Study Guide 1: The Vietnam War part 1

When was the Vietnam War?-

1955-1975

Why is the Vietnam War unpopular?-

-longest war

-huge casualty lost

-”rich man’s war”

-”what are we fighting

Who colonized Vietnam before the 1950s?-

France

Do the elections take place in 1954?-

No.

Ho Chi Minh-

-leader of Communist North Vietnam

-liked Woodrow Wilson’s call for universal

-wanted Vietnam to be free and asked US to help them be free but we are allies w France so we didn’t want to do anything during WWII

Dien Bien Phu-

-May 7, 1954

-50K Vietnamese Communists fight France

-French loose, starving nd struggling in the Vietnam Jungles

Domino Theory-

If one country falls to communism, then all countries will eventually fall to Vietname

-ppl didn’t think Vietnam would not become communist so the war is not

Viet Cong-

The North Vietnamese rebels are known as the Viet Cong

North Vietnam-

 Communists, Invade South Vietnamese in order to unite the area as communists. 

South Vietnam-

Non-communist.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution-

-1964

-started the war bc North Vietnamese had attacked an American Destroyer which was in a CIA mission off the coast of Vietnamese

-gave LBJ power to “take all necessary measures”

LBJ (Lyndon B. Johnson) and Vietnam-

-didn’t want to have the Vietnam war bc it “wasn’t worth fighting for”

-feared looking weak on communism so his cabinet tried to get him to start the war

-but he says in his election they will not go to war in his campaign

-didn’t want to be “Soft on Communism”

-ends up going to war immediately after he is elected

The Tet Offensive-

-Tett is the vietnamese lunar new year

-attack on the US at 3AM on January 31, 1968

-viets don’t stop fighting until they kill everyone

-they are fighting for freedom

-snuch in wearing south viet uniforms to sizes parts of the US Embassy in Saignon

Secretary of State Dean Rusk-

-first agrees w LBJ to go to Vietnam in 1965

then says he was wrong

Candidates of the 1968 election: Nixon, Humphrey, Wallace, Hamer-

 Nixon (against the vietnamese war and had a really creepy add that showed the horrors of war, his add made fun of Humphrey), Humphrey (belived in being restrained from using powerful weapons), Wallace (he is very much for segregation), Hamer

Christmas Bombing -

-massive amounts of bombing because Nixon wanted to bomb them into submission so Vietnam could unite as a capitalist nation (which didn’t work) while also slowly bringing back soldiers to calm the public down

-happens in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam

-bombed a hospital full of children

Ho Chi Minh Trail-

the trail of supply to the North Vietnamese/main supply route

-US tried to target it to cut it off but North Vietnamese manage to keep going

Fall of Saigon-

-in 1975 the southern capital called Saigon falls to the Viet Congs

-the US loses

-this fall of Saigon to the Vietnamese People’s army on April 30, 1975

-Vietnam unites as communist

Role of the press-

-Americans have access to pictures, interviews, colored pictures, video, etc.

-this makes americans back at home being mad due to the

Agent Orange-

-herbicide that helps deforest jungle in attempt to fight during the Vietnam war

-kills soldiers hiding in jungle

-toxic, if inhaled and if no gas mask, then it will result in death

-affects water, pollution, breathing issues for kids affected by it

-has many long term affects

Executions-

-Execution of Viet Cong

-South Vietnamese police Chief Nguyen Ngoc

executes prisoner by shooting directly in head

-shows American the reality of the war.

1. Vietnam Veteran Protests

Veterans come back from the war and protest further war efforts

2. The role of the media

The media showcase how badly the war is actually going and the cruelty of war (instead of in past wars where the only exposure to war was throught the government).

3. Agent Orange

Defforesting agent, also deforms children and hurts adults' lungs

4. My Lai Massacre

Massacre made by Americans to a village of 300-400 people where they were all shot and very few escaped

5. Hugh Thompson

Whistleblower on the My Lai massacre and said that our commanding officer knew about the massacre

6. The Rise of the Counterculture

Anticonsumerism and antiwar. You don’t participate in normal economy and jobs

7. Ways to get out of the draft

If you are rich, disabled, injure yourself (badly), going to jail, leaving the country

8. Burning a draft card

Used as a protest against the war

9. SDS

Students for a Democratic Society, Free Speech movement. Passive protesting, flowers in hair, pamphlets.

10. Muhammed Ali (In the 1970s)

The boxing title was taken away for his Vietnam war protests

11. Woodstock

A giant music festival in 1969, where you can see many artist perform

12. Protest Music (Jimi Hendrix, Edwin Starr, Clarence Clearwater, Country Joe and the Fish)

Very popular music to protest the war

13. Kent State Massacre

-shooting at Kent State University

-National Guard kills students during protests

-students show up to a peaceful protest against the Vietnam War, and it peaceful on the first day

-but then the crowd grows and gets agitated, the national guard shows up which makes the crowd mad, university tells the crowd to leave, but the crowd refuses, the national guard is ordered to use tear gas on the crowd, and the crowd retaliates, and the national guard opens fire.

14. The Weather Underground

-white fighting force that aligned with black liveration

-they want “world communism”

Offshoot of SDS, they broke Timothy leary out of jail. Exposed COINTELPRO (gov program to dampen protests for peace AND civil rights movements). They blow up the capital. They did this because they felt the government was corrupt and unjust.

15. Cointelpro

gov program to dampen protests for peace AND civil rights movements. They try to get different gangs to fight each other and blame it on black panther

16. Detente

United states will keep all of its treaty commitments, we will provide a shield if there are nuclear threats on freedom, we shall furnish military exonmic assistance for treaties in case of other acts of violence, however, the primary responsibility is on the warring country to provide manpower

17. SALT I

Passed by Nixon, strategic arms limitation takes agreement, meant to try to dismantle a lot of nuclear weapons in order to keep peace

18. Nixon visits China

Visits Mao Zedong in China and understands that trying to have good relationship with China is better than war. He does this to try to keep away nuclear war.

19. Nixon visits the USSR

Signed SALT, wanted to join forces in going to space, made many agreements. 

20. Pandas!

China gives us pandas and Nixon is very excited

21. Ping Pong Diplomacy

Refers to the exchange of table tennis plays between us and china. Was a way to have friendly competition without all-out nuclear war.

22. Pentagon Papers

Meeting papers from the government (“we know we can’t win the war). They involve the entire Vietnam War and Nixon. Nixon sues and loses. The people felt betrayed

23. "The plumbers"

 Part of commity called Creep (goal of reelecting the president). Creep breaks into the water gate and tries to steal files from the national democratic community office and gets caught

24. Watergate

democratic national committee headquarters to steal documents to win the next election

25. Woodward and Bernstein

They got a lot of information to condem Nixon from a person in the white house

26. Smoking Gun Tape

Nixon recorded every single phone call, so Congress goes through all of them. Smoking Gun Tape literally records Nixon saying “Break into Watergate.”

27. Nixon Reigns because he was going to be found guilty

He is found in one of the tapes giving orders to break into the water gate

28. Gerald Ford

He becomes president after Nixon resigns. Ford pardons Nixon, making a lot of people mad at him

29. Oil Problems in the 1970s

Gas prices sky rocketed (embargo from arab nations), stagnation and inflation, and America became energy dependent

30. OPEC

Oil conglomerate of all Arab countries that control all oil in the Middle Eastern countries

31. CREEP

The comity to realect Nixon

32. Pat Nixon as the First Lady

most traveled lady for a while, the first lady to confer with foreign countries, she spoke with soviet ambassador’s wife, first first lady to the entire combat zone. 

33. Betty Ford as the first lady

Active women's rights activist, vasectomy for breast cancer. She struggled with substance abuse, so she created The Betty Ford Center. 

34. Checkers

The dog of Nixon

35. Liberty

Doggo of Ford

1.  Vietnam Draft Dodgers:

During Jimmies presidency, he had to choice of pardoning draft dodgers (like he promised) or not pardon them because 2.7 million did not evade draft and would feel mad. Jimmy pardoned all draft dodgers.

2. Stagflation:

High unemployment and high inflation. Jimmy had the choice to focus on unemployment or inflation. He did inflation, which made the public mad with him. 

3. Energy Crisis:

 1973, U.S supported Israel which made Arab countries cut off oil supply (embargo) to the U.S. Nixon fixed problem for a bit, but now inflation was increasing so Jimmy could tell America to change their habits or show strength and tell them they don’t need to change anything. He went with first choice and made many people mad. 

4. Civil Rights in Latin America:

Jimmy promised human rights and no cold war. U.S used CIA to empower authoritarian governments so that communism would not take over. Americans want to be tough on communism but stay out of wars. He could have ended support for human rights abusers (risking spread of communism), end support of human rights abusers in el salvador, nicaragua, and argentina but not Chile so word won’t get out about Nixon era, or keep supporting the dictators. He did the 2nd. 

5. Panama Canal:

Panama was trying to overthrow america in panama canal, Jimmy could send 100,000 troops to panama or give canal back to panama. He chose to give up the canal, which made many people mad at him.

6. IRS, School Segregation, and Religious Freedom:

Schools in the south did not want to desegregate, so Jimmy needed to decide wether or not to send IRS to the south and enforce rule. People from the south said it would to against their religion. He chose to send IRS. Many people were mad.

7. Arab-Israeli Conflict:

Back in 1947 Truman decided to support Israel's creation of a new country, which made Arab countries mad and cut off oil to America. Now, Jimmy can attack arab and get oil fields, stop support of Israel, or attempt a peace deal. He chose the last option, making America very happy with him

8. Iranian Revolution:

America put The Shah in power (a strong dictator the people hated), however, he gave America cheap oil. However, he was overthrown and replaced by a conservative religious government against America.

9.  Detente-Russia: (Detente= process started by Nixon to ease Cold War tensions).

However, because democracy was becoming increasingly popular in America, Soviets decided to crack down on the region. America points out their human rights violations, making the Soviets threaten to end the Detente. Jimmy could continue to point out human rights violations in Russia and china, or forget human rights and buy nuclear weapons and invite China to the U.S. to normalize relations.  He chose second making many people mad at him. 

10.  Detente-China:

Similar situation to that in Russia.

11.  Three Mile Island (Nuclear Meltdown):

The nuclear meltdown made many people mad that Jimmy tried to convert everyone to nuclear energy (now everyone doesn’t trust nuclear energy anymore). 

12.  Hostage Crisis in Iran:

Old Shah was let into the U.S. for cancer treatments, so Irans overtook the American embassy and kidnapped 52 Americans. jimmy could do nothing, attack Iran, or attempt a secret rescue mission without risking the lives of Iranian civilians.