The Vietnam War

Question 1

Who owned Vietnam prior to WW2

Answer 1

France

Question 2

What colony was Vietnam apart of

Answer 2

Indo-China

Question 4

What politically caused the US to get invovled in the vietnamese war

Answer 4

1954 Geneve conference that year agreements made free elections would take place
USA didn’t allow elections to take place as fear of Ho Chi Minh and Communists winning would set the Domino theory.
1955 Americans helped Ngo Dinh Diem set up republic of south vietnam
Diem was a dictator and not liked causing Viet Cong to emerge and attack southern troops and in 1963 assassinate Diem

Question 5

How was America Military involved in Vietnam

Answer 5

By 1962 Kennedy sent military advisers (11,500 by end of 1962)
August 1964 NV boats fired at US destroyer USS Maddox this caused US congress to pas Tonkin resolution (gave Johnson power to take all necessary measures to prevent spread of communism
on 8th March 1965 3500 US Marines landed at Da Nang US now at war with Vietnam

Question 6

How did Ho Chi Minh escalate US involvement in Vietnam

Answer 6

Ho Chi Minh led Vietnamese resistance to Japanese during WW2 afterwards resisting the French
Declared he was communist causing American concern as would want to contain communism in Asia and prevent Domino Effect

Question 7

How did Vietcong escalate US involvement in Vietnam

Answer 7

Unhappy with Diem’s corrupt leadership Vietcong formed in SV to resist him
Assassinate Diem in 1963 concerning America that SV couldn’t prevent spread of Communism

Question 8

How did Tonkin Resolution escalate US involvement in Vietnam

Answer 8

After USS Maddox was attacked in 1964 LBJ went to congress to ask for more power to deal with Vietnam
Tonkin Resolution therefore passed allowing LBJ to increase American Military presence in Vietnam with 3,500 marines arriving in August 1965

Question 9

How did Dien Bien Phu escalate US involvement in Vietnam

Answer 9

Americans funded the French against the Viet-Minh
However French defeated here causing America to postpone elections and at the Geneve Conference partition Vietnam USA would back dictator Diem in the south

Question 10

How did JFK escalate US involvement in Vietnam

Answer 10

Rising Vietcong violence caused JFK to send military advisors to help SV government
Start of US military involvement

Question 11

How did US actions cause US to struggle in Vietnam

Answer 11

Chemical weapons like Napalm and Agent Orange designed to clear dense jungle caused horrific wounds and illness damaging relations with troops and SV
Operation Rolling Thunder saw more bombs dropped on Vietnam than whole of WW2
Search and Destroy tactics focussed more on body count than taking strategic points and holding them
US army was made up of inexperienced conscripts without training
US soldiers used drugs
American M16 unreliable in humid conditions of Vietnam

Question 12

How did NVA / Vietcong Actions cause US to struggle in Vietnam

Answer 12

Vietcong fighting a war of liberation and for their homes so they knew the terrain.
Used guerrilla tactics - wore no uniforms and had no head quarters blending in with the local population
Well supplied via Ho Chi Minh Trail which smuggled supplies from north to south via Cambodia and Laos
Used booby traps damaging American morale
Developed vast network of tunnels which included field hospitals supplies and areas for rest

Question 13

Actions of Nixon to end war in Vietnam

Answer 13

Increased bombing against NV
Ordered secret bombing raids on neighbouring Cambodia and Laos to disrupt Ho Chi Minh Trail
Introduced policy of Vietnamization this was replacing US troops with SV troops allowing US troops to be withdrawn
In 1973 peace treaty signed in Paris allowing withdrawal of US forces in return for returns of US poWs

Question 14

How did China assist the North Vietnamese

Answer 14

sent 170,000 Chinese soldiers and military equipment also helping build roads, railways and airstrips

Question 15

How did the USSR help the North Vietnamese?

Answer 15

trained Vietnamese pilots and gave them modern planes also supplied medicines food and oil also supplying SAMS artillery and AA guns and 3000 military advisors

Question 16

Why did the USSR see helping North Vietnam as beneficial?

Answer 16

Vietnam war was humiliating for USA. USSR wanted to keep them bogged down in that conflict for as long as possible. The war was a proxy war in global conflict between Capitalism and communism. If Vietnam was communist it was a success for USSR

Question 17

Positives Consequences of Vietnam for the USA and international relations

Answer 17

Despite Vietnam Cambodia and Laos becoming communist it didn’t lead to greater soviet or Chinese control in SE Asia relations often strained between Vietnam were often strained between Vietnam and the USSR and China as they didn’t want to be controlled by them
Vietnam didn’t destroy detente. in fact made USA more keen to pursue better relation between themselves and USSR and China

Question 18

Negative Consequences of Vietnam for the USA and international relations

Answer 18

Huge military and civilian losses
The war had cost $120 billion
US Veterans suffered injury and psychological damage
Vietnam was economically and socially devastated
War was a humiliation for the USA
by 1975 all of Vietnam was communist and neighbouring Cambodia and Laos also became communist.