Vietnam 1945-1955 Flashcards
1
Q
Strength of the Viet Minh
A
- Popular leader Ho Chi Minh (80% wanted him to rule)
- Used guerilla warfare in Jungle = advantaged
- 2 million Vietnamese died because of French
- Ho Chi Minh was a war hero
- Jungle terrain, can’t use tanks.
2
Q
Dien Bien Phu 1954
A
- 1954, French-built a fortress at Dien Bien Phu
- Viet Minh won
- 40,000 Viet Minh
- French defeated in Indochina
- Viet Minh gets all of Vietnam north of the 17th parrallel.
- Failed to anticipate thousands of peasant volunteers
3
Q
Weaknesses of the French
A
- Viet Minh General Vo Nguyen Giap made the French weak + won over ordinary people.
- Giap commanded 250,000 soldiers in 1952
- French military was urban-based
- French underestimated Viet Minh