vietnam war Flashcards

1
Q

ho chi minh

A

leader of communist north vietnam

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2
Q

vietnam independence league/vietminh

A

north vietnamese guerilla forces

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3
Q

hanoi

A

north vietnamese capital

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4
Q

dien bien phu

A

french airbase and where the french indo-china war ends

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5
Q

17th parallel

A

split between north and south vietnam

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6
Q

saigon

A

south vietnamese capital

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7
Q

national liberation front/vietcong

A

south vietnamese communist guerilla rebels

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8
Q

john f kennedy

A

us president from 1961

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9
Q

french indochina

A

colonies controlled by the french in the far east

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10
Q

when did france first take over indochina

A

18th century

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11
Q

when did japan invade indochina

A

during ww2

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12
Q

how many vietnamese had starved to death by 1945

A

2 million

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13
Q

when was vietnam declared to be independent

A

2nd September 1945

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14
Q

when did the french reinvade vietnam and how long did the war last

A

1946, 8 years until 1954

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15
Q

how did the usa help the french

A

harry truman sent $15m by july 1960 and $3b in total

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16
Q

before dien bien phu, how many casualties did the vietnamese inflict on the french

A

80,000

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17
Q

how many French troops were at dien bien phu

A

10,000 troops

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18
Q

how many vietminh surrounded dien bien phu

A

50,000

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19
Q

how many French were killed and wounded (DBP)

A

3000 killed and 8000 wounded

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20
Q

how many Vietnamese were killed and wounded (DBP)

A

8000 killed and 12000 wounded

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21
Q

why did the French surrender

A

French troops ran out food, water and medicine

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22
Q

how long did the dien bien phu attack last

A

13 march 1954 to 7 may 1954 (55 days)

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23
Q

how many French prisoners of war were there in dien bien phu

A

10,000 (half of which died)

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24
Q

what was the main industry of French indochina

A

rubber industry

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25
Q

what did ho chi minh do in 1911

A

he went to sea and travelled the world working simple jobs

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26
Q

what did ho chi minh set up in 1930

A

indochinese communist party

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27
Q

who was general giap

A

a young vietnamese general

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28
Q

what were the consequences of dien bien phu

A

French ministered resigned
French leave Indochina
over the 8 years 400,000 soldiers and civilians were killed
geneva accords

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29
Q

what are the outcomes of the Geneva accords

A

vietnam is divided along the 17th parallel
ngo dinh diem is the president of the south
elections in the south held in 1956

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30
Q

why was diem so unpopular

A

strategic hamlet programme (2/3 of peasants moved)
persecution of buddhists
rigged early election in october 1955
nepotism (madame nhu)

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31
Q

what is the ARNV

A

army of republic of vietnam
south Vietnamese capitalist army (supported by the US)

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32
Q

when did civil war break out in south vietnam

A

1957 (in the countryside)

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33
Q

who led the vietcong

A

Hua Tho

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34
Q

when was diem assassinated

A

November 2nd 1963

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35
Q

what 3 things led to diem’s assassination

A

his corruption and brutality
ARVN cannot beat the VC without public support
strategic hamlet programme

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36
Q

what is the red scare

A

fear of the dangerous spread of communism across the world

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37
Q

what were the 3 aims during the national security briefing 1954

A

oppose communism in SE asia
no US soldiers on ground
save money and yourself from humiliation

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38
Q

McCarran Act

A

law that limited employment opportunities for communists in USA

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39
Q

HUAC

A

house un-american activities committee
all US communists groups had to register with this body

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40
Q

Joseph McCarthy

A

senator who claimed to have a list of 200 communist government workers

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41
Q

what percentage did diem win by in the election

A

98.2%

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42
Q

what did jfk do to aid the war and help

A

fund the ARVN and increase their army to 170,000
sent 300 helicopter pilots
support the strategic hamlet programme
help the ARVN stage a coup and assassinate diem

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43
Q

why does the usa get involved in vietnam

A

prevent the spread of communism
fear of ho chi minh
american ideology and ideals
satisfy the US public
US pride

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44
Q

when does LBJ send some US destroyers to monitor the gulf of Tonkin

A

march 1964

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45
Q

when were the initial reports of an attack on the USS maddox reported

A

3rd august 1964

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46
Q

when does LBJ announce US involvement in the war

A

4th august 1964

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47
Q

what is the gulf of Tonkin resolution and when was it created

A

US act granting power to use the US military in vietnam
7th august 1964

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48
Q

what happened in February 1965

A

attack on US base camp Holloway killing 8 and wounding 100

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49
Q

how did the US react to the attack on camp Holloway

A

operation rolling thunder
February 1965
LBJ announces 3 year bombing campaign of north vietnam and communist military facilities

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50
Q

how many US marines were in vietnam by the end of 1965

A

200,000

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51
Q

how many tonnes of US bombs were dropped by the end of ORT

A

1,000,000 tonnes

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52
Q

what percentage of the US public supported the war

A

61%

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53
Q

how long were the ho chin minh trials

A

15,000 km

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54
Q

what percentage of VC weapons were stolen from the US

A

90%

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55
Q

what percentage of US troops died in the ambushes

A

51%

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56
Q

how long were the VC tunnels

A

300 km

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57
Q

how many south vietnamese government workers were killed

A

27,000

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58
Q

what were the 6 main VC tactics

A
  • underground tunnel system
  • Ho Chi Minh trials
  • hanging on the belts
  • no standard uniforms or equipments
  • punji traps and bouncing betties
  • propaganda and civilian recruitment
59
Q

how many soldiers were in vietnam by the end of 1968

A

500,000

60
Q

what was the average age of soldiers

A

19

61
Q

what percentage of troops were black and what percentage of the US population were black

A

41% of troops
11% of the population

62
Q

what is ‘cherries’ the slang term for

A

young, inexperienced soldiers

63
Q

what is fragging

A

soldiers turning on and killings their commanders

64
Q

what were the 7 main US tactics

A
  • operation rolling thunder
  • hearts and minds programme
  • search and destroy raids
  • napalm
  • agent orange
  • body count
  • army recruitment
65
Q

what is napalm

A

a mixture of gelling agents and petrol which would burn through anything it landed on

66
Q

why did the US use napalm

A

to destroy jungles so the Americans could see VC tunnels and bases

67
Q

what is agent orange

A

highly toxic chemical weed killer that was used to destroy jungle

68
Q

what were the disadvantages of agent orange

A

it could cause cancer
cause genetic defects meaning pregnant women who came in contact with napalm would give birth to babies with disorders

69
Q

what was the hearts and minds programme and why didn’t it work?

A

a propaganda campaign in which US soldiers tried to win the support of vietnamese peasants

all their other military tactics went against this like bombing campaigns, napalm, agent orange and search and destroy raids

strategic hamlet programme also made them lose a lot of support

70
Q

why were US forces unable to defeat the Vietcong

A
  • public support went to VC
  • jungle terrain
  • underground tunnels
  • undermined VC tactics
  • lack of commitments from G.I.s
71
Q

who was the US commander

A

general William westmoreland

72
Q

how many soldiers did the ARVN provide

A

800,000

73
Q

what was different about the VC attack on Khe Sanh

A

conventional, open warfare completely different to their usual guerrilla warfare

74
Q

what was operation niagara

A

24,000 American airstrikes (100k bombs)

75
Q

what was Ho Chi Minh and general Giap’s real plan in January 1968

A

to attack government and military in cities of south vietnam

76
Q

what celebration is held in january 1968 and what did ARVN soldiers do?

A

tet new year, ARVN went to visit their family

77
Q

what happened on 31st january signalling the start of tet offensive

A

VC attack a radio tower in Saigon calling the vietnamese people to arms

78
Q

what happened on 31st january signalling the start of tet offensive

A

VC attack a radio tower in Saigon calling the vietnamese people to arms

79
Q

what target was attacked by the C10 battalion

A

US embassy

80
Q

why was the board cast of the tet offensive so important

A

makes the US look vulnerable and like they’re losing

81
Q

which city was still under VC control after all the others had been recaptured

A

hue

82
Q

what made fighting the VC in hue difficult

A
  • main source of VC soldiers
  • too many buildings to raid
  • couldn’t be bombed
83
Q

how did US forces eventually recapture hue

A

bombs

84
Q

how was tet a military disaster for the VC

A
  • lost all the cities they captured
  • lose experienced soldiers
85
Q

how was tet a media disaster for the US

A
  • looks like they are losing
  • execution of VC dressed as a civilian broadcasted
  • public image ruined
86
Q

what were the political consequences of the tet offensive for LBJ

A

he couldn’t run for another presidential term

87
Q

how did the war change from december 1967 to january 1968

A

in late 1967 victory was in sight for the US with a high kill ratio and the VC having lost around 100,000 men

by early 1968 us public image was ruined and public support dropped below half at 42%

88
Q

how long was the battle of hue

A

25 days

89
Q

what was the my lai massacre

A

the massacre of 500 women, elderly and children in the village of my lai

90
Q

which company was involved in my lai

A

Charlie company

91
Q

who was the lieutenant of CC

A

William calley

92
Q

when does the CC first enter the village of my lai

A

16th march 1968

93
Q

how many men and officers entered my lai

A

120 men + 5 officers

94
Q

why did the soldiers get suspicious in my lai

A

no young men insight
they could have gone to fight with the VC or the people in the village were trying to hide them

95
Q

why did soldiers kill the women, elderly and children in my lai

A
  • direct orders so disobeying would mean court marshall
  • so many members of their company were killed by the VC so they wanted revenge
96
Q

who was the army pilot who intervened and stopped the massacre

A

hugh thompson

97
Q

who was the first man that came clean to my lai

A

ron ridenhour
US marine who wrote to the generals about my lai

98
Q

who was the journalist that wrote about my lai

A

seymour hersh

99
Q

when did my lai actually happen and when did it get revealed to the public

A

march 1968
november 1969

100
Q

what were the consequences of my lai

A
  • increased credibility gap
  • ruined public image
  • decrease in public support
101
Q

when was nixon elected

A

january 1969

102
Q

when was the kent state massacre

A

4th may 1970

103
Q

why was opposition to the war increasing by 1968

A
  • media coverage of tet
  • 41% of men drafted were black
  • draft dodgers
  • increased credibility gap
  • corruption in the south vietnamese government
104
Q

what was the casualty rate by 1968

A

12%

105
Q

what is vietnamisation

A

gradual withdrawal of US troops and increased funding to the ARVN

106
Q

how many troops does nixon bring home

A

85,000

107
Q

who is henry kissinger

A

US negotiator

108
Q

who is le duc tho

A

vietnamese negotiator

109
Q

when is the first round of paris peace talks

A

march 1969

110
Q

what does nixon publicly announce in march 1969

A

bombing campaign in cambodia which will require another 150,000 troops

111
Q

what is the name of the communist party in cambodia

A

khmer rogue

112
Q

when is the second round of paris peace talks

A

february 1970

113
Q

when is the incursion of cambodia

A

april 1970

114
Q

what happens after nixon announces the incursion in cambodia (kent state events)

A
  • 3,000 students gather to protest
  • national guard are called in
  • protesters throw rocks
  • national guard fire 67 shots
  • 4 killed and 9 injured
115
Q

what were the consequences of kent state

A
  • national strike of 2 million students
  • march for those who died
  • investigation but no charges
116
Q

what percentage of the population thought that the kent state killings were justified

A

58%

117
Q

what happened in jackson state and when

A

2 students killed and 12 injured
may 15th 1970

118
Q

when and why does nixon order the invasion of laos

A

february 1971
to test the ARVN and see if they are ready to fight on their own

119
Q

what were the consequences of the invasion of laos

A
  • VC counterattack in south vietnam
  • popularity of the laos communist party grows and laos eventually becomes communist
120
Q

what are the communist party in laos called

A

pathet lao

121
Q

when does nixon announce the peace talks

A

january 1972

122
Q

when does nixon visit china and the USSR

A

china - feb 1972
USSR - may 1972

123
Q

when are the paris peace talks signed

A

27th january 1973

124
Q

what were terms agreed upon in the Paris peace talks

A
  • immediate ceasefire
  • free elections in the south
  • all prisoners of war released within 60 days
  • all US troops leave within 60 days
125
Q

when do the last marines leave vietnam

A

march 1973

126
Q

when is the watergate scandal

A

august 1974

127
Q

who replaces nixon and what are his opinions on the war

A

gerald ford
wants to cut all ties with vietnam

128
Q

what happens to the $1 billion nixon promised to the ARVN

A

ford doesn’t send the money promised by nixon

129
Q

when does north vietnam break the peace accords

A

december 1974 by invading the south

130
Q

when does saigon fall to the communists

A

april 1975

131
Q

how much money did the US spend on the war

A

$170 billion
(around $1 trillion now)

132
Q

how many American soldiers were killed in the war

A

58,000

133
Q

how many American soldiers were wounded in the war

A

300,000

134
Q

how many vietnamese soldiers were killed during the war

A

1,000,000

135
Q

how many vietnamese soldiers were wounded during the war

A

2,000,000

136
Q

how many vietnamese civilians were killed during the war

A

2,000,000

137
Q

how many vietnamese civilians were wounded during the war

A

5,000,000

138
Q

how many vietnamese refugees were there

A

11 million

139
Q

what was operation babylift

A

the adoption of 3000 half vietnamese half american babies in 1975

140
Q

how many hectares of farmland was destroyed

A

300,000

141
Q

how many hectares of jungle was destroyed

A

1 million

142
Q

what is the name of the famous US TV journalist who stated that the US should negotiate for peace

A

Walter Cronkite

143
Q

who replaced general Westmoreland

A

General Creighton Abrams

144
Q

what is the name of the buddhist monk who self-immolated in protest

A

Thích Quang Duc