Weaknesses Of USA Flashcards
Who were the USA geographically and culturally disadvantaged?
Distant from Vietnam and struggled to understand the country and its people
How were Americans viewed by Vietnamese?
Foreigners, and many had racist attitudes towards the Vietnamese as opponents of the civil rights campaigns in the USA had towards black Americans
How did most Americans in Vietnam have limited understanding of the country and why was this a problem?
Didn’t know the language, culture, made it difficult for them to gain the trust and suport of the South Vietnamese people
How didn’t the Americans understand the importance of land and ancenstral connections of villagers?
As their tactics such as interpreters and dropping leaflets didn’t gain support
What two areas of weakness did USA face in Vietnam war?
Political and economic weakness
How was the US-backed Vietnamese government viewed?
As foreign occupiers and an unpopular and corrupt government
Why was the South Vietnamese government unpopular with local people?
At the start of the war, many members of the government , and officials in the cities and villages, had worked for the French
What opposition grew in USA?
opposition to the cost of war. Congress supplied the funding that the White House administrations needed to run the country
What was Congress doing by 1971?
Setting limits on war spending
What were US militaries convinced was needed in the war?
Bombing instead of limited war
What were the military’s assumptions and mistakes that led to failure in Vietnam?
. Focused on winning war by increasing troops and bombing
. Ignoring counter-insurgency efforts
How did the US measure success in the war in a way that made them seem more successful than they were?
They measured the number of VC killed in an operation, or the number of VC bases destroyed or cleared. They ignored the fact that the ARVN still didn’t control large areas of the South, destroyed bases were being rebuilt and burning villages caused resentment
How did Kennedy change tactics in Vietnam but what was the problem with it?
Concentrated on counter-insurgency and winning the support of the south Vietnamese people. However, working with villagers was never done consistently enough to be effective
How did the US end up with low morale and drug abuse? (Mainly LSD and ‘fragging’)
Draft of young and experienced soldiers and lack of training in guerilla warfare
Who did different people in US blame for losing the war?
Nixon blamed Congress
Military blamed white house
