Reasons for US involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, 1954–63 Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What was the domino theory?

The belief that if one country in South-East Asia fell to communism, its neighbours would follow one after another, like falling dominoes.

Give one weakness of Diem's government in South Vietnam.

It was corrupt and unpopular — Diem was a Roman Catholic who persecuted the Buddhist majority.

What was the Strategic Hamlet Program?

A policy from 1962 of moving South Vietnamese peasants into fortified villages, ringed by ditches and mounds, to separate them from the Vietcong.

What happened to President Diem in November 1963?

He was overthrown and murdered in a coup by South Vietnamese generals, which the USA had approved; unstable governments followed.

True or false? Kennedy sent large numbers of US combat troops to fight in Vietnam.

False. Kennedy sent military advisers, Green Beret special forces, equipment and training; combat troops were sent under Johnson from 1965.

Why did the USA and Diem refuse to hold the all-Vietnam elections due in 1956?

They were sure Ho Chi Minh would win and unite Vietnam under communism, so Diem, backed by Eisenhower, blocked the vote in the South.

What was the National Liberation Front (NLF), set up in 1960?

A South Vietnamese movement, backed by Ho Chi Minh, that fought a guerrilla war to remove Diem and bring in land reform. Diem and the USA called its fighters the 'Vietcong'.