The Vietnam War Flashcards
Election of 1960
Brinkely pg 812
John Kennedy, running for the Democrats, and Richard Nixon, the vice president running for the republicans, ran for the presidency in 1960 with Kennedy winning the election.
Kennedy recieved 49.7% to Nixon’s 49.6% of the the popular vote and 303 electoral votes to Nixon’s 219 electoral votes.
His plan, the New Frontier, a collection of domestic reforms, but with the high number of Republicans and conservative democrats diminished his hopes to pass his “New Frontier”
Vietminh
Brinkley pg 826 827
A nationalist group that was set on creating an independant country within Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh
The group was formed in 1941. Whice established a nationalistic government under Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi.
Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese nationalist/ communist who was educated in Paris and Moscow.
When France took over Vietnam again a conflict broke out between them and the Vietminh.
Ngo Dinh Diem
Brinkley pg 827
Ngo Dinh Diem was a central Vietnamese Aristocratic Catholic. He was a nationalist.
Collaberated with the French.
Workrd with the American CIA to deminish several religius sects in the south which led to a questioning of the central government.
These actions pleased the US and he became known asthe Churchill of Southeast Aisa.
Geneva Conference
Brinkley pg 826
The Geneva confrence was a meeting that resulted in an seise fire in the war, and divided the country along the 17th parallel. The Vietminh would control the north while pro westerners would control the south.
In the north, French society had be minimully implimented .
the north also was very poor, traditional, and near the end of the war had began suffering from a famine.
Some of the support of the Vietmihn cme from their efforts to relieve people of the famine.
NLF (Viet Cong)
Brinkley pg 827
The NLF, or National Liberation Front, was a group of Vietnamese who were intent on overthrowing the regime that had previously been in control (Diem’s rule).
The NLF succeeded in their goal to overthrough the Diem government.
The National Liberation Front was also known as the Viet Cong to Americans.
Much of the support Diem had was being lost due to his strict regime and repression of the Buddhists in order to establish Catholicism as the dominent religion.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Brinkley pg 829
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was the name given to the response of President Jonson after US destroyers were attacked by North vietnamese topedo Boats in international waters.
With the votes of the House 416-0 and 88-2 in the senate, the Resolution wass passed.
the deal was open ended which gave Johnson authorization the elevate the conflict as he saw fit.
Streategy of “Attrition”
Brinkley pg 831
Attrition was the idea that the US could inflict such a large amount of damage to an enemy that they would be unable to carry on in the fight.
In the light of the Vietnam War, this stratagy failed. The North Vietnamese had dedicated many more men to fight than The US had anticipatred.
Vietnam had sent more men nto battle than the US had been willing to provide.
“Hearts and Minds”
Brinkley pg 832
The phrase Hearts and Minds was a term used to describe what US troops were trying to win while in Vietnam.
The goal of the us was to drive the Viet Cong out of vilages and ultimately gain the support of the vilage inhabitants.
Despite this plan the United States did not follow through. Yes, they drove Viet Cong out of vilages but they did not inturn “pacify” those regions. Little effor was put fourth to gain Vilager trust.
Tet Offensive
Brinkley pg 835
The Tet Offensive was the attack on US strongholds by the North Vietnamese troops. The day of the attack was on the Vietnamese new year January 31, 1968.
During the attack in Hue, the provincial capitol, communist forces gathered all the supporters of the Saigon ragime and slaughtered them.
In Saigon, the communist forces were setting off bombs, shooting South Vietnamese officials and troops, and taking over as well as holding down fortified areas.
In the end, the American forces restablished the positions taken be Northern forces and the Tet Offensive had been ruined. the Northern forces had sustained a substancial loss in men and were greatly weekened.
War-Induced Inflation
Brinkley pg 834
The inflation rate seen in the time before the Vietnam war the inflation rate had been at a stable 2%. During the late 1960s however we see a rise of four percent by 1969.
As the government had trouble affording the costs of the war; new funding was needed. to account for this, the government had more abd nore money printed.
As more money is printed the value of it goes down.
Folk Musicians
Brinkely pg 833 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4498011.stm
As the war continued more and more people grew aposed to it. Musicians began to show their opposition through song. The folk style of playing had grown substantially in popularity.
This increase in musical expression was the biggest influence of cultureal expression.
Popular folk singers and rock stars attended anti war rallies.
War Tax
Brinkley pg 834
tThe “War Tax” was a tax that was implimented to counteract the effects of economic inflation in the late 1960s.
Johnson asked congress for the increase as to avoid increasing inflation.
The tax increase was to be a 10% surcharge. In return the conservitives demanded that $6 billion be reduced from the funding of Great Society programs.
This was Johnsons main program in his campaign and he was being asked to reduce funding for it.
Senator William J. Fulbright
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._William_Fulbright
William Fulbright was a US senator from 1945-1974. He represented Arkansas.
He was a southern democrat who not only voted for, but sponsored, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
His published work, The Arrogance of Power, chalenged the justification of the Vietnam war.
He also disliked the fact that American government tended to intervene in foreign affairs.
Clark Clifford
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Clifford
Clifford served under Truman, Kennady, Johnson, and Carter. He was Johnsons secratay of defense.
Clifford took office committed to rethinking Johnson’s Vietnam policies, and Vietnam policy occupied most of his time.
Similar to McNamera, Clifford was constatly asked for additional troops to be sent over.\
In March 1968, however, the president agreed to send 24,500 more troops on an emergency basis, bringing authorized strength to 549,500. an force this size had never been seen before.
Ho Chi Minh
Brinkley pg 804, 826
Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese nationalist who was in the fight to make Vietnam its own nation. He was a communist and participated in nationalistic groups.
Ho Was educated in Moscow and Paris.
He led the nationalist party The Vietminh from 1941 on.
After the fall of Japan in 1945 and before western powers could take over, The vietminh established Vietnam an independant nation and establshed a new nationalist government under Ho Chi Minh in the capitol Hanoi.
