The ending of conflict in Vietnam (Vietnam War)

History AQA GCSE

Kent State Massacre

Protests to the war that lead to National Guard being called in and shot students because they burned the ROTC building

Nixon

1969-1974

Peace with Honour (1973)

A phrase U.S. President Richard M. Nixon used in a speech on January 23, 1973 to describe the Paris Peace Accord to end the Vietnam War.

What did public opinion drop to after My Lai

30%

Why was there increasing opposition by 1968?

- the war was expensive
- US weren't winning
- Draft was mainly boys of colour and hatred of the draft system (1964-72)
- Increasing dead/ injuries
- Civil rights movement
- media coverage (93% had TVs)
-Corruption of southern regime

When was the Kent State Massacre?

May 4, 1970

What happens in 30th April 1970?

Nixon sends 30,000 troops into Cambodia, calls it an incursion

Events of the Kent State Massacre

3000 people were protesting, rocks were thrown, and the soldiers emptied 67 rounds in 13 seconds

What were the consequences of Kent State?

- 2 boys and 2 girls die, 9 students wounded
- 58% of americans think the killings were justified
- 4 million students demonstrate against the massacre and 448 campuses closed
- National strike of students- 2 million students

Why was Kent State significant?

- US public is divided over the war & protests
- Brought back the communist ideology
- Some saw protesters as heroes trying to end the war (66% by 1971)

When was the Jackson state school shooting and what happened?

15th May 1970- 2 died and 12 wounded

How many journalists were reporting on the Vietnam War?

By 1965, 400 journalists

How much did public opinion decrease between 1965 and 1971?

33% - August 1965 (61%) and May 1971 (28%)

How does Nixon start to leave the war in 1969?

- 85,000 troops out of 540,000 troops returned home
- ARVN supplies & training increases

Who is Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho?

Henry Kissinger- US negotiator and Le Duc Tho- Vietnamese negotiator. They began peace talks in March 1969 in secret in Paris

When do the 2 bombings of Cambodia happen?

March 1969 and February 1970

What happens in Feb 1971

Nixon orders an ARVN invasion of Laos

When did Laos fall to communism?

1973

1972

Nixon visits China, USSR and announces peace talks

January 1973

Ceasefire between North Vietnam & US (Paris Peace Accords)

Vietnamisation

Gradual withdraw of US troops from Vietnam and an increase in funding and training of the ARVN

Did Vietnamisation fail or was it a success?

A fail

March 1973

Last US troops leave Vietnam

$1 billion dollars

promised by Nixon to ARVN but never arrives

August 1974

Watergate Scandal- Nixon resigns

Gerald Ford

1974-1977

December 1974

North Vietnam breaks the peace accords and invades the South

April 1975

South Vietnam falls to Communist forces, and US politicians flee

Consequences of the war

- USA's reputation is in ruins
- 300,000 hectares of farmland destroyed by Agent Orange
- Vietnam unified but isolated- blocked from joining the UN by the US

How many americans killed?

58,000

How much did the US spend on the war?

$170 billion dollars

How many Vietnamese civilians and soldiers killed and wounded?

Civilians killed- 2 million
Civilians wounded- 5 million
Soldiers killed- 1 million