Vietnam War Flashcards
1
Q
Context
A
- French Colony, Vietnam wanted independence.
- July 1954. Split into North (communist Viet Minh - Ho Chi Minh) and South (non-communist, Ngo Dinh Diem) at 17th Parallel.
- Ngo Dinh Diem unpopular leader, rich in a country of poor farmers.
- 1959 Ho Chi Minh declared war to overthrow South with support of Vietcong.
- —-> Vietcong begin to fight a guerrilla war.
- Ngo Dinh Diem had support of US as he was non-communist and the US feared ‘domino theory’.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident:
- 2nd August 1964
- USS Maddox (ship) sailing near North Vietnamese waters.
—–> 3 warning shots fired.
—–> USS Maddox reported they had been attacked.
Johnson take US into Vietnam.
2
Q
USA’s tactics under President Johnson
A
B ombing
E scalation (increasing number of US troops in Vietnam)
A ir & Artillery
S search & Destroy (led to many naïve US troops being killed - 16th March 1968 Mi Lai Massacre, destroyed US reputation, 300 civilians killed)
T echnology (Use of bombs and chemicals dropped by aircraft)
3
Q
Ending of war
A
1969 Nixon becomes president.
Vietnamisation - Letting South Vietnamese troops take over.
War end in 1975, unpopular, protests at home in US
