vietnam war Flashcards
ho chi minh
leader of communist north vietnam
vietnam independence league/vietminh
north vietnamese guerilla forces
hanoi
north vietnamese capital
dien bien phu
french airbase and where the french indo-china war ends
17th parallel
split between north and south vietnam
saigon
south vietnamese capital
national liberation front/vietcong
south vietnamese communist guerilla rebels
john f kennedy
us president from 1961
french indochina
colonies controlled by the french in the far east
when did france first take over indochina
18th century
when did japan invade indochina
during ww2
how many vietnamese had starved to death by 1945
2 million
when was vietnam declared to be independent
2nd September 1945
when did the french reinvade vietnam and how long did the war last
1946, 8 years until 1954
how did the usa help the french
harry truman sent $15m by july 1960 and $3b in total
before dien bien phu, how many casualties did the vietnamese inflict on the french
80,000
how many French troops were at dien bien phu
10,000 troops
how many vietminh surrounded dien bien phu
50,000
how many French were killed and wounded (DBP)
3000 killed and 8000 wounded
how many Vietnamese were killed and wounded (DBP)
8000 killed and 12000 wounded
why did the French surrender
French troops ran out food, water and medicine
how long did the dien bien phu attack last
13 march 1954 to 7 may 1954 (55 days)
how many French prisoners of war were there in dien bien phu
10,000 (half of which died)
what was the main industry of French indochina
rubber industry
what did ho chi minh do in 1911
he went to sea and travelled the world working simple jobs
what did ho chi minh set up in 1930
indochinese communist party
who was general giap
a young vietnamese general
what were the consequences of dien bien phu
French ministered resigned
French leave Indochina
over the 8 years 400,000 soldiers and civilians were killed
geneva accords
what are the outcomes of the Geneva accords
vietnam is divided along the 17th parallel
ngo dinh diem is the president of the south
elections in the south held in 1956
why was diem so unpopular
strategic hamlet programme (2/3 of peasants moved)
persecution of buddhists
rigged early election in october 1955
nepotism (madame nhu)
what is the ARNV
army of republic of vietnam
south Vietnamese capitalist army (supported by the US)
when did civil war break out in south vietnam
1957 (in the countryside)
who led the vietcong
Hua Tho
when was diem assassinated
November 2nd 1963
what 3 things led to diem’s assassination
his corruption and brutality
ARVN cannot beat the VC without public support
strategic hamlet programme
what is the red scare
fear of the dangerous spread of communism across the world
what were the 3 aims during the national security briefing 1954
oppose communism in SE asia
no US soldiers on ground
save money and yourself from humiliation
McCarran Act
law that limited employment opportunities for communists in USA
HUAC
house un-american activities committee
all US communists groups had to register with this body
Joseph McCarthy
senator who claimed to have a list of 200 communist government workers
what percentage did diem win by in the election
98.2%
what did jfk do to aid the war and help
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
why does the usa get involved in vietnam
prevent the spread of communism
fear of ho chi minh
american ideology and ideals
satisfy the US public
US pride
when does LBJ send some US destroyers to monitor the gulf of Tonkin
march 1964
when were the initial reports of an attack on the USS maddox reported
3rd august 1964
when does LBJ announce US involvement in the war
4th august 1964
what is the gulf of Tonkin resolution and when was it created
US act granting power to use the US military in vietnam
7th august 1964
what happened in February 1965
attack on US base camp Holloway killing 8 and wounding 100
how did the US react to the attack on camp Holloway
operation rolling thunder
February 1965
LBJ announces 3 year bombing campaign of north vietnam and communist military facilities
how many US marines were in vietnam by the end of 1965
200,000
how many tonnes of US bombs were dropped by the end of ORT
1,000,000 tonnes
what percentage of the US public supported the war
61%
how long were the ho chin minh trials
15,000 km
what percentage of VC weapons were stolen from the US
90%
what percentage of US troops died in the ambushes
51%
how long were the VC tunnels
300 km
how many south vietnamese government workers were killed
27,000