The Vietnam War & Politics Camelot to Watergate Flashcards
What role did Ho Chi Minh play in Vietnamese history after WWI?
Led the nationalist movement
What political philosophy did Ho Chi Minh follow?
Marxist
Who were the Vietminh?
Liberation Movement
What dilemma faced the US after WWII in Vietnam?
American tradition dictated sympathy for the revolutionaries over any colonial power. However, supporting the Marxist Viet Minh was unthinkable, given the new strategy of containing communism.
What was the Domino Theory?
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What did the multinational agreement decide for Vietnam after the battle of Dien Bein Phu?
Divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel
What was the purpose of the Vietcong?
Overthrow the military regime in the South and reunite the nation under Ho Chi Minh
Who was the leader of South Vietnam who was supported by the US? What were some of weaknesses?
Ngo Dinh Diem
Is corrupt, showed little commitment to democratic principles, and favored Catholics to the dismay of the Buddhist majority
What occurred at the Gulf of Tonkin in August of 1964?
Gunboats of North Vietnam allegedly fired on ships of the United States Navy
What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
To take all necessary measures to repel Vietnamese aggression
What was Operation Rolling Thunder?
U.S. began a long program of sustained bombing of North Vietnamese targets
What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
supply line used by the North Vietnamese to aid the Vietcong
What did the Vietcong do to keep the Ho Chi Minh Trail open in the face of massive bombing by the US?
They burrowed underground, building 30,000 miles of tunnel networks to keep supply lines open
What was one of the most confounding problems faced by US personnel in Vietnam?
Identifying the enemy
What were search and destroy missions?
Conducted by moving into a village and inspecting for any signs of Vietcong support
How did the Vietnamese choose to fight the American troops?
Ambush or Night Skirmishes
What was the outcome of the Tet Offensive?
The showdown was a military victory for the United States, but American morale suffered an insurmountable blow
How did the Tet Offensive influence the American attitude about the Vietnam War?
Only 28% of people were satisfied with the President’s decision. The public support brought declining troop morale.
What behavior by US troops in Vietnam showed that the decline in troop morale?
Soldiers indulged in alcohol, marijuana, and even heroin to escape their daily horrors
What did the North Vietnamese do as they sensed the American resolve was crumbling?
They pretended to negotiate with United States, making proposals they knew would be rejected. They gambled that the American people would demand troop withdrawals before the military met its objectives
What were some of the moral reasons why the Peace Movement leaders opposed the war?
Innocent Vietnamese peasants were being killed in crossfire, American planes wrought environmental damage by dropping their defoliating chemicals
What were some of the economic reasons why Peace Movement leaders opposed the war?
Military spending simply took money away from Great Society social programs such as welfare, housing, and urban renewal.
What brought about the passage of the 26th Amendment?
Drafting 19 years olds into the war