US Involvement In Vietnam Flashcards
Why did the Vietnminh beat the french at Dien Bien Phu
They understood the country better (they took high ground on the mountains)
They had local support
They had help from china
The french underestimated support for the vietminh
The vietminh commitment
Who was the leader of north vietnam
Ho chi Minh
Who was the leader of south Vietnam
Bao Dai
What is the Geneva Accords
The agreement after the french surrender on how to split vietnam and who should rule
What was the significant theory for greater US involvement
The domino theory about fear of communism.Eisenhower feared that if Vietnam became communist,other countries in southeast asia would follow.
What was SEATO
South East Asia Treaty Organisation who agreed to act together by force to stop communism spreading in southeast asia
Why was Diem’s goverment in south Vietnam weak
There were still many communists in south vietnam
Diem was catholic and most vietnamese were buddhist,he favoured catholics and religious clashes were common.he commonly gave jobs to catholics and his family members
His goverment was based in Saigon and he had little respect for the peasants and didn’t make reforms for their support
How did Eisenhower attempt to keep Diem in power
He did it by sending more advisers to train the south vietnamese army.He wanted them to win control of vietnam and fight a limited war without US troops
What is limited war
A war where a country supports a side in a conflict by sending them supplies and training them but not sending any of their own troops,the US attempted this in vietnam
Who spoke against Diem’s policies in 1955 and what happened after
Bao Dai spoke against Diem’s policies and Diem responded by holding a refurendum on who should be leader,these were widely seen as fixed by the US goverment
Did Diem follow the Geneva accords
He didn’t as he refused to hold an election in 1956 as his goverment had not existed when the accords were agreed so didn’t have to obey them,The US supported him in this as they were worried a communist leader would come in
What was some proof that Diem was a dictator in south Vietnam
He arrested political and religious opponents
His ‘denounce a communist’ campaign urged people to report communists to the goverment
In 1967 he sent the ARVN into the countryside to find and arrest communists,They arrested about 65,000 suspected communists and killed about 2000
Why was the VC created
It was made of remaining communists who were angry and fought back against Diem’s rule and local officials after many had been excecuted/arrested,They were supported by the North and a Civil war broke out
Why did relations between the US and Diem worsen in 1960
Some leaders attampted to overthrow Diem and he blamed the USA for it.They urged him to increase support in the villages but he refused.US support of Diem was increasingly unpopular
What is the NLF
The National Liberation Front made up of Vietcong and anti-Diem groups who went to villages by night to urge locals to support the VC.
By the end of 1960 how much of south Vietnam was actually under goverment control
Less than half
What did Kenedy do in vietnam when he came into office
He sent more advisors and ordered the troops there to use different tactics to fight the Guerillas and also to win the support of the villagers.
What was the problem with the ARVN and Green Berets trying to win over the villagers
Many ARVN troops looked down on villagers and many villagers saw the ARVN as a part of the corrupt goverment system
The green berets tried to win trust by doing things like learning the local language but it was tough as foreign soldiers.The VC were also inflitrating villages at night and winning the villagers over
What were ‘Strategic Hamlets’
Large new villages surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by the ARVN to stop the VC from recruiting villagers or getting supplies from them
What was the problem with the ‘strategic hamlets’
Both Diem and the Goverment ignored the fact that villagers didn’t want to leave their home/community.Diem’s goverment also failed to provide enough food for the villagers so many were hungry and some even starved
Who famously set light to himself in Saigon
A buddhist monk Quang Duc set light to himself on 11th June 1963
What happened at the battle of Ap Bac
The ARVN despite outnumbering the VC 5 to 1 having better weapons and having US air support still lost the battle
What happened to Diem after his loss of US support and why
He increased the persecution on Buddhists and the US accepted that he would never run a democratic country so took away support for him and even though Kennedy had heard about it let ARVN generals assasinate him
Who came into office after Kennedy’s assasination
Johnson
What were Kennedy’s greatest aims in Vietnam
To influence the goverment to
Act democratically
Win over the people of south vietnam
And also to withdraw US forces
