Chapter 25

Why was France involved in Vietnam?

It was part of their colony called French Indochina

Who did the Vietminh fight during WWII?

Japan

What was the United States’ goal in Vietnam?

Stop the spread of communism

Explain the Domino Theory.

If Vietnam fell to comminusm, surrounding countries would fall to communism.

Who was Ho Chi Minh?

Leader of North Vietnam/Communist party in Vietnam

Who was Ngo Dinh Diem?

Leader of South Vietnam

Who were the Vietminh?

A group that fought the Japanese and later the French 

What happened at Dien Bien Phu? 

The Vietminh defeated the French leading to France leaving the region

At the Geneva Accords, how did they divide up Vietnam?

North Vietnam and South Vietnam

Who controlled which part of the country?

The communists and Ho Chi Minh controlled North Vietnam and a Pro-Western government controlled South Vietnam

Who did the U.S. support?

South Vietnam

Why did many South Vietnamese dislike Diem’s government? 

It was corrupt, he put people in strategic hamlets, and he discriminated against Buddhists 

What were strategic hamlets?

special fortified villages created by the South Vietnamese government to separate rural populations from communist influence.

Who were the Vietcong?

a guerrilla army organized by Ho Chi Minh to reunify the nation

What are guerrilla tactics?

Combat strategies used by smaller, mobile groups to fight a larger, traditional army, often involving ambushes and hit-and-run attacks.

What is Agent Orange?

chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? 

Law that gave Congress’s war powers over to the President

Explain the importance of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Network of jungle paths through Cambodia and Laos that bypassed the border between North and South Vietnam

Why was the draft lottery system used?

It made it more random for who was forced in to the military

What was unfair about the lottery system?

More low income people were forced into the military because they could not afford to go to college for a deferment. 

 Why did a Credibility Gap between the government and American citizens develop in the late 1960s?

The government was saying they were winning but the media was showing deaths and injuries

What do doves believe?

to withdraw from Vietnam

What do hawks believe?

to stay and fight in Vietnam

What is the Tet Offensive?

Surprise attack launched during the Vietnamese New Year by the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese

What is linkage?

The Idea that the United States should improve their relationship with China/Soviet Union so they stop supplying North Vietnam

What is Vietnamization?

A plan for the gradual withdrawal of American troops and for the South Vietnamese army to assume more of the fighting. 

What were the Pentagon Papers?

Papers that showed the United States was not being honest with Americans regarding the Vietnam War.

What happened at Kent State?

National Guard fired on college protestors killing 4 students.

Who announced they would not run for President in 1968?

Lyndon Johnson

After the United States left Vietnam, what happened?

North Vietnam invaded and united Vietnam under Communist Rule

Who was on their way to becoming the Democratic nominee in 1968 but was assassinated in a California hotel?

Robert Kennedy

Who won the presidency in 1968?

Richard Nixon

What was Operation Rolling Thunder?

A massive bombing campaign against North Vietnam that began in 1965.

What was the War Powers Act?

A law that reestablished some limits on Executive (Presidential) power

Where did a violent political convention take place to nominate a candidate for president?

Chicago