Chapter 30 – Vietnam War Study Guide

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
domino theory
answer
the belief that if Vietnam fell to communism, so would the other Southeast Asian nations
question
guerrillas
answer
irregular troops who usually blend into the civilian population and are often difficult for regular armies to fight - they carry out surprise attacks and sabotage rather than open warfare
question
Ho Chi Minh
answer
Vietnamese leader of the nationalist and communist movement - first president of North Vietnam
question
Ngo Dinh Diem
answer
anti-communist leader of the government of South Vietnam - assassinated in 1963
question
Dien Bien Phu
answer
the location of the battle that forced France to withdraw from Indochina
question
Geneva Accords
answer
negotiations that temporarily divided Vietnam into North and South Vietnam in 1954.
question
Vietcong
answer
a new guerrilla army organized by Ho Chi Minh and his followers, also known as the National Liberation Front
question
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
answer
a Congressional resolution that allowed President Johnson to begin escalation of the Vietnam War and use force to defend American troops in Vietnam
question
napalm
answer
a jellied gasoline used for bombs that explodes on contact
question
Agent Orange
answer
a chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs, turning productive land into wasteland
question
Ho Chi Minh trail
answer
a network of paths through the jungle, from North Vietnam to South Vietnam on which North Vietnam sent arms and supplies to support the Vietcong
question
William Westmoreland
answer
American commander in South Vietnam. His highly publicized claims that the U.S. was winning the war were later found to be false.
question
credibility gap
answer
a lack of belief in government reports regarding the Vietnam War
question
teach-in
answer
an informal discussion held between college faculty and students about issues regarding the war and the reasons for opposing it
question
doves
answer
those who wanted the United States to withdraw from the Vietnam War
question
hawks
answer
those who wanted the United States to stay and fight in Vietnam
question
Tet offensive
answer
a surprise attack in January 1968, by the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese of all American airbases in South Vietnam and most of the nation's major cities Americans were shocked at the strength of the Vietcong
question
Henry Kissinger
answer
President Nixon's special assistant for national security affairs; he later became Nixon's National Security advisor
question
linkage
answer
policy of improving relations with the Soviet Union and China to persuade them to reduce their assistance to North Vietnam.
question
Vietnamization
answer
a plan for a gradual withdrawal of American troops and for the South Vietnamese army to take over more of the fighting in Vietnam
question
Pentagon Papers
answer
documents that revealed that various government administrations had deceived Congress and the American people about the situation in Vietnam
question
War Powers Act
answer
a law that required the president to inform Congress of any troop commitment within 48 hours and to withdraw the troops in 60 days unless Congress approved the troop commitment
question
Tonkin Gulf Incident
answer
North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson ordered American aircraft to attack North Vietnamese ships.
question
My Lai Massacre
answer
An American platoon, under the command of Lt. William Calley, massacred more than 200 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children.
question
Kent State University
answer
Site of large anti-war protest. In May 1970, Ohio National Guard soldiers fired on protesters, killing 4 people.
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New