The Vietnam war Flashcards
By 1885 who had the french colonised?
- Vietnam along with Cambodia and Laos
which was then called the French Indo - China
when and who founded the Vietnamese communist party?
1930
Vo Nguyen Giap and Ho Chi Mihn (nationalist)
when did the Japanese invade Vietnam?
During WW2 in 1940
what did Ho create in 1941
The Vietminh (The league for the independence of Vietnam)
guerrilla war
a war in which small groups of soldiers not belonging to regular or established army units engage in fighting against typically larger regular forces
what did the OSS become
CIA
in the guerrilla war what was everyone’s role
Hi Chi Mihn - Political leader
Vo Nguyen Giap - As a military leader
How and when did Japan rule Vietnam
During ww2 when france was occupied by Nazi Germany it lost its foothold in Vietnam and Japan took control
when did Ho chi Mihn declare Vietnam independent?
When Japan Surrendered at the end of ww2 Ho chi Mihn forces took the capital of Hanoi and declared Vietnam independent
what was vietnams new independent name
democratic republic of vietnam
did french accept the independence?
no they refused to recognise it and returned to vietnam driving Hos communist forces into Northen Vietnam
why didn’t USA aid vietnam?
becuase if the cold war with the communist USSR it disrupted Hos communist leanings and aided the french instead
why did the french leave
Until 1945 when a defeat at Dien Bien Phu prompted france to seek a peace settlement
what did the Geneva Accords declare
In 1954 the Geneva Accords declared a cease fire and divided vietnam officially into North and Sound Vietnam
Where was the dividing line set
at the 17th Parallel and was surrounded by a demilitarised zone
what did the Geneva Accords Stipulate
The geneva accords Stipulated that the divide was temporary and that vietnam was to be reunified under free elections to be held in 1956
Who lead north vietnam
Ho chi Mihn
Who lead south vietnam
Ngo Dihn Diem (a french backed emperor)
the domino theory believed what
that the fall of North Vietnam to communist might trigger all of south East Asia to fall
who invented the domino theory
Dwight Eisenhower
who was the diem regime
a strongly anti-communism leader with french connections who was cruel corrupt and oppressive
what happened in 1962 to avoid diem regime
John F Kennedy sent “military advisors” to help train the south vietnam army but realised diem regime was unsalvageable
what did the US do in 1963
they backed a coup that overthrew diem and installed a new leader who was just as corrupt
ARVN
army of republic vietnam (south vietnam army)
who was kennedys successor
Lyndon B johnson
what happened at the gulf of tonkin
North vietnam forces allegedly attacked US Navy ships
the gulf of tonkin resolution
sent us troops to vietnam
- bombing campaigns like operation rolling thunder ensued that the conflict escalated
what was the strategy of attrition
the us attempted to bury the vietnamese in casualties
guerilla tactic
the tactics of hit and run and ambushing american troops and escaping before being captured
napalm
a jellied gas in warfare that burnt you alive
agent orange county
a tactical herbicide the U.S. military used to clear leaves and vegetation for military operations mainly during the Vietnam War. Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange may have certain related illness
yet offensive
1968
attacking nearly thirty U.S. targets and dozens of other cities in South Vietnam at once.
why was it considered a loss by american media
the Us won a tactical victory but it was so humiliating that it was classified as a loss and american morale was at an all time low
in 1968 what did the low morale americans do
they cause the Mai also massacre in which frustrated U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians in a small village
what did Nixons policy of vietnamisation promised
it was promising to withdraw U.S. troops gradually and hand over management of the war effort to the South Vietnamese.
did nixon hold onto his promise
Nixon made good on his promise,
he also illegally expanded the geographic scope of the war by authorizing the bombing of Viet Cong sites in the neutral nations of Cambodia and Laos,
thank all without the knowledge or consent of the U.S. Congress.
what did nixons illegal actions cause?
caused an enormous scandal in the United States and forced Nixon to push for a peace settlement.
when was the cease fire signed?
January 1973 and the last US personnel left vietnam in March 1973
did the US government continue to fun the south vietnamese?
The U.S. government continued to fund the South Vietnamese army, but this funding quickly dwindled.
why did the US fund south vietnam
because they were communist like the US
what was the watergate scandal
i think it’s when he did illegal stuff but it led to his resignation
what was the all out offensive
when the north vietnamese stepped up their tactics on the south and the capital of south vietnam (Saigon) fell to North vietnam
after the vietnam war what did north vietnam do?
reunited the country under Communist rule as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, ending the Vietnam War.
