Vietnam War Flashcards
French Indochina
Controlled by France before and after WWII.
Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos
Years of the Vietnam War
1964-1973
When did Japan take over Indochina?
1940 during WWII
Ho Chi Minh
Vietnamese man Sentenced to death in 1930
Fled to the Soviet Union and China
In 1941 he returned to Vietnam as a communist to gain independence
Vietnam War after WWII
Ho expected Vietnam to become independence but France returned
Guerrilla war waged against French by Ho’s followers
U.S. Financially supported France: $15 million in 1950, $2.6 in the next 4 years
When was Eisenhower elected? What was his theory for Asia?
1953.
The domino theory: if one country falls to communism, the rest will fall too- part of the containment policy
Battle when French were defeated and what year
Diem Bien Phu in 1954
Geneva accords
Peace agreement 1954
Divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel
said there was going to be an election to unify Vietnam scheduled for 1956
The new Vietnam: north and south
North: communist, Ho Chi Minh was the leader, Hanoi, Ho was very popular, supported by Russia
South: Anti-communist/Nationalists, Ngo Dinh Diem was the leader, Saigon, supported the America
Problems in south Vietnam
In 1956, the election was canceled because Diem refused to participate; he knew Minh was going to win.
Diem created a corrupt government
Vietcong: National Liberation Front: a communist group in the south who supported the north.
Ho Chi Minh Trail
A hidden trail from north Vietnam to south Vietnam to provide weapons and supplies to the Vietcong
Kennedy increased money to South
Military advisors sent to south to train south Vietnam’s soldiers- 16,000 sent by 1963
everyone realized that Diem had to go
Diem overthrow
November 1 1963
Military coup supported by America
Diem was executed: chaos increased
Weeks later Kennedy was assassinated
What year was LBJ elected in and what number president?
1963 & 36
The fighting
The U.S. Came into the war thinking it would be quick and easy
But the enemy was not what they expected
Vietcong used guerrilla tactics: Booby traps, land mines, hit and runs
New terrain for America: couldn’t determine who was Vietcong
The Vietcong tunnel system
Elaborate underground tunnels
- well hidden
- used for shelter
What kind of war did the Vietnam war become?
Became a war of attrition
Ho’s important quote
“Ten of your men and one of mine and we will still win”
McNamara and his quote
Secretary of defense
“I didn’t think these people had the capacity to fight this way.”
New tactics used by America
Dropped napalm: a gas bomb
Sprayed agent orange- a weed killer that left land destroyed and people hurt
Search and Destroy missions: invaded and killed entire villages
American soldiers
Morale high at the beginning of the war but it quickly faded- they turned to alcohol and drugs
Soldiers knew support wasn’t good at home
South Vietnam’s government was unstable
Became a “Living Room War”
Credibility gap
Johnson portrayed a positive image of the war
Americans saw something different on tv.
Generals were optimistic
“I want to get out but I don’t want to give in.
The draft
Men 18-26 were eligible
Men sought deferments- put off military service (medical excuses, college, joined the national guard
Younger, not as smart, and minority groups most likely to be drafted
Tet offensive
Surprise attack by Vietcong Vietnamese new year- week long truce But Vietcong launched a surprise attack Over 100 towns and 12 U.S. Based Vietcong lost 32,000 America lost 3,000 Generals claimed it was a victory but only in numbers Americans began distrusting government
Protests began
Rallies
Returning veterans began to protest war
Singers portrayed public’s dislike of war
Americans became divided- pro-war or anti-war
LBJ’s views
Didn’t want to seem soft on communism or let Vietnam “fall into it”
Escalated the conflict by increasing the role of U.S. In Vietnam
The Tonkin Gulf resolution
August 2 1964 North Vietnam boat fired at an American destroyer- the USS Maddox but missed
August 4 1964- USS Maddox was allele fly fired on again. LBJ asked for more power and congress agreed
Operation Rolling Thunder
February 1965- bombing of north Vietnam
By June there were over 50,000 American soldiers in Vietnam
Election of 1964
LBJ reelected and people seemed to support him
Johnson continued escalating war
By 1967- 500,000 U.S. Troops were in Vietnam
America divided
Doves-Strongly opposed the war
Hawks- said to unleash greater military force to end the war
1967- 66% of people still supported the war
Election of 1968
Robert Kennedy announced he would run but he was assassinated
Hubert Humphrey- democratic nominee
Nixon was the republican- promised to restore law and order, promise to end the war, he appealed to many Americans- became 37th president
Vietnamization
Gradual withdrawal if U.S. Troops
America and North Vietnam couldn’t agree
August 1969- 1st 25,000 troops sent home
Nixon wanted north Vietnam to think he would do anything
Ordered bombings on North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
My Lai Massacre
March 16 1968- lieutenant William Calley ordered troops into the village of My Lai looking for Vietcong but didn’t find any
They did shoot and kill almost everyone- mostly women and children
November 1969- Seymour Hersh reported this and it shocked Americans
25 officers charged and imprisoned
The counter culture
Hippie movement
Emerged during Vietnam war
They were fed up with society
Wore colorful clothing, long hair, liberal use if drugs
Ashbury district
San Fran ("Hippie Capital")
Hallucinogenic drugs- got very dangerous very fastJimi Hendrix
Singer that portrayed what young Americans were feeling
Died from overdose
Janis Joplin
Hippie singer
Died from overdose
Woodstock
August 1969- free music festival in a small farm in upstate New York
400,000 people showed in 3 days
Many famous musicians played
Andy Warhol
Counter culture artist
Very famous
Conservative reaction
A group of people that attacked the counter culture
“silent majority”
Kent state university
Ohio where the hardest college protesters took place
ROTC building burned
Mayor called national guard- May 4 1970- they fired into the crowd
9 wounded and 4 killed
Jackson state Mississippi
All black college
12 wounded and 2 killed - 10 days after kent state
People began debating shootings
Rallies began in support of government
Invasion of Cambodia
April 30 1970- invasion to clear out supply centers
College students erupted with outrage- 1.5 million students went on strike
1000 campuses closed
Congress’ view on the invasion of Cambodia
Not happy
Upset that Nixon did that
When did congress repeal the Tonkin gulf resolution and why
December 31 1970- because they were unhappy about Nixon invading Cambodia
It have the president too much power
Pentagon papers
Leaked in June 1971- documents written by McNamara (secretary of defense) that stated that the government planned to send troops even though LBJ said he wouldn’t
Showed there was no plan to stop the was and that the government wasn’t honest
Henry Kissinger
President’s advisor for national security: expert on international relations and tried negotiating with North Vietnam
Last push in the Vietnam war
“Christmas bombings”
100,000 bombs dropped over 11 days
In North Vietnam
War finally ends
January 27 1973- North Vietnam invades south Vietnam
South asks America for help- Ford sent economic aid but refused to send troops
April 30 1975- North Vietnam captured Saigon- soon the rest fell
POW
Prisoner of war
2,202 in Vietnam
MIA
Missing in action
Casualties
US: 58,000 killed, 365,000 wounded
North and South Vietnam: 1.5 million killed
Veterans
When they came back to America, they were not treated well
Many suffered from depression, PTSD, and many committed suicide
US foreign policy
Changed after Vietnam- ended
The draft
War powers act
Limited presidential power in war time
North Vietnam after the war
Harsh to the south
Reeducation camps
1.5 million south Vietnamese fled the country- “bood people”
Beatles
Paul McCartney (alive), John Lennon (killed in NYC), George Harrison (cancer and died), Rango Star (alive) From Liverpool England Came out in august 1960 On the Ed Sullivan show in 1964 Broke up in 1971
