USA Key Topic 4 (Vietnam War) Flashcards
What were the reasons for growth of opposition to the war?
-Draft system: young men were conscripted which family members did not like. Exemptions favoured middle class, most soldiers black and working class. Lots of men were “draft dodgers” which was illegal so had to hide.
-TV and media coverage: first war to be televised, showed horrors of warfare. Also highlighted the inhumane US tactics such as chemical weapons, showed the vocal minority’s opposition to the war.
-Student movement: lots of students protested as they were particularly engaged with the issue of morality, also opposed to the draft system.
What happened in the My Lai Massacre (1968)?
-In March 1968, US Patrol carrying out Search and Destroy mission. They were told they would come under VC fire but found only women, children and old men.
-They raped all the women, killed everyone they found, minimum 350, possibly as many as 500.
What was the public reaction to the My Lai Massacre?
-US press got hold of MLM from a soldier who had heard about the massacre.
-Life magazine published details of it including graphic pictures which sparked an official investigation.
-This release was evidence of a serious US cover up and the public was horrified, also destroyed US moral superiority.
What was the trial of Lt Calley (pack)?
-Lt Calley and 10 other officers formally charged with murder of 109 people.
-Lt Calley led the massacre. He was the only officer found guilty and given 20 years of hard labour but only served 3 and was released in 1974.
What were the Kent State University Shootings (1970)?
-Protest started at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. State troopers used tear gas against students and shot at them, killing 4 unarmed student protestors.
-Increased media publicity around opposition, opposition increased and militant activism spread around college campuses.
How did the fear of communism cause Americans to support the Vietnam War?
-Fear of the Domino effect
-Stark difference in standard of living in comm. and cap. countries, fear of nationalisation and totalitarian regimes.
-Red Scare- McCarthy spread anti-communist propaganda to make US public fear communism
What was the silent majority?
-The majority of the US population that did not publicly express their political views but supported Nixon and his policies for Vietnam War.
-Named “the great silent majority” in Nixon’s speech in which he also said US had to be united to be successful at peace talks.
-Mainly middle-aged and elderly people who served in WWII but weren’t involved in anti-war demonstrations.
What were the hard hat riots (1970)?
-Pro-war construction workers in Manhattan attacked peace marchers. The police did little in response.
-Nixon supported them and promoted their union chief to a higher role in his gov.
What were the reasons for the peace agreements (1972-1973)?
-Detente: period of relaxation in international tensions between US and China + USSR who were supplying NV. NV wanted peace talks because they were scared that they would no longer be supplied due to detente.
-Operation Linebacker II: Nixon increased bombing in order to “bomb them back to the table” to resume peace talks
-US opposition: student demonstrations and vocal minority opposed the war due to draft systems, immorality of chemical warfare, causing US to have peace talks otherwise they would be voted out.
What happened at the Paris Peace Agreement (1973)?
-US withdraw troops from Vietnam on condition that NV do not invade SV, ceasefire agreed
-Vietnam to be reunited only if both sides agreed conditions
-President Thieu forced to sign it as US was going to withdraw from Vietnam
-Shortly after, ceasefire collapsed as NV attacked SV who appealed to US who rejected.
-1975- Vietnam reunified and made communist.
What was the economic cost of the US?
-The Vietnam War cost the US $170 billion in total.
-Money spent on the war could not be spend on domestic problems, eg improving lives of poor black Americans
-Gov. in debt and had inflation
What was the human cost of the US?
-50,000 Americans died and 300,000 wounded.
-Many veterans became drug addicts (30% used heroin)
-Veterans suffered psych. problems like PTSD, more committed suicide since the war than were killed during it.
-Growing distrust between public and government due to the war (eg Cambodia and My Lai)
What were the strengths of North Vietnam/ Vietcong?
-Vietcong guerrilla tactics were successful at breaking down US morale and increasing fear, effectively used jungle.
-NVA had motivating cause to fight (liberation, unification, communism), lack of public opposition
-Had benefit of local knowledge (traps, ambush, HCM trails)
-Supplied from USSR and China, $2bn from 65-68. Had weapons from them, eg during Invasion of Laos.
What were the weaknesses of the US armed forces and failures of US tactics?
-No understanding of guerrilla warfare which caused PTSD as they were on front lines for months at a time under relentless enemy fire.
-Inexperienced young (19 avg) troops who used recreational drugs (eg zootage) led to high death rates.
-US troops were not fighting for a noble cause, had no motivation to fight as they had been conscripted and most were waiting to return.
-US tactics were unpopular with SV peasants, were ineffective against HCM trail, were immoral
What was the impact of opposition movements in the USA?
-There were lots of student demonstrations against war. As students represented a large voting group, President had to somewhat accommodate for their views in order to gain the student vote.
-Nixon won the election off a promise of ending the war- had to introduce Vietnamisation.
