Vietnam War Flashcards
when and who created the Indochinese communist party?
- Ho Chi Mihn
- 1929
when and why was Vietnam split into north and south?
- 1954 Geneva convention
- after the french couldn’t regain Vietnam after ww2
(North under Mihn, and south under Diem)
how did Ike commit the US to the war?
- paid fortunetellers and others to spread the doom of communism
- invested millions by 1961 when communism was becoming popular in south Vietnam
how did JFK increase US involvement in Vietnam?
- sent 12,000 troops by 1962
how did US and Vietcong tactics differ?
- US spent lots of money on a technological warfare with things like chemical bombs
- Vietcong used Guerrilla warfare which was better suited to the jungle environment and confused the US as the didn’t understand it
why did JFK face opposition for putting Diem in charge of the south?
- Diem was catholic but most in the south were Buddhist
- 10k Buddhists protested in 1963
- Buddhist priest set fire to himself and it was put in US news (caused people to disagree with JFK and the war)
when was Diem assassinated?
- 1963
- JFK and military advisor Lodge wanted rid of Diem, coup began which led to his death
how did Johnson justify the Gulf Tonkin Bombing of the north?
- US spy ship Maddox hit which meant congress passed avenge attack (67% of people supported)
- bombing known as rolling thunder however it was still an undeclared ware
why didn’t Johnson declare war on Vietnam?
- north had the support of USSR and China
- wanted to spend on great society rather than war
- didn’t want to seem unreasonable/ like a colonist
How many troops did Johnson send?
- sent 16,000 troops in 1965
- 125,000 troops by July 1965
- 535,000 by 1968
when and what was the My Lai Massacre?
- march 1968
- US soldiers massacred area in south Vietnam
- 500 killed (caused international outrage)
how many US cluster bombs were dropped?
260 million (exploded into harmful fiber glass)
what was agent orange and Napalm used by the US?
- agent orange chemical gas used to destroy forest cover and kill crops (also had serious health implications)
- napalm used in flamethrowers to burn down forests to eliminate Vietcong guerrilla tactics
what were Vietcong tactics in the war?
- US didn’t know who enemy was so disguised as peasants and entered south
- had secret tunnels and traps to avoid US bombs and capture their soldiers
how did the US media affect opinions of the war?
- saw My Lai Massacre that killed 347
- 50k soldiers had died
- images of Napalm put on TV
$30 billion a year being spent
why were the northern communists successful?
- passionate about reunification of Vietnam
- Guerrilla tactics defeated US high tech warfare (jungle terrain)
avoided US bombing with tunnels - North had a lot of support from the south, china and USSR
what was Johnson and Nixons approaches to withdrawing from Vietnam?
- Johnson tried to increase hostilities to make Vietnam agree to peace
- JFK wanted “peace with honour” and needed the north to accept The as leader in south
what did Nixon try to end the war?
- withdrew 150k troops in 71 but escalated attacks to try and make the surrender
- negotiations with USSR and China (supported the north)
why did peace talks begin in October 1972?
- the US was running out of money
- china and USSR were pressuring the north to end war
what happened when Nixon was reelected in Nov 1972?
- the democratic congress refused to give any more money to the war
- still refused to sign peace treaty that the rejected in October 72 (look foolish)
when was the peace treaty signed and what did it state?
- January 1973
- Thieu in control of south and Minh in control of north
- Nixon secretly promised billions to reconstruction of Hanoi
what happened In 1975?
- fighting carried on after the US left Vietnam
- the communist north took over the south
how much money was spent on the war a year?
30 billion - undermined Johnson and great society
US finances worsened by oil crisis which caused recession and end of ww2 boom
how many US soldiers were killed or injured in the war?
50,000 dead
300,000 wounded
what was the Nixon doctrine after the war?
- said allies should take care of own military defence
- US were more cautious with foreign policy as they didn’t want to enter and lose another war
By 1967, how much of US news was devoted to the war?
90%
how many homes had TV’s by 1966?
93%
50 million viewers
how did the media change US opinion of the war?
- Americans shocked by the Te offensive and My Lai Massacre of 1968 as they were killing innocent Vietnamese people
