caused by their injuries during the war
