Vietnam War Flashcards
Why was the 17th parallel established
In 1945 a Communist Republic was established in the region known as Indochina. The Japanese had occupied the French colony during the Second World War and a group of NATIONALISTS the VIETMINH wanted independence when the war ended and attacked the Japanese. The French wanted to regain control in 1945 but met with opposition from the Vietminh. China sent aid to the Vietminh who controlled the North of the Country and France fought with the help of American funding. America wanted to prevent the expansion of Communism in SE Asia.
France established a Government in the South but guerrilla warfare continued. In 1954 the French suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Vietminh at Dien Bien Phu and the United Nations tried to gain a peace settlement in Geneva.
This resulted in the country being split along the Yalu river
Reasons for increased involvement in Vietnam
Policy of Containment
Fear of Domino Effect
South Vietnam was rich in materials such as tin and rubber
Danger of communist takeover from Vietcong
Attack in Gulf of Tonkin
NOT A UN WAR
Why would the US become fully involved
In the Gulf of Tonkin, August 1964 N. Vietnamese gunboats fired on a US Destroyer the Maddox. The Americans claimed this was a hostile act which was unjustified. Infact, the Maddox had been supporting covert operations in N. Vietnam.
The US Congress passed the Tonkin Resolution.
What is the Tonkin Resolution 1964
It allowed President Johnson to take whatever action necessary to deal with the crisis in Vietnam
Actions of the USA in Vietnam
President Johnson ordered the bombing of strategic military targets in North Vietnam, including air raids on the capital city, Hanoi, and bases and supply routes for the Vietcong. This was code-named Operation Rolling Thunder.
Increased number of American troops (100’000 in 1965 and another 100’000 in 1966)
From 1965, the American military began a policy of sending soldiers into the jungle and villages of Vietnam to ‘take the war to the enemy’. This often meant soldiers were easy targets for Vietcong guerrilla attacks as the Vietcong were far more adept in the jungle than the American soldiers.
This tactic also led to a high number of civilian casualties, destruction of villages and atrocities like the My Lai Massacre, all of which damaged the USA’s reputation abroad
They used jets to dump napalm, a chemical that burnt skin to the bone, on suspected Vietcong strongholds.
They used Agent Orange, a powerful defoliant,to destroy jungle cover. Helicopters were used to deploy (search for) and destroy
guerrilla combatants.
Actions of China and the USSR in Vietnam
China sent troops and military equipment to North Vietnam
After 1969 the USSR became the main supplier for the North Vietnamese
They trained pilots and supplied them with fighter planes
They supplied medicine food oil and 3000 soldiers
They send military advisors, tanks, artillery, anti aircraft guns and surface to air missiles
Consequences of the war
1 million communist soldiers dead
58’000 US service men dead
The war cost 28 billion each year and so effected social and welfare reforms in the US
Policy if Containment failed and Domino theory partly occurred as Cambodia and Laos fell to communism
Impact on relations changed?
American attitudes towards communist states changed and the road towards detente was helped by the friendly approaches to China
The vast superiority of military strength could not stop the spread of communism in SE Asia
Relationship between China and USSR worsened and this fallout allowed USA to improve relations with everyone through detente
