Vietnam

Question 1

What happened on “search and destroy” patrols

Answer 1

American troops were sent on patrols from helicopters. They would target villages and destroyed any Viet Cong forces found

Question 2

What evidence is there that “search and destroy” patrols were ineffective

Answer 2

Patrols and raids were often based on inadequate information. Innocent villages were mistaken for Viet Cong bases, leading to civilian casualties and deaths. This made the US army unpopular amongst the Vietnamese population. Proportion of civilian to VC killed was 6:1

Question 3

Describe the bombing campaigns used by the US army

Answer 3

Operation Rolling Thunder began in February 1965 and targeted North Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh trail and suspected Viet Cong bases. It ended in 1968

Question 4

What evidence is there that the bombing campaigns were ineffective

Answer 4

The bombing only slowed down the communists- Ho Chi Minh Trail was rebuilt and continued to operate
The financial cost of the campaigns was enormous- it costs $400,000 to kill one Viet Cong fighter

Question 5

What were Agent Orange and Agent Blue, and why were they used during the war

Answer 5

Highly toxic weed killers used to destroy the Vietnamese jungle and crops where civilian Viet Cong fighters and bases were hidden

Question 6

Why did the USA army become weaker after 1967

Answer 6

Increasing numbers of troops were conscripted and were not professional soldiers. Many were very young, and often did not care about defending communism

The army also struggled to recruit soldiers. There were widespread attempts to dodge conscription and of desertion during the war.

The morale of the US army was very low. Many soldiers were not committed to fighting in Vietnam

Drug abuse amongst US soldiers was widespread

Question 7

What type of warfare did the Ct Viet Cong use during the war

Answer 7

Guerrilla warfare

Question 8

Identify five Viet Cong tactics used during the Vietnam War

Answer 8

1. Ambushes
2. Booby traps
3. Underground tunnels
4. Ho Chi Minh trail
5. Winning over the Vietnamese people

Question 9

What evidence is there that the ambush were effective

Answer 9

Ambushes caused 51% of all US casualties during the war.
Ambushes led to close quarter fighting between the US air power could not be used because of the danger of killing their own troops
It undermined the morale of US soldiers, who lived in fear of ambushes

Question 10

How big was the underground tunnel network used by the Viet Cong

Answer 10

Around 240km

Question 11

What evidence is there that the underground tunnels were effective

Answer 11

It made Viet Cong soldiers/ bases very difficult to locate

It avoided the worst effects of US air power

Question 12

What was the Ho Chi Minh trail

Answer 12

A route from North Vietnam to South to provide supplies to Viet Cong fighters

Question 13

Why was the Ho Chi Minh trail effective

Answer 13

The Viet Cong depended on supplies from North Vietnam to fight the war against America and the ARVN

Question 14

Identify 3 reasons which explain why the Viet Cong were successful during the war

Answer 14

1. The effectiveness of their military tactics
2. Support from the Vietnamese people
3. Weakness of the American army

Question 15

Who launched the Tet Offensive

Answer 15

The Viet Cong

Question 16

When did the Tet Offensive take place

Answer 16

January 1968

Question 17

What was the Tet Offensive

Answer 17

Before Tet, the VC attacked the US base at Khe Sanh to distract the US soldiers. The VC and North Vietnamese army then attacked cities and US bases in South Vietnam. They got ti Saigon and captured the US embassy and the ARVN headquarters. The old city of Hue was also captured. After three weeks of fighting however most cities and bases were recaptured by the Americans

Question 18

Did the Tet Offensive succeed

Answer 18

No- the American and the ARVN managed to regain all the towns and bases that had been captured. 50 000 VC were killed

Question 19

Why was the Tet an important turning point in the war

Answer 19

• Although the USA pushed the VC back, it was still a humiliation for the US. Unusually cities had been attacked on huge scale
• It was a propaganda victory for the VC as the US public were shocked by what had happened
• The US public were shocked by media images of the VC in the US embassy - it led to a rise in opposition to the war in America
• The media turned against the war. Walter Cronkite, a reporters started to report the war negatively
• Americans were angry that this could happen - they thought the war was winnable
• Johnson decided not to stand for re-elected in 1968- his approval ratings decreased
• Congress started ti turn against the war and decrease funding for the war
• When elected, Nixon began a process of de-escalation and withdrawal

Question 20

How many American soldiers died during Vietnam War

Answer 20

Approximately 58 000

Question 21

How much was America spending every year in the Vietnam War

Answer 21

$167 billion by 1973

Question 22

What were American attitudes towards the war before 1968

Answer 22

Most people were supportive of the war

Question 23

What happened to the tone/ attitude of the media towards Vietnam War from 1967/1968

Answer 23

The tone of the media began to change . Journalists began to question whether the ar was winnable and criticized American’s involvement in Vietnam

Question 24

What did reporter Walter Cronkite say about the war following the Tet Offensive

Answer 24

Walter Cronkite (a famous reporter) declared that he thought the war was unwinnable

Question 25

What did some news stations begin to report on from 1968

Answer 25

The media began to report on villages being napalmed, civilian massacres (such as My Lai) and casualties, teenage American soldiers killed, and Vietnamese towns/ cities destroyed

Question 26

What was the war also known as

Answer 26

A living room war as people could see what was happening on their televisions

Question 27

What massacre took place in Vietnam in March 1968

Answer 27

The My Lai massare

Question 28

What happened in My Lai in March 1968

Answer 28

Americans soldiers on a ‘search and destroy’ mission killed nearly 400 civilians in the village of My Lai, Vietnam. Most were women, children, and the elderly

Question 29

What happened in November 1969(18 months later)

Answer 29

The American press (newspapers) got hold of the story of the massacre, and published photographs of the incident

Question 30

How did the massacre affect the attitudes of the American people towards the war

Answer 30

It helped to change public opinion against war

Question 31

Why did the media and anti-war protests encourage America to withdraw from the war

Answer 31

The negative, anti-war feeling which arose in America put pressure on the US government to end America’s involvement in Vietnam, in order to keep the public on their side

Question 32

How did students protest against the war

Answer 32

Students were part of a counter culture generation in America. They protested by:

• Burning their draft cards
• Sit-ins/boycotts
• Marches and demonstrations
• Demonstrations became more violent as the war went on

Question 33

What was the draft

Answer 33

Compulsory service in the armed forces. Men were drafted from 18

Question 34

Why did the draft create opposition

Answer 34

Many felt it was unfair as poor white and black families were often drafted in greater numbers

Question 35

What protest took place on 4th May 1970

Answer 35

Kent State University protest

Question 36

What happened at kent State University protest

Answer 36

• In the days before the protest there were several anti-war protests that were broken up by the National Guard with tear gas
• They were protesting against the invasion of Cambodia
• On 4th May the protestors carried on demonstrating
• The national Guard fired into the crowd
• 4 students were shot dead

Question 37

What impact did kent State University protest have on attitudes towards the war

Answer 37

It horrified the public and helped to turn more people against the war

Question 38

What impact did kent State University protest have on this war

Answer 38

Congress began to limit funding for the war. After the Paris Peace Accords of 1973 it refused to give much funding to the South Vietnamese government leading to the collapse of South Vietnam by 1975

Question 39

Summarise reasons why opposition towards the war increased over time

Answer 39

• Tet Offensive made the public politicians realize the war was not winnable
• Invasion of Cambodia in 1970 led to more protests and opposition within Congress
• Human cost -58 000 US dead
• Economic cost - $167 billion
• African American opposition increased as less was spent on solving poverty
• Rise of the student movement
• The draft
• Media turned public opinion against the war
• Atrocities like Kent State and My Lai fuelled opposition
• Johnson lied to Congress about the cost of he war

Question 40

When was the peace agreement signed, ending the war in Vietnam

Answer 40

January 1973

Question 41

What did the Paris Peace Accords state

Answer 41

• Immediate ceasefire (end of fighting)
• Withdrawal of the US forces
• All countries to accept Vietnam as a single country. Reunification to happen without outside interference

Question 42

How many people died because of the Vietnam War

Answer 42

Approx. 2 million civilians, 1.1 million communist fighters, and 58 000 US soldiers

Question 43

How many South Vietnamese people were displaced (forced to leave) from their homes

Answer 43

5 million people