Cold War/Vietnam War Test

Suez Canal Crisis

• Egypt took control of canal → Britain, France, Israel attacked → Egypt withdrew

Geneva Accords

• Vietnam divided at 17th parallel (North + South)

Battle of Dien Bien Phu FIRST CARD

• Vietnamese communists defeat France → ends French rule in Indochina

U2 Incidient

US spy place (Gary Powers) shot down by USSR → US denied spying → tensions increased

Cuban Revolution

• Fidel Castro made Cuba communist close to the US → increased tension

Bay of Pigs Invasion

• CIA-trained Cuban exiles tried to invade → failed → strengthened Castro and embarassed US

Cuban Missile Crisis

US and USSR almost had nuclear war → Kennedy used naval blockade + talks → peaceful compromise

French Inodchina

• French-controlled region (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)

Containment & Domino Theory

• US tried to stop communism → believed if one country falls, others will too

Propaganda

• Used media to convince people to support stopping communism

Ho Chi Minh

• Led North Viertn → used guerrila warfare and total war

Ngo Dinh Diem

• Leader of South Vietnam → supported by US but unpopular and corrupt

Viet Minh vs. Viet Cong

Viet Minh fought France → Viet Cong fought South Vietnam & US

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

• US ships were attacked → led to war escalation

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Allowed the president to send troops without declaring war

Operation Rolling Thunder

• Heavy US bombing of North Vietnam

Media Censorship

US controlled news too reduce negative coverage of the war

Tet Offensive

• Showed the US was not winning → increased anti-war protests

1968 Protests & Counterculture

• More protests, race riots, and hippie movement against the war

Lyndon B. Johnson

• JFK successor

• Didn’t run for reelection b/c war made him unpopular and caused protests

Vietnamization

• US slowly withdrew troops → South Vietnam took over fighting

Richard Nixon

• Ended US involvement but resigned due to Watergate

Henry Kissinger

• Helped negotiate peace and support détente

Paris Peace Accords

US officially left the war

Watergate Scandal

• Nixon covered up a break-in → resigned

Fall of Saigon

• North Vietnam took over → Vietnam became communist

Boat people → Vietnamese fled by boat to escape communism

Napalm & Agent Orange

• Caused serious injuries, long-term illness, and environmental damage

Why did the US lose the Vietnam war?

• No support at home, weak allies, tough enemy tactics, too expensive