Vietnam War Flashcards
why did US fails to win Vietnam War?
- Got involved too late; SV already deteriorating; US worses situation; fails to ensure land reform and win hearts/minds of majority due to supporting to the corrupt Diem Regime
- ARVN poor in quality and lacked support
- Search and Destroy ineffective
- Warfare not adjusted to rural and tropical Vietnamese forests; troops drafted, lacked morale, prone to narcotic use
- Collapse of Home Front due to confidence of winning and choose to televise war; expenses rise and hurt american taxpayers (violation of human rights= international dissent)
Paris Peace Agreement;
US, USSR and CHINA all go into negotiation
Agree to release/return prisoners of war
Withdrawal of forces from Vietnam
Ceasefire between SV government and Vietcong
Led to split region Communist and Noncommunist governing in South
origins of sv/nv
Vietnam gets split: France, Japan fighting against Vietnam (they were fighting for their independence SV and NV split NV: communist SV: capitalist
context of vietnam war
1954; Us declares its support for SV providing monetary aid and military advice
Context:
Two dominos had fallen; China and NK
WW2: Japan controlled Vietnam; HCM of VM supported by USA overthrew japanese rule
HCM declared Vietmanese indepdence
Soon after; Vietnam colonized by French
VM fought French for Communist Indenpedence
US spported French colonial regime militarily to contain communism
Despite military support, French beat at Dien Bien Ph
Geneva Agreements;
DBP defeat furthered Geneva Agreements of 1954
17th temporary parallel; splitting North Communist and South Capitalist Vietnam
= Geneva agreements; free elections in an attempt to reunify the two countries
NV falls under domino (under USSR sphere); communist winning in Asia?
US and SV don’t sign; not bound to agreement
US violates Agreements by forming alliance with SV (Bao Die replaced with Diem) via SEATO
Eisenhower’s involvment
Eisenhower (1954-60)
Battle of Dien Bien Phu; French destroyed by Vietnamese
Geneva Agreements/Accords 1954; suggest free elections should happen to unify country; US doesn’t sign (to stop communist spread; allows for them to remain involved)
Domino Theory; Eisenhower is a key believer
Doesn’t want US to be seen as ‘soft on communism’
As republic; took military approach by supporting French
Escalation of involvement; Doesn’t sign Geneva; Sets up SEATO alliance + wants to stop communist election from winning
Supporting Diem; to maintain capitalist + catholic upheld,
SEATO alliance
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
- signed by Western Powers to protect SOutheast Asian from foreign aggresion
- 1954-1988
- southeast asian states themselves not part of agreement
SV under Diem
SV predominantly Buddhist; DIEM cancels Agreement
Election; Eisenhower funds Diem’s government (500 million a year to train ARVN primary army)
Diem’s regime: corruption, nepotism, isolation and bigotry with refusals to implement land reforms as its echoed communism
Refusal of land reform; CIA assassinates him
NLF creates to liberate SV from Diem
→ isolated Buddhists (Catholic Middle Class evacuation; JFK Crusador); REgime led to Buddhist suicide demonstration due to religions censorship= Angers peasant majority and made them sympathetic to Vietcong
—-> Diem continues to refuse land reforms
Both US + SV military recognized Diem issues; Diem is assassinated in November ‘63
SV under Diem
SV predominantly Buddhist; DIEM cancels Agreement Elections (doesnt do anything to try to reunify; AS SV AND US DIDNT SIGN)
Election; Eisenhower funds Diem’s government (500 million a year to train ARVN primary army); economic and military advisors
+ Eisenhower also creates anti-vietnam propaganda that Diem propagates; claims NV are killing innocent SV
Diem’s regime: corruption, nepotism, isolation and bigotry with refusals to implement land reforms as its echoed communism
- anti-budhist
- catholic ‘western’
- hunted vietminh supporters
Refusal of land reform; CIA assassinates him
NLF creates to liberate SV from Diem
→ isolated Buddhists (Catholic Middle Class evacuation; JFK Crusador); REgime led to Buddhist suicide demonstration due to religions censorship= Angers peasant majority and made them sympathetic to Vietcong
—-> Diem continues to refuse land reforms
Both US + SV military recognized Diem issues; Diem is assassinated in November ‘63
JFK involvment
Seen as soft on communism (failure of CUBA and draw-colistin in Laos; no victory during Presidency so he wants to prove himself)
Committed to monolithic, Cold War, Domino Theory
Catholic Crusader
Escalation: The enemy (Vietcong; determined to overthrow US/Diem and win with communist); US needs to hold onto South and prevent another communist surge)
US involvement causes surge of drugs and prostitution (SOCIAL)
Kennedy; wants to improve foreign policy; sends military advisors + Green Berets (continues training of ARVN)
Urged creation of Strategic Hamlets; failure due to Diem’s nepotism
–> Diem continues to refuse land reforms
Both US + SV military recognized Diem issues; Diem is assassinated in November ‘63
—> JFK 3 weeks later; his involvement in VIETNAM COMMITTED US FULLY TO VIETNAM WITHOUT CHOICE (giving into communism if they pull troops and stuff)
Green berets
to reinforce Diem, the new American president, John F. Kennedy, dispatched Green Beret “advisers” in 1961 and provided increased military aid, including American-piloted armed helicopters, as the guerrilla war expanded.
GREEN BERETS= US army uniform
ARVN
Army of Republic of Vietnam; south vietnamese army
Vietcong
Vietnamese Communists
- also known as National Liberation Front against Diem government (mainly SV members in SV) and for ho Chi Minh’s ‘united vietnam’
- assosiated with patriosm and nationalism= bady guys
aim; overthrow corrupt, unfair government of Diem and reunify Vietnam (as Geneva agreements had proposed); thought communist was best poliitical solution
-most members are poor, but professional people like teachers/doctors join
Viet Minh
national liberation movement formed to fight against French and Japanese control of Vietnam
Strategic Hamlets
- Kennedy inherits it
- started in 1960 under Diem and CIA; designed to stop Viet Cong winning over SV vietnamese cillages
- villages under ‘Viet Cong influence” reolcated to camps with barbed wires/frences; new villages called stragetic hamlets and guarded by non-commnists
- Diem + US; say its a policy to ‘help and defend’ the villagers
Issues:
- diiffiuclty to tell which villagers support Viet Cong and which don’t
- realistically, SV/US had no way of konwing if policy was working
- relocated peasants have to pay for relocation and rebuilding of homes= creates anger and form of imprisoment of peasants
