Vietnam War Era Flashcards
Where is vietnam?
Southeast Asia
What are the colonial origins of Vietnam?
In the 1800s, France controlled most of Indo-China. France ruled very brutally. But during ww2, France lost ownership of Vietnam. After that, France wanted Vietnam back but Vietnam rebeled against that and wanted independence
Who led the movement to make Vietnam independent?
Ho Chi Minh
Why did the U.S agree to assist France?
So France could stay our ally.
What was the “Domino Theory”
If Vietnam fell to communism, all the countries around it will
What happened during the Vietnam and France complications that led to independence in Vietnam?
France and Vietnam battles, and eventually went to a peace conference and France granted Vietnam independence
How was the US still involved after that in Vietnam?
America financially supported south vietnams anti- communist government
What is SEATO?
A treaty signed by 7 other countries to prevent the spread of communism
What was the gulf of Tonkin and why was it so significant?
A U.S battleship got destroyed by the Vietnamese. This was significant because it basically started the Vietnam war
What was “Operation Rolling Thunder”
The U.S used a lot of bombs and other weapons to attempt to destroy the north.
What was napalm?
A jellied gasoline substance that burns for a long time
What was agent orange
A herbicide that kills vegetation, used to get rid of the Vietnam jungles so they could find soldiers
Why did American soldiers begin to lose morale?
They noticed we weren’t close to winning the war
Why was the U.S limited in there military strategy?
We couldn’t get too close to major north Vietnam capitals because we were scared China would get involved
What was the president saying to the American people during this Time?
He said victory was close, even though it was not
What was the anti war movement ?
People didn’t see close victory, so many college students rebelled against it
What happened at Kent State?
A shooting happened during a protest where 4 people were shot by police
What was the tet offensive and its effect on the war?
The NVA and Vietcong has a massive operation to attack many south Vietnam towns at once. The u.s eventually won the battles but it showed Americans that we were not close to winning the war
What is “peace with honor
We want peace, but we want to win (or we want in our way)
What were the peace talks between Americans and north Vietnam?
We wanted north Vietnam to not be communist, and Vietnam wanted a withdrawl of u.s soldiers. The U.S did not agree to the terms.
What was vietnamization?
Although we refused to agree to the terms, we did pull out SOME soldiers
What was the My Lai Massacre?
400-500 unarmed citizens were killed by U.S soldiers in Vietnam
What were the pentagon papers?
Classified documents revealed U.S leaders knew we wouldn’t win the war
What were the conditions of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords?
Cease fire and a U.S troop withdrawal
What led to the fall of Saigon?
South Vietnam wasn’t strong enough to fight the north without America’s help
What was Khmer Rouge?
Millions were killed in a brutal governing system in Cambodia
What was the counter culture movement?
The hippie movement that was all about peace and love and music and joy
Women’s rights movement
They fought to resist the “housewife” stereotype. NOW was dedicated to getting equality for all women
Latino Rights Movement
They fought discrimination. Cesar Chavez was a big figure in helping with farmers who were discriminated against
Gay rights movement
Gays were seen as mentally ill and weird in the 60’s. They wanted to get rid of ridiculous laws and end discrimination
Native American movement
Natives took over the previous island that Alcatraz prisión was located at. The U.S eventually got them off the island, but it made a big impact on spreading awareness
What events began the environmental rights movement
A smog cloud killed over 12,000 people and a river caught on fire
What real progress did the environmental rights movement accomplish?
Nixon signed many acts , like the clean air, clean water, and endangered Species act
