The Vietnam War Flashcards
Truman’s involvement in Vietnam
Helped the French effort to maintain control of Vietnam. Sent in advisors and over $2 billion
Who was Vietnam colonized by?
The French
What was the battle between the French and the Viet Minh called?
The battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954)
What happened at the Geneva Accords.
In 1954, it was signed that the French would leave Indochina, that the communists would rule the North and the non-communists would rule the South.
What is the center line in Vietnam dividing the North and the South?
17th parallel
What happened to the Geneva Accords?
They were rejected by President Eisenhower and Ngo Dinh Diem. They also rejected the idea of general elections in Vietnam because they knew the Viet Minh would win.
What can creating the artificial state of Vietnam be seen as?
Rollback
Diem’s South Vietnam
Sent lots of assistance and aid. However, he did not get on with the people of Vietnam. He was a Catholic upper-class man and did not get on well with the Buddhists. He received a lot of opposition.
How did Diem’s rule end?
Under the Kennedy administration, Diem banned the celebratory flags for the Buddha’s birthday which Buddhists protested against. Seven Buddhists were killed. Some burned themselves in protest and Kennedy was shocked. When several ARVN soldiers planned a coup, Kennedy supported them.
What was SEATO?
The defensive military alliance between South Vietnam and America under Eisenhower.
President Johnson and Vietnam
1965-Rolling Thunder
Sends in 200,000 ground troops
What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
The resolution put in place that allowed President Johnson to send in troops and start a war.
Reasons for US failure in Vietnam
1) Lost hearts and minds of citizens. Killed and wounded many citizens who were not necessarily communist.
2) Communists being better organised + better warfare
My Lai incident
1968 March-Soldiers massacred civilians by american soldiers.
