Reactions to & the End of the Vietnam War Flashcards
All 30 cards in this deck
Why did the draft system increase opposition to the Vietnam War?
Minorities and young working-class men were more at risk of being called up to fight, so it was seen as unfair.
How did TV and media coverage increase opposition to the Vietnam War?
The public watched distressing images of the fighting and the media reported the scale of the human loss.
Which decision by Nixon caused dramatic growth of the student protest movement across America?
His decision to expand the war into Cambodia (1970).
What happened at Kent State University in 1970?
National Guardsmen shot dead four students during an anti-war protest; shock at American students being killed increased opposition to the war.
Why did public reaction to the My Lai Massacre (1968) increase opposition to the war?
Americans were shocked by what was happening in their name, and by the subsequent cover-up.
Who was Lt. William Calley?
The US officer tried and convicted for his part in the My Lai Massacre; media coverage of his trial escalated opposition to the war.
True or false? Large-scale anti-war protests in America only began after the Kent State shootings in 1970.
False. Large anti-war protests took place well before 1970, such as the March on the Pentagon (1967), and they grew after the Tet Offensive (1968).
Give one reason some Americans supported the war in Vietnam.
Fear of communism – they believed communism had to be stopped from spreading.
How did Vietcong atrocities, such as at Hue, affect support for the war?
They convinced some people in South Vietnam and America that it was important for US forces to win the war.
Who were the 'hard hats'?
Construction workers who staged pro-war demonstrations, attacking anti-war protesters in New York in 1970.
What did Nixon mean by the 'silent majority'?
The ordinary Americans he claimed supported the war and his policies but did not protest or appear in the media.
True or false? Opposition to the Vietnam War meant almost all Americans wanted an immediate withdrawal.
False. Many Americans – Nixon's 'silent majority' and the 'hard hats' – continued to support the war.
Give one reason the USA entered peace negotiations in 1972–73 linked to Nixon's election.
Nixon had been elected on a programme that included a promise to work towards the end of the war.
Give one reason, linked to international relations, why the USA wanted to withdraw from Vietnam by 1972–73.
Détente with the USSR and rapprochement with China meant the USA wanted to withdraw from the war.
What was agreed in the Paris Peace Agreement (1973)?
A ceasefire, the withdrawal of all US troops and the return of prisoners of war; North Vietnamese troops stayed in the South.
What were the economic costs of Operation Rolling Thunder for the USA?
Over $900 million and the loss of over 900 US aircraft; roughly $10 was spent on bombs for every $1 of damage done.
True or false? The Paris Peace Agreement (1973) ended fighting in Vietnam for good.
False. North Vietnam invaded the South again and Saigon fell in April 1975.
What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail and why was it a strength for North Vietnam?
A supply route through Laos and Cambodia to the South; bombing could not cut it because the trail was repaired or alternative routes found.
How did Russian and Chinese support help North Vietnam resist the USA?
Their supplies limited the effect of US bombing of industrial areas, and the USA could not target that aid in case the war escalated.
Why did Vietcong guerrilla tactics make US failure more likely?
Booby traps, tunnels and ambushes kept combat small-scale, preventing the Americans using their superior technology.
Give one weakness of the US armed forces in Vietnam.
Poor discipline and drug use weakened soldiers' effectiveness; desertions and 'fragging' of officers also occurred.
How did the 12-month 'tour of duty' weaken US forces?
Many soldiers 'counted the days' until they could go home, which weakened their commitment to the fighting.
Why did US tactics such as Agent Orange, Strategic Hamlets and Search and Destroy contribute to failure?
They antagonised the South Vietnamese peasants, so the USA failed to win 'hearts and minds' and people supported the Vietcong.
How did opposition at home affect the US war effort in Vietnam?
It made it difficult for politicians to justify funding the war and pressured Johnson to begin peace negotiations.
What happened at My Lai on 16 March 1968?
US soldiers led by Lt. William Calley killed several hundred unarmed villagers, including women and children. The army hushed it up, and the American public only learned of it in November 1969.
What share of Americans supported the government's policy in Vietnam in 1964?
About 85%.
Which post-1945 events made many Americans fear communism and so back the Vietnam War?
Communist victories such as Mao's in China (1949), the Korean War (1950–53), and the Red Scare stirred up by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
What was the economic cost of the Vietnam War for the USA?
Spending rose from under half a billion dollars in 1964 to about $26 billion a year by 1968. It drove up the budget deficit and inflation, and took money away from Johnson's 'Great Society' reforms.
What was the human cost of the Vietnam War for the USA?
About 58,000 Americans died and around 300,000 were wounded. Many veterans also suffered drug addiction and lasting psychological problems.
Why did the peace deal agreed in October 1972 not end the war at once?
South Vietnam's President Thieu rejected it because North Vietnamese troops could stay in the South. Nixon then ordered heavy bombing of the North, and the final agreement was signed in Paris in January 1973.