USA and the Vietnam War

Question 1

Why did the USA want to strengthen France?

Answer 1

So it could act as a European barrier against communism

Question 2

Why was the USA supporting France a controversial idea back home?

Answer 2

Because France wanted imperial control in Indo-China, and the USA was very anti-imperialist

Question 3

How much of the Indo-China war was the USA paying on behalf of France?

Answer 3

40%

Question 4

When was it, and what happened at the battle of Dien Bien Phu?

Answer 4

1954 - Vietnam defeated France due to their geographical advantages

Question 5

What did French Indo-China split up into?

Answer 5

Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam (with Ho Chi Minh as leader) and South Vietnam (with western sympathisers in positions of power)

Question 6

Who led South Vietnam?

Answer 6

Ngo Dinh Diem

Question 7

When and what was the Sect Crisis?

Answer 7

The Sect Crisis was the splitting of South Vietnam into different regions in 1955. Diem put this down and mobilised the new South Vietnam army to create a centralised government

Question 8

What was the Vietminh?

Answer 8

The Vietminh was a group of revolutionary Ho Chi Minh supporters in South Vietnam, who attempted to move against the western sympathisers in the South

Question 9

When and what was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

Answer 9

The Gulf of Tonkin incident happened in August 1964, and it was a Vietnamese torpedo attack on a U.S. vessel in Vietnamese seas, which prompted a counter attack from the U.S.

Question 10

What was Johnson’s approval rating after the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

Answer 10

72%

Question 11

What were the three criteria of ‘Westy’s War’?

Answer 11

1) air power - Rolling Thunder - bombing campaign of North Vietnam
2) big unit - Search and Destroy - targeting of the Vietcong
3) pacification - the battle of Hearts and Minds

Question 12

What was Johnson criticised for being?

Answer 12

Too gradual - public believed he should have gone in harder

Question 13

When and what was the Tet Offensive?

Answer 13

From January to September in 1968, the Communist forces in the north invaded South Vietnam in an effort to destabilise the country, and force the Americans to withdraw

Question 14

Why was the Tet Offensive being broadcast on TV so important?

Answer 14

Because it showed the real impact of war to the American public for the first time, and they could see how it was affecting the Vietnamese public

Question 15

How many troops were dispatched during the Tet offensive?

Answer 15

200,000

Question 16

Why did the American public and other countries refuse to support the war?

Answer 16

Because they didn’t see the importance in fighting it; it wasn’t coming to any foreseeable result.

Question 17

What did Nixon do to the number of troops in Vietnam?

Answer 17

Decreased them

Question 18

What did Nixon try to do with Russia?

Answer 18

Bring about a deténte in an effort to ease the Soviet involvement in Vietnam - did not work

Question 19

Define ‘Vietnamization’

Answer 19

Vietnamization was the process of removing American troops from Vietnam, and replacing them with Vietnamese troops instead. However, the Vietnamese troops were nowhere near as efficient as Americans

Question 20

When did the U.S. troops leave Vietnam?

Answer 20

1973

Question 21

What happened two years after America withdrew from Vietnam?

Answer 21

The north attacked the south in 1975, causing the south to fall in a matter of weeks

Question 22

When did Ho Chi Minh start his fight against China?

Answer 22

1950

Question 23

What percentage of people thought the Vietnam war was immoral?

Answer 23

43%

Question 24

When and what were the Kent State shootings?

Answer 24

The Kent State shootings were the murders of 4 unarmed students by the national guard, during a protest over the Vietnam war - May 1970

Question 25

What was the approval rating for the Vietnam war in 1970?

Answer 25

48%

Question 26

Why were many Americans opposed to the draft?

Answer 26

Because it seemed to target African Americans and poorer citizens

Question 27

Why did the U.S. increase the number of ground troops in Vietnam in 1965?

Answer 27

After the attack on the Maddox in 1965 and the death of Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963, the U.S. wanted one final push to try and eliminate communist activity and influence in Vietnam.

Question 28

How much dod the Vietnam war cost America in today’s money?

Answer 28

$950 billion