Vietnam Flashcards
What were the events of the battle of dien bien phu
15,000 french troops marched into North Vietnam and entrenched themselves at dien bien phu
After months of preparation, 50,000 North Vietnamese troops has surrounded the french
They fought for 55 days and the french had to surrender
What was agreed at the Geneva Accords (1954)
Vietnam would be divided along the 17th parallel
Ho Chi Minh would run the North while Bao Dai ran the south
Vietnamese people could move for 300 days
In July 1956 elections would be held to decide the leader for a united vietnam
Why did the USA get more involved under Eisenhower
Bao Dai was overthrowm by Diem
Diem was killing buddhists and political opponents
Diem rejected the elections for a united Vietnam
Diem started a civil war against North Vietnam
Fear of the Domino theory
Explain the domino theory
The theory that if South vietnam fell to communism then countries around it would be more likely to join communism too
How did the US get more involved in Vietnam under Kennedy
16,000 advisors sent
What happened in the gulf of tonkin incident (1964)
US boats were doing a patrol of tonkin
The radar showed 3 torpedo boats closing in so they withdrew
They reported VC torpedo boats attacking
but there was confusion as to whether it was true
What are the consequences if the gulf of tonkin incident
Johnson ordered airstrikes on North Vietnam
The gulf of tonkin resolution was passed which allowed the US government to take any action in Vietnam they wanted
What were some tactics used by the US
Search and destroy, operation cedar falls, operation ranch hand
What happened during the tet offensive (1968)
The north vietnamese attacked saigon
on the lunar new year so they were un prepared
The US embassy was surrounded which made it seem as if the US were being defeated
What are impacts of the tet offensive
There was a growing anti-war feeling in the US public
Johnson did not stand for re-election
ARVN fought well so the US miltary was more comfortable leaving them
What is the goal of vietnamisation+key nixon quote
To withdraw the US from the vietnam war but not to lose to communism-‘peace with honour’
What were some impacts of vietnamisation
Loss or morale for soldiers as they felt they weren’t going to win
Less US deaths
More desertion and rebelling in troops
What does the Nixon doctrine state
The USA would:
Honour any treaties,
help any ally against nuclear threat
provide aid against non nuclear threats, but not troops
When was the invasion of Cambodia and Laos and why were they invaded
Cambodia-1970
Laos-1971
The Ho Chi Minh trail ran through them
and they wanted to stop communist influence
What were some groups in the US public that opposed the war and why
Civil rights protestors-didn’t want to fight for a country that persecuted them
Students-pacifists and anti war
Draft dodgers-the draft wasn’t fair as the rich could escape it and the people drafted would too often be killed
Vietnam veterans-they didn’t want others to suffer what they went through
What were the events of the my Lai massacre (1968)
Charlie Company was ordered to go into the village of my Lai and kill the VC in there
There was no VC in the village but the soldiers killed everyone anyway
Miltary reported 128 VC killed and only 20 civilian deaths
Later investigation reported over 500 civilian casualties
What was the affects of the my lai massacre
Causes large opposition to the war
What were the events of the kent state shootings (1970)
Students were protesting
It escalated into fighting between pro/anti war groups
The officer training corps building was burned down and 1,000 people were in the protest
The national guard had to break it up but the protest was still growing
It escalated to 2,000 protestors and after rocks/bricks and sticks were thrown at the National Guard they opened fire and killed 4 students
What were the affects of the kent state shootings
Immediate mass protest around the country
4 million students across 450 universities
Who were the ‘hard hats’
The pro-war group of contruction workers who were very patriotic and anti-communist
How many American soldiers died during the war and how many were wounded
58,220 dead, 303,704 wounded, 75,000 severely disabled
How much money did the war cost America
167 billion
