Unit 14 vietnam

U.S. aid after WWII

Supported France (later South Vietnam) to contain communism.

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam; fought for independence.

Vietminh

Communist-led group fighting French colonial rule.

Domino Theory

Fear that if Vietnam fell to communism, neighboring countries would too.

Dien Bien Phu

French defeat (1954) leading to their withdrawal from Vietnam.

Geneva Accords

1954 agreement temporarily dividing Vietnam at the 17th parallel.

Ngo Dinh Diem

U.S.-backed South Vietnamese leader; unpopular due to corruption and repression.

Vietcong

Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam fighting U.S./South Vietnamese forces.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Supply route from North to South Vietnam via Laos/Cambodia.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Gave President LBJ broad war powers after alleged attacks on U.S. ships (1964).

Containment

U.S. policy to stop communism’s spread.

William Westmoreland

U.S. general who escalated troop levels.

Troop build-up supporters

Hawks (pro-war); opponents: Doves (anti-war).

ARVN

South Vietnamese Army, reliant on U.S. support.

U.S. tactics

Search-and-destroy missions, napalm, Agent Orange.

Vietcong tactics

Guerrilla warfare, traps, blending with civilians.

War of attrition

Wear down enemy with heavy casualties (failed strategy).

Hearts and Minds

Failed U.S. effort to win Vietnamese civilian support.

Operation Rolling Thunder

Sustained U.S. bombing campaign in North Vietnam.

Living room war

TV coverage turned public opinion against the war.

Credibility gap

Distrust between government reports and media coverage.

The Draft

Mandatory military service; deferments for college, health, etc.

African American irony

Fought for freedom abroad but faced discrimination at home.

MLK’s view

Opposed war, linked civil rights to anti-war movement.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Radical student group protesting the war.

Doves

Anti-war Americans.

Hawks

Pro-war Americans.

Tet Offensive

Surprise Vietcong attacks; U.S. won militarily but lost public support.

MLK Jr. assassinated

Sparked riots; opposed war.

Robert Kennedy assassinated

Democratic presidential candidate, anti-war.

1968 Democratic Convention

Protests and police violence in Chicago.

Richard Nixon

Elected president, promised "peace with honor."

George Wallace

Segregationist third-party candidate.

Kent State

National Guard killed anti-war protesters (1970).

Henry Kissinger

Nixon’s advisor, negotiated peace.

Vietnamization

Replace U.S. troops with South Vietnamese forces.

Peace with Honor

Nixon’s plan to exit while saving face.

Silent majority

Nixon term for quiet pro war Americans

My lai

US massacre killing Vietnamese civilians

Cambodia bombing

Secret expansion of war, sparked protests

Pentagon papers

Leaked docs revealing gov lies abt war

Wars end in US

1973 Paris peace accords, troops withdrew

Fall of Saigon

North Vietnam captures south’s capital, war ends 1975

PTSD

physiological trauma affecting vets

Counterculture

Rejected mainstream values (anti war, pro peace/love)

1968 election impact

Youth protests helped Nixon win

Hippies

Anti war, peace, anti materialism & trad values, drugs, music

Haight ashbury

San Francisco hub of hippie culture

Woodstock

Music festival

Icons

Janis Jophin, Jimmy Hendrix, The Beatles

Napalm

Flammable substance used in bombs

Agent Orange

Toxic chemical used to kill jungle foliage, caused cancer, birth defects, environmental destruction

Search and destroy missions

US troops go into villages and jungle areas and fight Vietcong, destroyed villages