Vietnam

Vietnam

1. North Vietnam

   • Communists
   • North Vietnamese army
   • Leader was Ho Chi Minh
     • Wanted power and control of all Vietnam

2. South Vietnam

   • Not communists
     • Americans worried about domino effect
       • USA didn't want to lose power over other countries
         • Would affect big businessess
   • Guerrilla warfare
     • Ambushes, raids and booby traps
     • Vietcong
       • This meant there was little trust between Vietnamese as any person could be an enemy and part of the Vietcong. People were worried about the people around them
         • The USA was unable to deal with Vietcong tactics because the Vietcong were nearly impossible to identify and soldiers were in constant fear of booby traps
       • Strengths
         • They knew the Terrain and where the booby traps were placed
         • Knew the jungle
           • Could hide from US soldiers
       • Weaknesess
         • Not everyone in North Vietnam was enthusiastic about the war
         • Lacked air power and military resources
   • Leader was Diem
     • Popular with US (not communist)
     • Unpopular
       • He was Catholic (not Buddhist like most Vietnamese)
         • He persecuted Buddhists
       • Dictator

3. USA methods

   • Air power
     • 'operation rolling thunder'
       • Bombing north Vietnam
       • lasted 3 years
         • Started in North and then moved to the south
     • Chemical warfare
       • Napalm
         • petroleum used to set fire to forests
           • Destroy Vietcong cover
       • Agent orange
         • Destroyed crops
   • Ground Tactics
     • Troops patrolled area
       • Hoped it would cause less casualties
         • Did not work
   • Search and destroy
     • Descend on village suspected on assisting Vietcong and destroyed them
       • My Lai Massacre
         • Village full of innocent people which had about 700 inhabitants
           • located south east of the US base
         • March 16th 1968
         • Lieutenant William Calley ordered a platoon to My Lai
           • had a code name for search and destroy mission
             • Prepared
           • US troops were there because they were told to expect to find members of the Vietcong
             • The village was in an area where the Vietcong had been very active
         • Why it was important
           • American public knew about it
           • Media showed the horrors to the public and made them go anti-war
           • Made people shocked
             • Didn't accept it
     • Inexperienced troops walked into traps
     • Innocent villages were destroyed
     • USA very unpopular
     • High innocent casualties
   • Advantages
     • Deaths of some of the Vietcong
     • Gave USA a sense of power
     • Disadvantages
       • USA unpopular
       • Deaths of innocent people
       • Destroyed large areas
   • Weaknesess
     • The US army was very inexperienced with war
       • Soldiers were young
       • US army was desperate to recrute members
       • Unable to fight against trained members of the Vietcong
   • Strenghts
     • Almost unlimited economic resources
     • More control of the air
   • Effects
     • damaged NV war effort and supply routes
     • Damaged cities and towns
     • Made NV want to fight back more
     • Expensive

4. Success for south

   • The Vietcong lost most of its fighters and independence
     • Now more closely controlled by Hanoi
       • 4500 fighters killed
         • Very few people in the South joined the Vietcong offensive
           • The offensive destroyed many of the finest Vietcong fighters.
             • (US casualties only came to 1500)

5. Success for North

   • Ancient city of Hue was destroyed
     • AVRN (army in the south) casualties was 3000
       • many of the USA public, having seen the Vietcong reach the US embassy, were now convinced that the war could not be won
         • The US public were shocked by the attack on the embassy
           • The USA and AVRN had to use a lot of artillery and air power to defeat the Vietcong

6. The TET offensive

   • The tet offensive was an attack launched by the Vietcong
     • It was important because:
       • The AVRN were on leave because it was a holiday
       • may inspire mass support from the South of Vietnam
     • Direct attack on a stronger enemy
       • Over 100 places were were attacked
       • The AVRN and US were surprised but ended the offensive within 48 hours
         • However, the offensive caused more people to become anti-war
           • Fighting a war that couldn't be won
   • Quite successful
   • 31st Jan 1968

7. Opposition

   • Political
     • Some people questioned the reasoning behind US involvement in Vietnam
     • The Pentagon Papers increased opposition
       • they were leaked into the media and showed how confused the government was about the war and how they had deliberately lied to the public
   • Media
     • The first war that was televised
     • Colour was more advanced- worsened the bloody nature
     • Wasn't censored and portrayed that the US had little hope of winning
   • US casualties
     • opposition grew with increasing number of casualties
     • Increased from 2000 in 1965 to 14000 by 1968
     • Vietnam veterans were against the war
   • The TET offensive
     • Indicated war was not going to be won
     • Would never win a guerrilla war against enemy with just military methods alone
   • US methods of warfare
     • Chemical warfare angered environmentalists
     • Bombing was brutal and unnecessary
       • Appalled by suffering
         • My Lai massacre caused public outrage
         • Groups who opposed
           • Students
             • Would be the age to fight in the war
             • How they protested
               • sit-ins
               • Marches
               • burned draft cards
               • burning of buildings
             • Kent State University
               • Kent state shootings
                 • Students from university protesting againt the war and 4 shot dead by national guardsmen
                 • Shocked the USA
                   • against the right to protest
                 • Led to more protests and made Nixon realise victory in Vietnam could never exist
                 • 1970
           • Civil rights movement. -Movement for black equal rights. -anti-war. -support by young black and white students. -used marches and sit ins.
             • more black Americans were being targeted to go to war
           • The 'Great Society' -War conflicted with Johnson's attempts to improve the country he called the 'great society'. -Great society was a series of reforms to reduce unemployment and improve medical services and education. -These resources were diverted to the Vietnam war. -The was was costing $20 billion a year
           • The student movement - unhappy with the older generation. -Felt the Vietnam war was just abuse of power. -Wanted to make a stand against the conflict
             • The SDS

8. Madman theory

   • Nixon
   • Nixon could not just withdraw from war
     • Had to say the president was crazy
   • America have nuclear weapons
     • Vietnam is scared USA will use it against them because Nixon will do anything to win the war