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william parr English 26 cards

Cards in this deck (26)

  1. 1The First Vietnam WarIn the 19th century Vietnam was ruled by the French. During WW2 a communist group called the Viet Minh was formed and they wanted Vietnam to become independent. Between 1946 and 1954 the Viet Minh fought the french for independence. The USA supported the French due to fear that communism could spread - the 'domino theory'. By 1954 many french forces where based in a stronghold at Dien Bien Phu. They hoped to draw the Viet Minh into battle and defeat them. The Viet Minh attacked and the French underestimated their strength and were defeated. They left Vietnam and Vietnam was split into the communist north and pro-western south.
  2. 2Increased US involvementThe US had given military help and advice to the French to help prevent the spread of communism. After the split the US supported the president in the south, Ngo Dinh Diem despite the fact he was very corrupt. The US provided his regime with financial help as well as military and political advice. In 1960 the communist National Liberation front was created in opposition to Ngo Dinh Diem government. The military arm of the NLF was the vietcong. US president Kennedy was determined to stop the spread on communism in Asia. He sent financial aid, military equipment and over 12,000 military advisers into south Vietnam.
  3. 3Increased Number of TroopsKennedy was assassinated in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson became the new president of the USA. In 1964, US ships were attacked by the North Vietnamese this was the Gulf of Tonkin incident. This act led to a full-scale war. By 1965 Johnson increased the number of ground troops to 125,000 men and by 1968 there were over 500,000 US troops in Vietnam.
  4. 4Guerrilla WarfareThe vietcong were experienced guerrilla fighters. They tried to avoid open battle with the USAs large army. They raided and ambushed the US and this made the US troops anxious as they didn't know where they where and when they would strike. The vietcong hoped guerrilla warfare would exhaust and demoralise the US troops, encourage desertion and encourage the South Vietnamese to defect. The Vietcong wanted to make the Americans to leave to they could unify and create a communist country.
  5. 5Guerrilla TacticsThe vietcong worked in small groups and launched surprise attacks on US troops. They knew the land well so could chose when and where to attack. In the jungle they used hidden booby traps to kill or injure US soldiers. They hid in underground tunnels. These tunnel systems were very complex and some even had army barracks and hospitals. They blended in easily with vietnamese villagers. This made it hard for the US to identify there enemies. The Vietcong often returned to areas where the US had driven them out, the US seemed to make little progress.
  6. 6Ho Chi Minh TrailThis trail was a North Vietnamese supply route. It passed through Laos and Cambodia. The trail allowed soldiers, supplies and weapons to be sent form north Vietnam to support the vietcong in the south. The trail was used throughout the war and it allowed the vietcong to keep fighting. The US tried to bomb the trail but never managed to break it. It was difficult to bomb paths in the jungle as new routes could easily be created. There were decoy routes to confuse the Americans.
  7. 7Operation Rolling Thunder (US Tactics)This was a huge bombing campaign against north Vietnam. It ran from March 1965 until 1968. it was meant to destroy North Vietnamese industry and stop supplies arriving from China. The US hoped that if North Vietnam was weakened, it wouldn't be able to supply the Vietcong. The operation wasn't successful. Vietnams economy relied on farming,not factories so it wasn't affected. Supplies from China still arrived.
  8. 8'Search and Destroy' (US Tactics)This was a tactic which focused on killing enemy troops. Instead of securing territory the US focused on hunting down the Vietcong and clear them out of villages. Villages suspect of supporting the vietcong were destroyed. It was difficult to spot vietcong soldiers so innocent people were often killed. This made the US unpopular. US troop often made brutal attacks to get revenge on for their loses. This also mad the US unpopular.
  9. 9Chemical Weapons (US Tactics)Napalm was a burning chemical jelly which struck to people and objects. It was used to destroy hidden targets and burn areas of the jungle. It caused many civilian casualties and was widely criticised.
    Agent Orange was a chemical which destroyed tress and plant life. The US used it to remove parts of the jungle and expose the vietcong. It was used to destroy food supplies. It caused birth defects and cancer.
  10. 10Hearts and Minds (US Tactics)The US wanted to win south vietnamese 'hearts and minds', so they wouldn't help the vietcong. They did this by providing free health care and training programmes for the south vietnamese villagers. It wasn't very successful because south vietnamese had been badly affected by the other US tactics. Then US was also unpopular as it supported the corrupt south vietnamese government.
  11. 11Mai Lai MassacreIn March 1968 'search and destroy' mission in the village of Mai Lai led to the murder of 300 unarmed civilians. Women were raped and children were slaughtered. The vietnam civilians were ordered to be killed by William Calley. They attacked as they had been informed Mai Lai was a vietcong stronghold. The US army at first tried to cover it up saying it was a success for the US with 20 civilians who accidentally had been killed.But the massacre was revealed in autumn 1969 to public outrage and people being horrified.
  12. 12Media CoverageMedia coverage led to many people opposing the war. The presence of journalists and media in Vietnam meant the US public could really see what the war was like. A lot of Americans owned televisions, so they could keep up to date with the war and could see the death count. Walter Cronkite was a respected and well known news reporter and referred to the Vietnam war as being at a stalemate and that the troops where 'mired' meaning they were bog downed. People followed his opinion.
  13. 13Gulf of Tonkin ExaggerationOn the 2nd of August 1964, a US ship, the USS Maddox was attacked in the gulf of Tonkin by North Vietnam. Two days later, more attacks on the USS Maddox and the USS Turner joy were reported. However, there was no proof that these attacks took place. President Johnson announced these suspect attacks and made them seem very serious. He wanted to take action to seem tough. The attacks gave him support for taking further action. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which gave Johnson permission to use all the necessary steps to prevent further aggression.
  14. 14Chicago Anti-War Protests (Protest Movements)In 1968 the Democratic party held its convention in Chicago. The democrats chose Hubert Humphrey (Johnsons vice president) as their presidential candidate. Many believed Humphrey would continue Johnsons vietnams policies. Violent demonstrations took place and were broadcasted live on TV. 12,000 police and over 5000 national guardsmen dealt with the protests - over 500 arrests were made. The republican candidate Richard Nixon promised secure 'peace with honour' in Vietnam and put an end to the violent protests. Nixon won the 1968 election.
  15. 15Vietnam Veterans' against War Protest VVAW (Protest Movements)The VVAW was an organisation of soldiers who fought in Vietnam and wanted the war end. In April 1971, the VVAW held a week of protests in Washington DC. Over 1000 veterans threw their medals onto the steps of the capitol - US congress building. The VVAW protests divided public opinion. Some felt Vietnam veterans were worth listening to but other thought they were just unpatriotic.
  16. 16Kent State University Protest (Protest Movements)Nixons decision to invade Cambodia sparked off several student protest, including one at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970. The governor of Ohio used the national guard to deal with the protestors. The students were angry that soldiers had been used and violence broke out. The national guard used tear gas and when this didn't sisters the students, they opened fire. Four students were killed. The incident outraged many people and caused riots at further universities across America. Some believed that the protesters were to blame but some believed they had a right to protest.
  17. 17Fulbright Hearings (Protest Movements)Senator Fulbright was chairman of the senate Foreign relations committee. The committee discussed ways of ending the Vietnam war. In 1971 Fulbright organised a number of hearings from people who both supported and opposed the war. One of the most important testimonies was John Kerry a member of the VVAW. In his testimony he spoke about the winter solider investigation. In this several veterans had admitted committing things like rape,torture and destruction of entire villages. The hearings were widely covered in the news. Kerry became a media sensation as he was the first veteran to speak about his experiences. Many saw him as a hero whilst some saw him as an army betrayer.
  18. 18Tet offensiveIn January 1968, the NVA launched the Tet Offensive, capturing a number of towns in South Vietnam and also Saigon, using 80,000 vietcong troops. The North Vietnamese lost 45,000 men, including many officers. Their morale was damaged - the offensive proved that they could not defeat the Americans by direct attack. It took the Americans a month to recover the towns. Their confidence was badly shaken. They won the Tet Offensive, but realised that they would never defeat the Vietcong.
  19. 19VietnamizationNixon had promised to withdraw US troops from Vietnam. This meant that the South Vietnamese army would have to fight the north vietnamese alone. The US invested money in the ARVN to recruit more troops and provide training and weapons. This was called Vietnamization. It was largely unsuccessful because the ARVN troops lacked discipline. The remaining US troops were also demoralised as they didn't feel the US were committed to winning the war.
  20. 20Pressure on North Vietnam (Laos Campaign)In 1971 the south vietnamese army attacked the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. Us troops couldn't enter Laos, but they provided air support. Although many communist supplies were destroyed the south vietnamese army was quickly driven out of Laos.
  21. 21Pressure on North Vietnam (Cambodian Campaign)In 1969 Nixon began bombing in Cambodia to try to destroy the Ho Chi Minh trail and pressure the North vietnamese to make peace. He also sent 30,000 US ground troops to destroy bases and supplies.However crossing into Cambodia led to more anti-war demonstrations. Anti-war feeling led congress to cut military spending and cancel the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. This made it hard for Nixon to carry on the war.
  22. 22Paris Peace Talks, 1968-69Peace talks were held with the North Vietnamese, under president Johnson. In 1969 Nixon also held secret talks but these were both unsuccessful. North Vietnam where in no hurry to make peace, and it refused to withdraw its troops from south Vietnam.
  23. 23Paris Peace Conference 27th Jan 1973Peace was agreed here as both sides signed the Parsi peace accords. They agreed that General Thieu the leader of south Vietnam could stay in power. They agreed that the NVA could stay in areas of south Vietnam that they already controlled. They agreed all US prisoners of war would be released and they agreed all US troops would leave Vietnam within two months.
  24. 24Why they Wanted Peace (USA)- War was becoming increasingly unpopular in the US.
    - It was difficult to finance the war after congress cut military spending.
    - It seemed the war would drag on for a long time.
  25. 25Why they Wanted Peace (North Vietnam)- The US had improved relations with China and the USSR. These were both allied to North Vietnam and encouraged peace.
    - In december 1972, the US launched its Christmas bombings of North Vietnam. The renewed bombing made North Vietnam eager for the US to leave.
    - The north vietnamese wanted to rebuild and recover and mount a final assault on south vietnam.
  26. 26The Fall Of SaigonUS troops were gradually being withdrawn form 1969 but once the peace treaty was signed all remaining troops left Vietnam. By 1974 the US had withdrawn all its troops and congress had stopped all financial backing. South Vietnam was left to defend itself. North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in late 1974. They advanced rapidly against the weak and disorganised south Vietnamese forces. In April 1975, they took control of the South Vietnamese capital Saigon. Helicopters landed on the US embassy to pick up the last few Americans.

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Flashcards on Untitled, created by william parr on 13/06/2016.
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william parr
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