USA Vietnam C1 (USA Involvements up to 1975)

Question 1

Why did French rule end in Vietnam?

Answer 1

• Japan surrendered after war
• France wanted it back
• Ho Chi Minh in North wanted independence called Vietminh

Question 2

What Happened at Dien Bien Phu in 1954?

Answer 2

• french airstrip to lure Vietminh
• surrounded by many more men
• French surrendered

Question 3

5 reason for Vietminh win in 1954

Answer 3

• Local conditions
• Local support
• Help from China
• French mistakes
• Commitment

Question 4

What were the Geneva Accords in 1954?

Answer 4

• divided Vietnam 17th Parallel
• Vietminh in north (communists) and Bao Dai in south (Capitalists)
• people move for 300 days
• elections for united state

Question 5

Failures of the Geneva Accords

Answer 5

• South Vietnam failed to follow
• North Vietnam wanted Parallel further down
• elections too long away (6 months)

Question 6

Domino Theory

Answer 6

Americans believed if Vietnam fell to Communism, countries around them would follow

Question 7

SEATO

Answer 7

• South East Asia Treaty Organisation set up to contain Communism, with force

Question 8

3 reasons why Diem (south leader) was unpopular

Answer 8

• Catholic, most Vietnamese were Buddhist
• Government jobs to family and Catholics
• No respect for peasants (most of Vietnam)

Question 9

4 reasons why Diem made it worse

Answer 9

• referendum that was fixed by Americans
• refused to hold elections
• sent AVRN troops to kill Communists
• called people against Communist Government

Question 10

Ways Kennedy tried to improve things

Answer 10

• 40 mil to train troops
• report to send troops
• chemicals to kill crops
• USA aircraft
• more advisors
• isolate and hunt VC
• pacification to persuade villages

Question 11

Hearts and Minds

Answer 11

Trying to win over the people of Vietnam, as people preferred not being poor under Communist

Question 12

Stragetic Hamlets

Answer 12

• modern villages, guarded by AVRN to stop VC recruiting

- could kill anyone not in them on the outside

Question 13

Why were Strategic Hamlets a failure?

Answer 13

• people didn’t want to move from their homes
• Diem underfed them
• poor sanitation

Question 14

Importance of Battle of Ap Bac

Answer 14

• media reported it as US loss

- despite outnumbering VC

Question 15

Importance of Quang Duc’s protest

Answer 15

• set himself alight

- shown globally and showed failure of South Vietnam rule

Question 16

Importance of Overthrow of Diem

Answer 16

• Diem overthrown and executed by AVRN
• US knew
• showed falling government

Question 17

Importance of Kennedy Assassination

Answer 17

• Johnson stepped in
• struggled as South weaker and North stronger
• come into unstable government

Question 18

6 reasons why VC became more of a threat

Answer 18

• local support
• South government
• Foreign aid from SU and China
• VC aims to stop poverty
• organised
• time

Question 19

What happened + significance of Golf of Tonkin?

Answer 19

• 1st day North fired as in their waters
• 2nd day was unclear if they fired
• Johnson used this as a reason for Congress to send troops and increase military action
• North saw this as declaration of war, even though not official so they increased threat

Question 20

Escalation under Johnson

Answer 20

• advised badly didn’t know wether to increase bombing, increase troops of war was already won
• naive

Question 21

5 main VC tactics

Answer 21

• hit and run, hard to defend
• stayed close to US troops to know where they were
• tunnel system to hide
• dressed like Peasants
• ambush traps so US couldn’t retaliate

Question 22

USA Operation Rolling Thunder key features + effect

Answer 22

• heavy bombing using Napalm (petrol) and Pineapple bombs that targeted Ho Chi Min trail
• caused some damage, HCM trail repaired and made north more determined

Question 23

USA Search and Destroy key features + effect

Answer 23

• search with helicopters to target certain places

- destroyed tunnels and killed some men buy VC prepared

Question 24

USA Operation Ceder Falls key features + effect

Answer 24

• 30,000 troops in iron triangle where VC strongest and burned villages
• became free area, but people moved back in

Question 25

USA Operation Ranch Hand (chemical warfare) key features + effect

Answer 25

• chemicals to destroy jungle

- poisoned water in streams and caused starvation and food shortages

Question 26

What was the Tet Offensive?

Answer 26

• North attacked 26 cities in South
• on lunar new year AVRN troops off
• north suggested negotiations, south false sense of security

Question 27

Success of Tet Offensive

Answer 27

• got into significant areas (eg. US embassy)
• humiliating for government
• Saigon considered safest area attacked
• Defeat in US people eyes, more protest
• VC rebuild
• Johnson didn’t run for president

Question 28

Failure of Tet Offensive

Answer 28

• VC captured and defeated many were killed

- US won battle on the ground as they restored order

Question 29

5 ways Nixon lived up to his election running promises 1963-73

Answer 29

• peace talks
• secret peace talks
• troop withdrawal
• AVRN training
• bombing of Cambodia

Question 30

Nixon Doctrine

Answer 30

• USA honor treaties
• help against nuclear threat
• USA provide training for AVRN