U.S. History Chapter 24 Test: Vietnam War – Flashcards
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IN 1946, Who did President Truman believe he should help fight in Vietnam as he considered them an ally against the spread of communism?
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France
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What was the Domino Theory?
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United States belief that if Vietnam fell to communism, the rest of Southeast Asia would soon follow.
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How did we assist France in 1954 against Vietnam?
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United States was paying much of the cost of France's war effort
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Why was France unsuccessful militarily in Vietnam even though the United States was funding their war effort?
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Money and military equipment were of limited use against guerrilla warfare tactics.
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Why was President Eisenhower not willing to fight in Vietnam?
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United States just ended their fighting in the Korean War.
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What happened at the Geneva Conference?
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Cease fire was agreed upon in Vietnam after France surrendered.
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Why was Vietnam divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam?
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1. China wanted to avoid a unified Vietnam 2. United States did not want Vietnam handed over to communism.
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Why was President Kennedy eager to join the fight in Vietnam?
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He wanted to improve his image as a leader after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.
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What was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution of 1963?
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gave President Johnson the authority to take all the necessary measures to stop any attack against forces of the United States.
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What did President Johnson order in 1965?
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Selective service to carry out the military draft notifying 13,700 draftees to join the combat.
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What citizens were excused from the draft?
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1. citizens with health conditions 2. students enrolled in colleges 3. young men from higher income families
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Which citizens served in the most dangerous ground units?
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African Americans and Hispanic Americans
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What was Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965?
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bombing campaign against northern military targets.
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What was the key target the United States wanted to bomb?
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Ho Chi Minh Trail (it was used by North Vietnam to bring weapons and supplies in South Vietnam)
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What did President Johnson do in 1967?
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broadened the air bombing to include strikes against Laos and much of South Vietnam.
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How did the United States air bombing of 1967 affect South Vietnam?
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Led many South Vietnamese troops to join the Vietcong causing the North Vietnamese to have more soldiers.
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What did President Johnson counter North Vietnam with in 1967?
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began a ground war in Vietnam increasing the number of troops from 185,000 to 486,000.
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Why did increasing the number of soldiers not improve the results in battle?
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Numbers can't defeat an enemy that attacks from everywhere (Ex peasants that appear peaceful)
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What was the military strategy of the Vietcong?
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1. peaceful peasants attack by day 2. Vietcong attack at night
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What were search and destroy missions?
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ground patrols would drive the Vietcong from their hideouts Air support would kill them with snipers
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What caused a decline in morale for the United States soldiers?
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1. U.S. troops believed the Vietcong would be defeated quickly 2. Fighting an invisible foe with the will to continue fighting caused many casualities
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How did television and the media affect the U.S. citizens' view of Vietnam?
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television footage and reports of the war into people's homes seemed to contradict the government's reports.
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What caused Americans to begin to doubt the war's progress?
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reporters accused the government of inflating enemy body counts.
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Who were hawks?
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criticized the war was being fought
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Who were doves?
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against the war effort altogother
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Who organized the first national antiwar demonstration on April 17, 1965?
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Students for a Democratic Society
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Why did Martin Luther King Jr. complain about the United States involvement in Vietnam?
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he believed it was stealing resources from poverty programs.
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How did President Johnson address antiwar protesters?
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Johnson insisted that the United States was helping defend an ally against communist aggression.
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What happened in 1968?
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Tet Offensive
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What was the Tet Offensive?
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Vietcong guerrillas executed a carefully planned strike in Saigon and Da Nang while the South Vietnamese and U.S. allies slept.
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Why were the South Vietnamese and United States forces asleep before the Tet Offensive?
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It was agreed that there would be a ceasefire during the Vietnamese New Year. Vietcong violated the agreement.
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How did the American public respond to the defeat at the Tet Offensive?
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Citizens believed no part of South Vietnam was secure causing the public to call for the war to end.
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How did the American public's criticism of the war effort affect President Johnson?
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Johnson denied General Westmoreland's request for 206,000 more troops.
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How did the Tet Offensive affect President Johnson's approval rating?
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75% of Americans disapproved of Johnson's handling of the war.
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How did Johnson's approval rating affect the 1968 presidential election?
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Johnson declared that he would not seek reelection.
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Who emerged as the frontrunner of the democratic party after Johnson decided not to seek reelection?
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Robert Kennedy
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What happened in California in 1968 that affected the presidential election?
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Robert Kennedy was shot.
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Why was Richard Nixon able to win the 1968 election?
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He told the voters he had a secret plan to end the Vietnam War.
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What was Nixon's plan to end the war called?
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Vietnamization
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What did Vietnamization involve?
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turning over the fighting to the South Vietnamese while gradually pulling out the U.S. troops.
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What did North Vietnam expect Nixon to do for peace negotiations to occur?
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Nixon must set a date for troop removal
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When did troop removal begin?
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1969
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What did President Nixon do secretly in Vietnam?
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expanded the Vietnam war by bombing Cambodia to cut off North Vietnamese supply lines.
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How did the American public respond to the bombing of Cambodia?
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students were outraged causing them to set fire to ROTC buildings on college campuses.
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What did Congress do after they learned of the bombing of Cambodia?
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cut off funds once U.S. troops withdrew
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What were the Pentagon Papers of 1971?
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leaked information that the government had misled the American people about the course of the war and identified that few South Vietnamese supported their government.
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What did President Nixon do secretly after bombing Cambodia?
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renewed the bombing of North Vietnam.
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What did President Nixon do in 1972?
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staged a major invasion of South Vietnam and ordered heavy bombing in North Vietnam.
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Did Nixon's bombing efforts bring victory to the United States and South Vietnam?
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No
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What was the 26th amendment of 1971?
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Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
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Why was President Nixon reelected in 1972?
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Nixon assured voters that the war would soon be over and Kissinger announced a breakthrough in the war effort.
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What did North Vietnam offer to the United States in 1972?
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peace agreement
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What was involved in North Vietnam's peace agreement?
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1. foreign troops would pull out of Vietnam 2. U.S. would end military aid 3. South Vietnam would receive a new government
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Why did this peace agreement never happen?
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North Vietnamese president was not at the negotiations and rejected the agreement.
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How did Nixon respond to North Vietnam rejecting the peace agreement?
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Nixon ordered round the clock bombing
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When peace talks resumed in 1973, what were the conditions of the peace agreement?
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1. U.S. forces withdraw from South Vietnam 2. U.S. help rebuild Vietnam 3. prisoner-exchange agreement
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What happened 2 years after the peace agreement in Vietnam?
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South Vietnam's government collapsed
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What did North Vietnam do in 1975?
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North Vietnam overran South Vietnam forcing South Vietnam to surrender.
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Did the domino theory (predicted collapse of Southeast Asia) ever happen?
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No
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How were Vietnam veterans treated when they returned home?
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veterans became targets of anger by citizens frustrated by the war.
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How did the treatment of veterans affect them?
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many veterans were unemployed or turned to drugs.
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What happened to surviving soldiers sprayed by Agent Orange?
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many soldiers developed cancer and their children had birth defects
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What was the War Powers Act of 1973?
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Affirmed Congress's constitutional right to declare war by setting a 60 day limit on the president's authority to send U.S. troops into foreign conflict.
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How did the financial debt caused by the Vietnam War affect the economy?
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increased inflation spending on domestic programs was cut
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What was repealed at the end of the Vietnam War?
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Draft Lottery
