Mind map
History - Vietnam
Mind map: History - Vietnam War
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History - Vietnam
1960 - Viet Cong established - SV opponts of gov combined with NV forces to undermine Diems Gov - peasants forced to support VC
- Ho Chi Minh trail - allowed NV to send forces & supplies to fighters in SV & attack gov installation & US bases
- started a Guerilla war against SV gov
- Ho Chi Minh trail - allowed NV to send forces & supplies to fighters in SV & attack gov installation & US bases
After WW2 Ho Chi Minh established a Chinese-backed comm regime in N Vietnam
- 1945-54 - US-backed French attempt to topple Ho Chi Minh failed
- country divided into N & S Vietnam until election decided future
- USA prevented elections taking place bc fear of comm winning
- !955 - US-backed Ngo Dinh Diem's S Vietnam regime established - corrupt, anti-budd, but continued to receive massive US aid $1.6 bill
- 1963 - Diem toppled&assinated, new gov no better but still US support
- !955 - US-backed Ngo Dinh Diem's S Vietnam regime established - corrupt, anti-budd, but continued to receive massive US aid $1.6 bill
- USA prevented elections taking place bc fear of comm winning
- country divided into N & S Vietnam until election decided future
- 1945-54 - US-backed French attempt to topple Ho Chi Minh failed
1962-JFK sends military 'advisers' to assist SV (Strategi Hamlet Programme) The US paid for villagers to be moved out of VC areas & helped w/ supplies & equip tp build new villages in gov controlled areas. Backfired (Corruption&intimidation) created more VC supporters
1964- Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: Johnson gives all power to do whatever he felt was 'nessessary' to solve problem
- meant full scale war.
Before WW2 ruled by French
- During war conquered by Japanese - ruled brutally, people treated badly
- anti-japanese movement emerged under comm Ho Chi Minh who inspired ppl to fight for independance
- During war conquered by Japanese - ruled brutally, people treated badly
1963-JFK snds more troops in V as tension escalates but would not 'blunder into war, unclear aims..'
1963 nov - JFK assinated. Lyndon B Johnson takes over and sends more troops as keen on containment comm idea
Background
1964 aug - N vietamese patrol boats opened fire on us ships in gulf of tonkin
1965 8 march - 3500 US combat troops arrived at Da Nang - at war
Origins of War
us involvement, why?
- containment
- stopping spread of comm
- Lyndon B Johnson US pres v keen on idea did not want to see S E Asia go same way as china
- supported french in vietnam to hold back spread of comm in eu and vietanm allies w/ comm china
- china comm 1949, us fought in korea in 1950-3 to contain spread of comm
- stopping spread of comm
- Domino Theory
- us believed that if S V fell, Laos, Cambodia, Thailanda then Burma and India would follow - like domios pushing each other over
- vietnam first in row - would be catalyst
- usa obsessed with containmenr
- us believed that if S V fell, Laos, Cambodia, Thailanda then Burma and India would follow - like domios pushing each other over
- weakness of S V army
- sv couldnt resist comm infiltration by VC without help
- 1963 us commander reported S V army were ill equipped locals
- us advisers believd that good gov & an efficient large war would defeat V C
- US was attacked
- N V attacked US Maddox Aug 1964, killed US soldiers Feb 1965
- US Military Complex
- US military & manufacturing corporations profited from war
- possible that pressure from these groups contributed to more US involvement
- US politics
- anticomm very pop for american presidents to campaign on
- 1964 Johnson took military action& congress passed Tonkin Gulf resoltn
- us involvement and casualties mounted, support for pres dropped rapidly after 1965
- containment
Troops, Tactics, Technology
- Viet Cong Tactics
- early 1965 VC & NV army 170,000 soldiers. Supplied with weapons and eqip from China & USSR but heavily outnumbered & outgunned by S V forces and US allies.
- La Dreng Valley, US killed 2000 VC for loss of 300 troops
- used Guerilla welfare
- principles: retreat when the enemy attacks, raid when the enemy camps, attack when the enemy tires, pursue when the enemy retreats
- attacked and disappered in jungles, villages or tunnels
- did not wear uniform
- hard to tell apart from peasants
- no known base/HQ
- small groups limited weapons
- aim to wear down enemy soldiers and morale
- effective - constant fear of ambushes or booby traps
- trip wires, pits filled with sharpened bamboo spikes - easy to make and effective in distruption of us patrols
- bouncing betty mine - thrown in air, explode, terrible injuries
- trip wires, pits filled with sharpened bamboo spikes - easy to make and effective in distruption of us patrols
- effective - constant fear of ambushes or booby traps
- used upclose fighting as feared us air attacks which could not be used bc of hitting own troops
- were not trained
- principles: retreat when the enemy attacks, raid when the enemy camps, attack when the enemy tires, pursue when the enemy retreats
- important to keep pop on side - so respectful to peasants and helped them in fields
- but were ruthless and prepared to kill them who opposed or cooporated with enemy
- refused to give in
- early 1965 VC & NV army 170,000 soldiers. Supplied with weapons and eqip from China & USSR but heavily outnumbered & outgunned by S V forces and US allies.
- US tactics
- Us thought it would be easy - us technology and firepower superior
- bombing - air raids
- first on military and industrial targets then towns and cities in N & S V, as well as sites on Ho Chi Minh trail
- damaged N V war effort and supplies routes
- enabled them to strike at comm forces even with reduction of ground forces after 1969
- 1970-2 intense bombing campaigns which forced N V to negotiate
- only slowed comms down
- expensive
- by the end morale and commitance of troops was low - wasnt worth it - constantly defeated
- chemical weapons
- agent orange - destroyed jungle where VC hid
- napalm - also destryed jungle and burned through skin to bone - many civls and solds killed
- search and destroy
- soldiers inexperienced - walked into traps - not well trained for jungle war but industrial/military/techno weapons
- helicoptors -desend on village - destroy any V C
- based on inadequate info
- innocent ppl killed in mistake for VC
- civv cas ver high
- unpopular amongst V ppl as they killed them and jungles
- pushed them into supporting VC
- unpopular amongst V ppl as they killed them and jungles
- civv cas ver high
- Viet Cong Tactics
Media & Protest Movements
- Media: early stages of war
- journalists followed official line and expected to support us policy and actions
- US Army's military assistance command, Vietnam (MACV) helped journalists with access to war zones, commanders and info
- media outlets feared that if they undermined war they would be criicized
- Media:Later stages of war
- television publicised destruction of vietnamese villages, executions, deaths, injuries of us soldiers - shocked us public
- influencial journalists (Walter Cronkite) began to openly criticise war as unwinnable
- improving technology meant light weight cameras could be used to take up close
- effect of media coverage
- military commanders believed the media undermined the war effort
- images led to revulsion and exhuastion
- media only reflected an existing decline of support
- A minority (25%) reports only showed serious violence
- Casualties were the real reason for drop in support
- civil rights
- african-americans disproportionally drafted and disproportionally killed/injured bc fewer went to collage & couldnt avoid or delay graft
- Black civil rights movement campaigned against war
- Johnson's 'Great Society' plans damaged
- students
- War as symbol as failure, defeat, confusion, moral corruption (killing civils - agent orange/napalm)
- dodged draft
- demonstrations climaxed 1968-70 with 700,000 demonstrating in Washington in Nov 1969 - largest ever demostration
- defaced us flags - criminal offense
- violent offical response to some protests led to deaths of students (Kent State Uni, Ohio 19690 - press public horrified. led to 2 mil students strike
- Media: early stages of war
Low morale & experience
- young, never been in military
- 60% killed 17-21
- knew little about vietnam or why they were fighting
- cared little about decomcracy or comm - contrast to Vietnam fighting for own country and a cause of belief
- poor immigrant backgrounds could not afford education, could not avoid draft
- tension between officers and troop
- officers proffesh - gain promot - meant killing as many as pos. Soldiers just wanted to stay alive
- 'fragging' - killing own officers
- officers proffesh - gain promot - meant killing as many as pos. Soldiers just wanted to stay alive
- turned to drugs
- over 500,000 desertions
- General Westmoreland policy - troops 1 year term of service to help morale but by the time experienced sent home
Neighbouring countires sympathetic to VC
- usa could not send forces into NV or Cambodia or laos - VC advantage
- could retreat, reinforce, new equp, ammo etc and supply forces through ho chi minh trail
- US did try to bomb but not offic allowed to enter with full force
- could retreat, reinforce, new equp, ammo etc and supply forces through ho chi minh trail
- usa could not send forces into NV or Cambodia or laos - VC advantage
My Lai Massacre
- march 1968
- charlie company - unit of us soldiers - started search and destroy in Quang Ngai in SV
- told in my lai village VC HQ w/ 200 VC guerillas
- told to destroy all houses, dwelling, livestock and all villagers were out at market but under impression that if they were there kill them all
- were not at market -300-400 civils killed - women children old men, working in fileds etc
- no VC found
- were not at market -300-400 civils killed - women children old men, working in fileds etc
- At the time army treated it as success - reports said 20 non combatants killed, rest were VC
- all soldiers knew what had happend but just went with it thinking it was apart of war
- 12 months later letter from Ronald Ridenhour, american soldier vietnam who knew soldiers personally who took part in my lai - 'something dark and bloody' and reconted in deatil stories and asked congress to investigate
- investigation for mass murder of lieutenant William Calley - officer in charlie company
- sept 1969 - charged with murdering 109 ppl. 10 other members were also charged
- charges too much for army - denied calley acting under orders - army did not want to be seen responisible
- shocked us public. first realisation of war gone wrong with clear evidence
- charges too much for army - denied calley acting under orders - army did not want to be seen responisible
- sept 1969 - charged with murdering 109 ppl. 10 other members were also charged
- investigation for mass murder of lieutenant William Calley - officer in charlie company
- 12 months later letter from Ronald Ridenhour, american soldier vietnam who knew soldiers personally who took part in my lai - 'something dark and bloody' and reconted in deatil stories and asked congress to investigate
- all soldiers knew what had happend but just went with it thinking it was apart of war
Tet Offensive
- 1968
- looking for a way out
- failed but involved heavy losses on both sides
- showed us that the wwar effort had not stopped the comm mounting a major attck
- defeating the tet offensive was extremely hard expensive & many civls killed
- showed us journalists official line not reliable asking difficult qs
- Pres Johnson started peace talks in paris
- pres election saw both parties promising to end war
- nov - election of pres - Richard Nixon - increased bombing to show US not weak but continued negotations
- 1972 N V offensive failed
- Jan 1973 - peace signed
- March 1973 - US forces left Vietnam
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- Mind Map on History - Vietnam, created by Olivia Warren on 05/04/2016.
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- Olivia Warren
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