Vietnam War Quiz Flashcards
election between kennedy and nixon. First election with a presidential debate that were broadcasted on tv
Election of 1960 and the role of television
Kennedy was young and optimistic. Kennedy declared that “the torch has been passed to a new generation” and he wanted citizens to take a more active role in making the U.S a better place
Major themes of JFK’s inagural address
when the U.S and the Soviets engaged in a race fighting for dominance of the heavens to enhance their competitive positions on Earth
Space Race
When the U.S trained Cuban exiles (La Brigada) to invade cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro. The invasion was a disaster and La Brigada’s ran aground coral reefs, Kennedy cancelled air support to keep U.S involvement a secret. Castro captured La Brigda’s members, and the event made the U.S look weak and unorganized.
Bay of Pigs invasion and the result
when the Soviets put long ranged missiles stationed in Cuba which posed a threat to the U.S. Kennedy ordered a naval blockade in response. Then the U.S and Soviets made a deal that the Soviets would remove the missiles if the U.S promised not to invade Cuba and remove their missiles from Turkey near the Soviet Border.
Cuban Missile Crisis and how it was resolved
A book that moved many people and inspired Johnson to make the elimination of Poverty a major policy goal in the U.S
How the book The Other America inspired President Johnson
Johnson’s vision of a more perfect and equitable society the U.S could and should become. Johnson was inspired by FDR and the New Deal. These programs would provide relief for poor people, help college students get money, help public schools get funding, and create medicare and medicade
The Great Society and the inspiration behind it
- Programs didn’t work as well as people hoped
- Programs grew too quickly and they were unmanageable and difficult to ways to replace non-renewable resources
- people felt it intruded too much into their lives
- not enough funding because a bunch of money was being used for the war in Vietnam
Criticisms of the Great Society
A communist advocate who founded the indochinese communist party, and worked to overthrow french rule. He also organized vietminh which was a national group
Ho Chi Minh
The belief that if Vietnam fell to communism the other nations of southeast Asia would too
Domino Theory
irregular troops who usually blend into the civilian population and are often difficult for regular armies to fight
guerillas
The South Vietnam leader who was anti communist
Ngo Dinh Diem
The northern guerilla army created by Ho Chi Minh. Their goal was to get rid of the South Vietnam government and unify vietnam as a communist country
Vietcong and their goal
Eisenhower increased American aid and sent hundreds of military advisers to train South Vietnam’s army
What Eisenhower did as fighting began between the Vietcong and South Vietnam’s military
Kennedy viewed south vietnam as vitally important in the battle against communism. Kennedy continued the nations policy of support for South Vietnam
How president kennedy viewed south vietnam and how he built on Eisenhower’s policy toward south vietnam
Diem heavily discriminated against buddhist people which was a very popular religion in vietnam
why Ngo Dinh Diem was unpopular with many South Vietnamese people
The battle of AP Bac showed that the U.S struggled to get the South Vietnamese fighters to trust the U.S. The South Vietnamese were also not motivated to fight and didn’t really care. These issues continued to arise as the war went on.
How the Battle of AP Bac represent some of the challenges the U.S would face in the years ahead.
Johnson didn’t want the republicans to blame him for being soft on communism so he had a tough stance and if he lost Vietnam to communism he did not believe he would get reelected
How Politics played a role in President Johnson’s vietnam policy
The resolution authorized the president to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. This affected congress because they had one less power that they were given and the president gained a power
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and how it affected the powers of Congress and the Presidency
a chemical used by the U.S that strips leaves from trees and shrubs turning farmland and forest into wasteland
agent orange
a trail northern vietnam used to send supplies and troops down south. the trail went through cambodia and laos and avoided the border between North and South Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Trail
When americans started doubting the accuracy of government reports from the Johnson administration about the war
credibility gap
- Some saw the conflict as a civil war and the U.S had no business participating
- Some thought it was unjust to defend South Vietnam because it was a corrupt dictatorship
- unfair draft system. There was generally more African Americans listed that white people, because white people who were in college could deffer being listed, and many black people could not afford college so they didn’t have the opportunity to defer.
reasons why people opposed the vietnam war
People who wanted the U.S to get out of the war and stop fighting
Doves
People who wanted the United States to keep fighting in the war
Hawks
