Vietnam War Flashcards
What happened to Vietnam during ww2?
It was conquered by the Japanese who treated the Vietnamese brutally
What did the Japanese brutality encourage?
An anti Japanese movement to emerge under the communist leader Ho Chi Minh - inspired people to fight for independence
What happened after ww2?
The French wanted Vietnam back and returned in 1945
Who finds Ho Chi Minh?
China
Why does America become financially involved in 1949?
China becomes communist
Fund $500 million to the French
What happens in 1954?
French pull out and Geneva Conference held
Vietnam split into North and South
USA become politically involved by preventing free elections
Why do the USA become politically involved in Vietnam?
They fear the communists will win in the elections
How do the USA prevent elections?
Help Ngo Dinh Diem set up Republic of South Vietnam in 1955
He was corrupt but anti communist
What does Americas involvement provoke?
The communist led national front for the liberation of South Vietnam set up (Vietcong) in 1960
What did the viet cong do?
Peasants who didn’t support them faced intimidation and violence
Started a guerrilla war against South Vietnam
Whe do the USA become militarily involved?
In 1962 when Kennedy sends “military advisors to fight the Vietcong
When is Kennedy assassinated and who replaces him?
1963
Johnson - more prepared to commit to full scale conflict to prevent the spread of communism
What is the domino theory?
That if Vietnam falls to communism then so will the surround countries and eventually the rest of Asia
How many military advisors are In Vietnam in 1963?
1600
What happens in 1964?
North Vietnam patrol boats open fire on Us ships in the Gulf of Tonkin
- LBJ given all power to take “necessary action”
What happens on 8 th March 1965?
3500 U.S. Marines land at Da Nung
WAR
Why was guerrilla warfare a nightmare for the U.S.?
Didn't wear a uniform and hard to tell apart form ordinary peasants No known base camp or headquarters Killed any peasants that opposed them Knew the land - wore them down Guerrilla warfare - Americans unprepared Disappeared into jungle
When did the USA launch operation rolling thunder?
7th February 1965
What was operation rolling thunder?
Extensive bombing raids on military and industrial targets
What is the Ho Chi Minh trail?
40 000 Vietnamese keep it open despite the bombing
Supply route
What chemical weapons did the USA use?
Agent orange - stripped jungle foliage
Napalm - destroyed jungle, burned through skin and bone
What was search and destroy?
Aerial search of villages to destroy Vietcong forces
Not always accurate many civilians killed in the process
Villages burnt - zippo
What was the My Lai massacre?
March 1968
Possible Vietcong headquarters in My Lai region
Ordered to destroy all houses and livestock
In 4 hours 300-400 civilians killed
No viet cong found
What was the reaction to the My Lai massacre?
First treated like success - reports said only 20 civilians dead rest Vietcong Investigation revealed truth Public shocked Some troops imprisoned Out of control soldiers?
What did the media do in the early stages of the war?
Supported the government
Shielded reality of the war from public
How did the media coverage change as the war went on?
1967-8 More accurate and real account 1965- soldiers shown burning village with zippo lighters Violence shown - shocking Public horrified American support lost
What were the U.S. Problems?
Young and inexperienced soldiers (av age 19)
Little knowledge of land
Soldiers turned to drugs when not fighting
Large numbers of Vietnamese people supported viet cong
Unpopular
Why weren’t the U.S. Supported by the Vietnamese people?
Dropped more bombs on Vietnam than in the entire ww2
Destroyed villages
Chemical weapons caused birth defects and deformities
Give some examples of geurilla warfare
Bobby traps Ambushes Bouncing Betty land mine Trip wires Pits
Who was elected in 1968?
Nixon on the promise of ending the Vietnam war
What were some of the anti war protests?
Kent state uni - 4 students died in a protest
“Hey hey LBJ how many kids did you kill today?”
Martin Luther King Jr - civil rights movement ( more black people being conscripted)
Why were there anti war protests?
58 000 soldiers died
Billions of dollars spent on the war and not on rebuilding US cities
“Credibility gap” made it sound like they were winning when they weren’t
Lost them trust and support when they suffered losses
Media coverage
When was the Tet Offensive?
1968
What was the Tet offensive?
Viet cong fighters attacked over 100 cities
USA forces lost lots of resources and many innocent civilians killed
500 000 troops being used and it was costing $20 billion a year
U.S. Embassy captured in Saigon
Government radio stations seized
Proved USA was not winning and never likely to win
How long did Nixon spend trying to negotiate peace?
1968-73
What was part of the peace deal?
Self determination for South Vietnam but after 2 years it fell to communists
Communism won
When did the USA withdraw from Vietnam?
1973
How much did it cost the USA to kill one Vietcong soldier?
$500 000
What criminal offence did the students so as a protest against the Vietnam war?
Burnt the American flag
Why did the Vietnam war cause inequality issues?
22% casualties were black but only 11% of the whole force was black
30% of blacks drafted but only 19% whites drafted
What development in cameras meant they could be taken right into the conflict zones?
Lightweight
What did TV viewers see Colonel Loan do during the Tet offensive?
Execute a suspected Vietcong
What arguments are there that it wasn’t the media that led to the loss of support for the war?
Only 16% of media criticised the government
Shocking scenes rarely shown -25%
Why were the Vietcong liked by the Vietnamese peasants?
Didn’t use chemical weapons
Courteous and respectful to the peasants
What is the motto of guerrilla warfare?
Retreat when enemy attacks
Raid when enemy camps
Attack when enemy tires
Pursue when enemy retreats
Who ruled Vietnam before ww2?
The French
