Unit 16 Chapter 29 – Flashcards
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Ho Chi Minh
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a Vietnamese leader who demanded Vietnam's independence from France. Unable to get support from western nations, he embraced communism and received support from Soviet communists.
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French Indochina
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the French colonies of Cambodia and Laos and Vietnam were formerly organized as French Indochina. The French exploited Indochina's wealth by owning plantations, claiming mineral rights, and imposing high taxes.
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Dien Bien Phu
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a French military base besieged by Vietminh troops until the French surrendered. The Vietminh hammered at French forces and laid siege to the base for 55 days. After suffering more than 15,000 casualties, the French surrendered on May 7, 1954. In the peace accord that followed, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam gained independence from France.
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Domino theory
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Eisenhower- the idea that if a nation fell to communism, its closest neighbors would follow. If communism spread throughout Vietnam and then the region, Eisenhower feared, it could threaten Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.
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SEATO
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defensive alliance aimed at preventing communist aggression in Asia. gave economic and military aid. sent Special Forces soldiers to "advise" South Vietnamese troops
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Vietcong
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South Vietnamese guerrilla fighters supported by communists in North Vietnam
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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
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1964 congressional resolution that authorized President Johnson to commit American troops to South Vietnam and fight a war against North Vietnam.
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USS Maddox
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On August 2, 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the American destroyer USS Maddox as it patrolled the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. The Maddox was not hit, and it returned fire on the North Vietnamese boat.
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Geneva Accords
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a 1954 peace agreement that divided Vietnam into Communist-controlled North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam until unification elections could be held in 1956
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Ngo Dinh Diem
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Unpopular South Vietnamese leader.
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Dean Rusk
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American Secretary of State from 1961-1969. Rusk was very militant, advocating military force in combating communism.
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Robert McNamara
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The US Secretary of Defense during the battles in Vietnam. He was the architech for the Vietnam war and promptly resigned after the US lost badly
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William Westmoreland
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the American commander in Vietnam, supported the increased military presence.
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napalm
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jellied gasoline that was dropped in canisters and exploded on impact, setting fire to large areas
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agent orange
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chemical the U.S. used to destroy plant life in the jungle, but comtaminated drinking water and caused birth defects from those who were contaminated
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hawk
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supporter of Johnson's war policies. They were mostly conservatives who believed the war was crucial to an American Cold War victory.
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Dove
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an opponent of Johnson's war policies. questioned the war. They included liberal politicians and students who saw the conflict as a localized civil war.
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What were the causes and effects of America's growing involvement in the Vietnam War?
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As the Vietnam War escalated, America's leaders and soldiers found themselves in a quagmire with no victory in sight. Eventually the war weakened the American economy, divided the people, and eroded the nation's morale.
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tunnels
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Used by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese to mount surprise attacks.
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draftee
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a young man who was drafted into military service. More than 1.5 million young men were drafted during the Vietnam War. Many argued that the draft unfairly gave deferments to students. Most of the draftees came from a poor or working-class background. In 1969 the draft was reconstructed into a lottery system
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draft dodger
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someone who is drafted and illegally refuses to serve
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SDS
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organization founded to fight racism but which later campaigned against the Vietnam War
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credibility gap
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the American public's growing distrust of statements made by the government during the Vietnam War
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New Left
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new political movement of the late 1960s that called for radical changes to fight poverty and racism
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Tet Offensive
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attacked major cities and bases in South Vietnam, including the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The fighting was fierce, but American and South Vietnamese forces eventually drove back the offensive. After, U.S. military leaders became less certain that the war could end quickly.
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Robert Kennedy
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a Democratic Senator from New York, announced his candidacy for president in 1968 election
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How did the American war effort in Vietnam lead to rising protests and social divisions back home?
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President Johnson sent more troops to Vietnam to win the war. But as casualty lists got longer and victory seemed further away, more people questioned the war. The Vietnam War divided Americans more deeply than any conflict since the Civil War.
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Nixon won the 1968 election.
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He called for peace with honor in Vietnam. He appealed to the "silent majority"—people who were not protesting. He benefited because Democrats were split between Humphrey and George Wallace, a third-party candidate from the South.
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vietnamization
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President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces
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walter Cronkite
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A newscaster who was known for his objectivity and trustworthiness, who said that the war in Vietnam would end in stalemate. Johnson knew that if even Cronkite didn't support him, nobody in Middle America supported him.
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Kent State Massacre
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site of a confrontation between students and National Guardsmen during which four students were killed
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My Lai
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a village in South Vietnam where American soldiers killed unarmed civilians
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Pentagon Papers
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classified government history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, published by The New York Times in 1971
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Paris Peace Accords
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a 1973 agreement between the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong for a cease-fire and American troop withdrawal from South Vietnam The United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong would stop fighting. American troops would withdraw from South Vietnam. North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam. South Vietnam's noncommunist government would remain in power.
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War Powers Act
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passed in 1973, this act restricted the President's war-making powers
