Vietnam War Practice Flashcards

A vocabulary-style flashcard set covering the major battles, political theories, key figures, and social impact of the Vietnam War as detailed in the lecture transcript.

Ia Drang Valley

The first major battle between the U.S. and North Vietnam in $1965$, which showed that the war would be long and deadly.

Vietminh

A communist group led by Ho Chi Minh that fought against French rule in Vietnam.

Domino Theory

The belief held by U.S. officials that if one country became communist, surrounding countries would also follow.

Guerrilla Warfare

Hit-and-run tactics, including ambushes, traps, and hiding, used by the Vietcong.

Dien Bien Phu

The $1954$ battle where the Vietminh successfully defeated French forces.

Geneva Accords

A $1954$ agreement that split Vietnam at the $17\text{th}$ parallel into a communist North and a non-communist South.

Vietcong

Communist fighters located in South Vietnam who supported the North.

Strategic Hamlets

A U.S. plan to move Vietnamese villagers into protected areas to neutralize Vietcong influence.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Passed in $1964$, this gave President Johnson the power to increase U.S. military action in Vietnam.

Operation Rolling Thunder

A sustained U.S. bombing campaign directed against North Vietnam.

Napalm

A fire bomb used during the war that burned everything it came into contact with.

Agent Orange

A chemical used to destroy forests that subsequently caused serious health problems for those exposed.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A supply route passing through Laos and Cambodia used by North Vietnam to support fighters in the South.

Credibility Gap

The growing public distrust of the government due to officials not being truthful about the war's progress.

Teach-ins

Discussions held at colleges by students and faculty to protest the Vietnam War.

26th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that lowered the legal voting age to $18$.

Hawks

Individuals who supported the U.S. involvement and military efforts in the Vietnam War.

Doves

Individuals who opposed the war and wanted the U.S. to withdraw from Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

A surprise attack by North Vietnam in $1968$ that shocked the American public and weakened support for the war.

Silent Majority

The term used by Richard Nixon to describe Americans who quietly supported the president and the war.

Linkage

Nixon's policy of connecting Vietnam peace negotiations with diplomatic relations with the USSR and China.

Vietnamization

The plan to gradually withdraw U.S. troops while training South Vietnamese forces to take over the fighting.

My Lai Massacre

An incident where U.S. soldiers killed innocent Vietnamese civilians.

Kent State Shootings

A $1970$ event where the National Guard killed $4$ student protesters.

Pentagon Papers

Leaked documents that revealed the government had lied to the public about the war.

War Powers Act

A $1973$ law that limits the president's ability to send troops into combat without approval from Congress.

Ho Chi Minh

The communist leader of North Vietnam who sought Vietnamese independence.

Ngo Dinh Diem

The unpopular leader of South Vietnam who was eventually overthrown and killed.

Vo Nguyen Giap

The North Vietnamese general who led forces to victory at Dien Bien Phu.

William Westmoreland

The U.S. general who led American troops during the early stages of the Vietnam War.

Walter Cronkite

A prominent news reporter whose assessment that the war was unwinnable greatly influenced public opinion.

Henry Kissinger

The advisor to President Nixon who helped negotiate the peace process.

Daniel Ellsberg

The individual responsible for leaking the Pentagon Papers to the press.