Vietnam

Question 1

Background; Key events

Answer 1

1. Vietnam had been called Indochina and was a french colony until WW2
2. During the war it had been occupied by the Japanese
3. Following the war France would try to retake Japan however Vietnam had a communist independence movement called Vietminh
4. It was led by Ho Chi Minh
5. The Vietming defeated the french and aimed to make Vietnam independent and communist
6. However like Korea it was agreed to split Vietnam on the 17th parallel
7. The north was led by Ho Chi Minh
8. The south was ruled by a capitalist dictatorship Diem
9. The USA deeply feared Vietnam would fall into communism. They feared this would lead to a domino effect
10. In the 1950’s President Eisenhower gave money, weapons and military ‘advisers’ (soldiers) to South Vietnam
11. President Kennedy continued this support, sending 16,000 ‘advisors’ by 1964

Question 2

How did the war begin? Key steps to the war

Answer 2

1. As in Korea, the division was only meant to be temporary until a solution could be found. The Geneva Conventions divided the country along the 38th parallel, the Conventions stated election was meant to take place to decide the future. However, the south feared a vote involving communism. Therefore no vote ever took place and both sides aimed to reunite Vietnam under capitalism or communist
2. South Vietnam was capitalist but not a democracy. It was corrupt and unpopular. Diem was a dictator. He had the support of catholic landowners who supported most of Vietnam’s land. The majority of the people there were poor buddhist farmers and the buddhist population resented the Diem dictatorship
3. Vietcong were an armed communist group set up in South Vietnam and controlled by Ho Chi Minh. They wanted to unite Vietnam under a communist government. They were popular amongst South Vietnamese farmers and the buddhist population who resented the Diem regime
4. The Vietcong set about attacking Southern Vietnamese soldiers
5. Diem was assassinated in 1963
6. In 1964 the Tonkin incident took place: this was when a US warship (USS Maddox) was supposedly attacked by a Northern Vietnamese gunboat in the gulf of Tonkin
7. The US President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, used the attack as an excuse to massively increase American military presence around Vietnam. He was determined to control the country and sent 500,000 US troops. This became known as the Tonkin revolution. It massively increased US involvement in the Vietnam war. The attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin spur Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorizes the president to “take all necessary measures, including the use of armed force” against any aggressor in the conflict.

Question 3

Events of the war

Answer 3

1. The US underestimated their opponents. The US were by far the most militarily advanced army but Vietcong had the advantage of fighting in their own country with their own people. The Soviet Politburo increases its support to North Vietnam, sending aircraft, artillery, ammunition, small arms, radar, air defense systems, food and medical supplies. Meanwhile, China sends several engineering troops to North Vietnam to assist in building critical defense infrastructure.
2. The Vietcong were a guerrilla army, this meant they did not wear uniforms or fight on the front lines instead using the jungle for ambush and raids on American camps. They relied on a tunnel system to traverse beneath the jungle and get behind enemy lines
3. Many of the US forces were young, inexperienced conscripts. There was little discipline, high drug use and many were unmotivated to fight. Most were confused and angry at the Vietcong guerrilla fighting tactics
4. US public opinion turned anti-war as the deaths from the war became known. Television was showing everyone the death and destruction caused by the war. Well organised anti-war campaigns became popular
5. High profile war crimes such as the My Lai massacre of 350 Vietnamese civilians lost the hearts and minds of the US people
6. They also lost the hearts and minds of the southern Vietnamese people who became angry with the constant patrols and indiscriminate bombings and shootings. The use of horrific weapons such as Napalm and Agent Orange, highly toxic chemicals that destroyed the jungle but also caused starvation and disease through destroying crops

Question 4

How did the war end

Answer 4

1. Tet offensive: Despite the huge military buildup in Vietnam the US and southern forces were caught off guard by a huge Vietcong attack on the Vietnamese new year holiday Tet in January 1968. The Vietcong reached Saigon the capital city of south Vietnam. They were driven back with heavy losses but the damage had been done
2. It was clear to American citizens that the war couldn’t be won
3. President Johnson was under huge pressure. There were major civil rights protests in America and many others protested over the Vietnam war especially the young. Many young people burnt their draft cards or left for Canada
4. President Johnson faced too much opposition to run again. Instead he was replaced by President Nixon in 1968. Nixon took over on the promise of “peace with honour” in Vietnam
5. He started the policy of Vietnamisation - This was training the southern Vietnamese army to take over the war effort so the US army could be gradually withdrawn
6. In 1973 a peace treaty was signed in Paris. The remaining US troops were to be withdrawn and American prisoners of war were to be released
7. Nixons “peace with honour” only lasted 2 years. By 1975 ALL of Vietnam had turned communist
8. The US policy of containment in Asia had failed