USA 1954-75 : Vietnam - Paper 2

Question 1

What happened in Dien Bien Phu in 1954 ?

Answer 1

• french had 15000 troops , vietminh 50000 troops and anti-aircraft guns . Lasted 55 days before the french surrender

Question 2

How did the vietminh (north) over come the powerful french ?

Answer 2

• local conditions : vietminh knew the countryside
• local support : support from villagers
• help from china : weapons and ammo , bikes , troops
• french mistakes/problems : underestimated vietminh , supply issues , lack of commitment
• commitment of the vietminh : fighting for their independence

Question 3

What were the Geneva accords 1954 ?

Answer 3

• vietnam temporarily divided along the 17th parallel
• Bao Dai controlled the south with saigon as capital . They were both anti-communist
• elections for a united vietnam to be held later

Question 4

Why were the USA so concerned about vietnam ?

Answer 4

• Domino theory : that as soon as vietnam became communist so would the rest of SEATO

Question 5

The key groups/ terms of vietman ? (5)

Answer 5

• vietcong (VC) : Vietnamese Communists
• ARVN - Army of the Republic of Vietnam (south vietnam)
• NVA - North vietnamese Army
• NFL - National Liberation Front - political group opposed to Diem
• Ho Chi Minh Trail : dirt paths through Laos and Cambodia used by North Vietnam to supply VC in the south

Question 6

Give me a time line on the events in which increased involvement for eisenhower and what made the situations worse ?

Answer 6

October 1955: diem won a ‘fixed’ referendum
16th July 1956 : refused to hold more elections
1957 : sent ARVN to find and arrest communists
March 1958 : vietcong had killed over 400 government officials
May 1959 : North Vietnam send troops and weapons into south vietnam along the ho chi minh trail

Question 7

Why did US involvement increase under JFK ?

Answer 7

Novemeber 1960 : Army leaders try to overthrow diem (unsuccessful) . He blamed the US
- The US tried to convince him to be more democratic
- National liberation front formed to orginize political opposition to Diem
- Diems unpopularity increased - by the end of 1960 less than half of the south vietnam was under government control

Question 8

What did Kennedy do to aid the war for US?

Answer 8

• Agreed with the Domino Theory
• wanted to isolate and hunt out the VC
• pacification to win the support of the villagers
• Sent 40million dollars to train ARVN
• Us helicopters
• used defoliants

Question 9

What were strategic hamlets ?

Answer 9

Large fortified villages to stop VC from recruiting villagers or getting supplies from them

Question 10

Why were strategic hamlets not successful ?

Answer 10

Villagers did not want to leave their homes , the government did not provide enough food

Question 11

What were 4 events that increased US involvement ?

Answer 11

• The battle of Ap Bac - ARVN outnumber VC and still loose showing that they are still losing with US support
• Quang Duc’s protest - worldwide publicity at shocking footage of buddhist monk on fire
• The overthrow of Diem - by 1963 , USA realised Diem would never run a successful government so withdrew support for him and was eventually overthrown and assaninated
• Kennedys assassination - november 1963 , johnson hoped limited support would save vietnam from communism

Question 12

What were the tactics used in the vietnam conflict ? (4)

Answer 12

• Hit and run attacks and ambushes : took enemies by suprise , very hard to fight against
• sabotaged roads / bridges : disrupted enemies supplies and communications
• used complex tunnel network : provided a place to hide , made in difficult for US to track them
• dressed like ordinary people : hard to identify vc from villagers