Vietnam War

What conflict marked France’s attempt to reestablish colonial rule in Vietnam post-WWII?

French Indochina War

Which Southeast Asian region included Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia under French rule?

Indochina

Who was the communist leader of North Vietnam and founder of the Vietminh?

Ho Chi Minh

What political party did Ho Chi Minh lead to advocate Vietnamese independence?

Indochina Communist Party

What nationalist-communist coalition fought for Vietnam's independence from foreign rule?

Vietminh

What Cold War theory claimed communist takeover in one nation would trigger others to fall?

Domino theory

What 1954 agreement divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel after French defeat?

Geneva Accords

Who was the U.S.-backed anti-communist president of South Vietnam criticized for repression?

Ngo Dinh Diem

What communist guerrilla group opposed South Vietnam's government with North Vietnamese support?

Vietcong

What supply route did North Vietnam use to send weapons to the Vietcong via Laos/Cambodia?

Ho Chi Minh Trail

What 1964 resolution gave President Johnson broad authority to escalate the Vietnam War?

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

What sustained U.S. bombing campaign targeted North Vietnam from 1965-1968?

Operation Rolling Thunder

Who won the 1964 U.S. presidential election by framing his opponent as extremist?

Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ)

Which U.S. general advocated attrition strategy and troop increases in Vietnam?

General William Westmoreland

What was the poorly performing South Vietnamese military force called?

ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)

What environmental and tactical challenges hindered U.S. forces in Vietnam?

Jungle terrain and Vietcong guerilla tactics

What Vietcong tactics avoided direct combat to exploit U.S. weaknesses?

Hit-and-run and ambush tactics

What U.S. strategy aimed to wear down the enemy through continuous harassment?

Attrition

What controversial metric prioritized counting enemy deaths over strategic goals?

Body count

What gasoline-based incendiary weapon caused horrific burns and jungle destruction?

Napalm

What toxic chemical defoliant caused long-term health/environmental damage?

Agent Orange

What U.S. raids destroyed villages to root out Vietcong, displacing civilians?

Search-and-destroy missions

What term described Vietnam as the first war broadcast graphically on TV?

"Living-room war"

What phrase reflected public distrust in government honesty about the war?

Credibility gap

What did MLK call African Americans' disproportionate combat deaths amid inequality?

"Cruel irony"

What 1960s youth movement demanded participatory democracy and systemic change?

New Left

Which New Left group promoted grassroots democracy and anti-war activism?

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

What UC Berkeley movement challenged bureaucratic oppression and censorship?

Free Speech Movement (FSM)

Name three major reasons Americans opposed the Vietnam War.

1) The conflict in Vietnam was a civil war and the U.S had no business there; 2) U.S. can not “police” the world; 3) war was morally unjust

What term described war opponents advocating U.S. withdrawal?

Doves

What term described supporters of military escalation to win the war?

Hawks

What 1968 Vietcong/N. Vietnam offensive turned U.S. public opinion against the war?

Tet Offensive

What major event occurred on April 4, 1968?

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

What happened on June 4, 1968, during the presidential campaign?

Robert F. Kennedy's assassination

What chaotic 1968 event nominated Humphrey amid anti-war protests?

Democratic National Convention

Who won the 1968 election by appealing to the "silent majority"?

Richard Nixon

What Nixon policy shifted combat roles to South Vietnamese troops?

Vietnamization

What term did Nixon use for mainstream Americans backing his policies?

Silent majority

What 1968 massacre saw U.S. troops kill 200+ unarmed Vietnamese villagers?

My Lai Massacre

What 1970 Nixon decision triggered campus protests and Kent State shootings?

Invasion of Cambodia

What leaked documents exposed U.S. government deceit about the war?

Pentagon Papers

Where did National Guard troops kill four anti-war protesters in 1970?

Kent State University

Who was Nixon's key negotiator for "Vietnamization" and peace talks?

Henry Kissinger

When were the Paris Peace Accords signed to end U.S. involvement?

January 27, 1973

When did the last U.S. combat troops leave Vietnam?

March 29, 1973

When did North Vietnam capture Saigon, unifying the country?

April 1975

What 1973 law restricted presidential war powers without Congress?

War Powers Act

What major military policy ended in 1973 due to anti-war sentiment?

The draft

How many U.S. troops were killed/wounded in Vietnam?

58,000 killed; 365,000 wounded

What D.C. monument honors Vietnam War casualties and missing soldiers?

Vietnam Veterans Memorial