Lecture 12-Vietnam War Review

Who was Ho Chi Minh?

A Vietnamese revolutionary leader who established the Revolutionary League of Youth in 1925 and fought against Japanese occupation during WWII.

What significant event occurred on May 7, 1954, in Vietnam?

The French lost all claims to Indochina when 20,000 French soldiers were captured at Dien Bien Phu.

What was the outcome of the Treaty of Paris regarding Vietnam?

Vietnam was partitioned into North and South at the 17th parallel.

What was the 'Passage to Freedom'?

The movement of 750,000 people from North to South Vietnam after the Vietminh victory, with 310,000 transported by the U.S. 7th fleet in 1954.

What role did President Kennedy play in Vietnam?

He increased U.S. support for South Vietnam and Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem, who was later killed in a coup in 1963.

Who was General Vo Nguyen Giap?

A Vietnamese general who led the National Liberation Front (FNL-Viet Cong) and was a victor over the French at Dien Bien Phu.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

A resolution passed in 1964 that gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the power to conduct the Vietnam War as he deemed necessary.

What was General William Westmorland's role in the Vietnam War?

He commanded U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964-1968 and worked with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to defeat the communists.

What was the Tet Offensive?

A major military campaign during the Vietnam War in 1968 that led to increased resistance to the war among the American public.

What was Nixon's policy regarding Vietnam?

Nixon followed a policy of Vietnamization, aiming to reduce U.S. involvement in the war.

What was the impact of the Vietnam War on American society?

The war caused Americans to question U.S. involvement in the Cold War and exposed internal dissension, leading to class conflict.

How many American soldiers served in the Vietnam War, and how many were killed?

Approximately 2 million served, with 58,000 killed, predominantly from working-class and minority backgrounds.

What was the significance of the Watergate scandal for Nixon?

It politically crippled Nixon, contributing to the fall of South Vietnam to the communists in 1975.

What lessons were learned from the Vietnam War?

The war highlighted the immorality of fighting without a coherent strategy or the will to win.

What organizations supported the communists during the Vietnam War?

Groups like the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Black Panthers.

What was the demographic impact of the Vietnam War on American communities?

The exodus of South Vietnamese to America altered many American communities.