War In Vietnam 1954-1975 Flashcards
When was the treaty of Geneva created?
1954
When was Vietnam declared an independent republic?
2 September 1945
Who were the Vietminh?
Vietnamese freedom fighters
What were the consequences of the Geneva conference?
- Indochina was divided into Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam and South Vietnam
- Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel
When was the battle of Dien Bien Phu?
May 1954
What was the consequence of Dien Bien Phu?
The French were defeated and Vietnam was no longer under its control
Who were the ARVN?
South Vietnamese army
Who ruled North Vietnam?
Ho Chi Minh
Who ruled South Vietnam?
Ngo Dinh Diem
Why did the USA want to get involved in the Vietnam war?
Containment and Domino Theory
When was the Gulf of Tonkin resolution created?
August 1964
Why was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution created?
The US Maddox was shot by the North Vietnamese so Lyndon B. Johnson used that as an excuse to enter the war
Why was Ngo Din Diem unpopular?
- He was Christian and didn’t allow the celebration of Buddha’s birthday in a mostly Buddhist country
- He was corrupt
- He gave important government positions to family
What happened to a Ngo Din Diem as a result of being unpopular?
He was overthrown by Viet Cong troops in 1963, secretly supported by the USA
When was the Tet Offensive launched?
31st January, 1968
What happened during the Mai Lai massacre?
The four hamlets of the village of Son My were massacred in a search and destroy mission led by General Calley
When did the Mai Lai massacre happen?
March 1968
What were some of the USA’s tactics?
- Zippo Raids
- Search and Destroy
- Rolling Thunder
- Hearts and Minds
- Napalm and Agent Orange
What was the NLF and what was its purpose?
The NLF was the National Liberation Front who’s purpose was the reunification of Vietnam
When were the Viet Cong and Ho Chi Minh trail created?
1957
When did the Paris peace talks begin?
May 1968
When did the USA launch operation Linebacker?
May 1972
When was the Socialist Republic of Vietnam created?
1976
When was a ceasefire signed?
January 1973
When did the Kent state university protests happen?
May 1970
What happened during the Kent State university protest?
National guards opened fire and killed four people
What was operation rolling thunder and when did it happen?
It was a massive bombing campaign against Vietnam beginning on the 13th February 1965
What happened as a result of operation rolling thunder?
- Dropping 864 000 tonnes of bombs
- 370 billion dollars worth of damage
- 90 000 casualties
- 922 planes lost
When was operation rolling thunder called of by Johnson?
November 1968
Why was search and destroy used?
Because success was measured in body count and the USA were trying to get rid of Viet Cong
What were the Fullbright hearings of 1971?
Hearing about the Mai Lai Massacre. William Calley was convicted
What was the death toll by the end of the war?
An estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians, 1.1 million North Vietnamese soldiers, 200,000 South Vietnamese soldiers, and 58,000 U.S. soldiers were killed.
How many bombs were dropped on Vietnam by the end of the war?
7 million tonnes
What happened as a result of a Ngo Dinh Diem coming into power in 1955?
He cancelled the elections for the general rulership of Vietnam and renamed South Vietnam the Republic of Vietnam
What were the NLF also called?
The Viet Cong
What was the Tet Offensive?
An organised attack on nearly 30 major US targets and dozens of other cities in Saigon all at once
What happened to the American public’s opinion as a result of the Tet Offensive?
Support for the war in Vietnam plummeted because they were told they were winning the war but the Tet Offensive showed that the enemy was still powerful enough to attack
What was vietnamisation?
The process of gradually withdrawing US troops and handing control over to the Vietnamese
When did Saigon fall to the north Vietnamese?
April 30th, 1975
What was containment?
The theory that the US could stop the spread of communism by deterring Soviet expansion at critical points
Who led the Vietminh?
Ho Chi Minh
