Why the USA lost the war in Vietnam

What are the five factors for why the USA lost the war in Vietnam essay?

1. Difficulties faced by the US military

2. Strengths of North Vietnam

3. Weaknesses of South Vietnam

4. Changing public opinion in the USA

5. International isolation of the USA

What is the most important factor being argued throughout the why the USA lost the war in Vietnam essay?

Strengths of North Vietnam

What is the main argument being made throughout the why the USA lost the war in Vietnam essay?

How each factor pressured the USA to find another way to end the war in Vietnam

What is the context and background knowledge for why the USA lost the war in Vietnam introduction?

In 1964, the USA declared war on North Vietnam because they believed in the domino theory and were worried that communism was spreading in South-east Asia. Using the Gulf of Tonkings incident, the USA sent soldiers who fought in a brutal war with the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. Ultimately, Nixon attempted ‘peace with honour’ through a policy of ‘Vietnamisation’ which meant the last official US soldier withdrew from Vietnam in 1973

What is the first piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - difficulties faced by the US military?

The US army used tactics such as Agent Orange and Napalm, as well as helicopter gunships in ‘search and destroy’ missions… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because they were using ineffective tactics to stop the Viet Cong, causing huge collateral damage that put people off supporting the USA, thus increasing the pressure for the US government to withdraw, given they were doing more damage than good to South Vietnam

What is the second piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - difficulties faced by the US military?

Approximately 15% of US soldiers were allegedly addicted to drugs like Heroin, as well as the fact most of the soldiers were inexperienced as on average they had only served one year and were only 19 years old… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because without effective soldiers, the army was not able to meet their strategic objectives, thus putting pressure on the US government to seek alternative ways to end the war

What is the counter analysis for the factor - difficulties faced by the US military?

However, the US army was one of the biggest armies in the world and were able to kill 2.5 million people during the war, meaning their tactics could not have been that ineffective

What is the first piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - strengths of North Vietnam?

The North Vietnamese used ingenious tactics such as using tunnels to move around during the war, like the Cu Chi tunnels and using punji traps made out of bamboo spikes smeared with faeces… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because this prevented the USAs bombing from being effective and so prolonged the war, meaning the US government had to find another way to end the war, like withdrawing themselves

What is the second piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - strengths of North Vietnam?

The Viet Cong came from tough peasant backgrounds and they had inspirational leaders such as Ho Chi Minh, who motivated the Viet Cong to fight effectively and endure tough conditions… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because the use of effective tactics, inspirational leaders, and high morale meant they were able to fight effectively and prolong the war, putting the US government under pressure to find another way to end the war

What is the counter analysis for the factor - strengths of North Vietnam?

However, the North Vietnamese’s tactics were mainly successful defensively, rather than offensively, and so the North Vietnamese were unable to win the war through conquest

What is the first piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - weaknesses of South Vietnam?

The South Vietnamese government was very corrupt; firstly as a Catholic elite controlling a Buddhist population and then later as a military dictatorship… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because the unpopularity of the government undermined the US justification for being in Vietnam, without which the US government were under pressure to withdraw

What is the second piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - weaknesses of South Vietnam?

The ARVN (South Vietnamese Army) were pretty weak as they deprived the US army of local guides, and they were accused of carrying out ‘search and avoid’ missions instead of ‘search and destroy’ missions… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because without a strong ally, the US army had to do more fighting, thereby loosing more men, which put pressure on the US government to find a different way to end the war

What is the counter analysis for the factor - weaknesses of South Vietnam?

However, the US army was a global superpower and so they should have been able to win with only limited ally support

What is the first piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - changing public opinion in the USA?

The deficit rose from $1.6 billion in 1965, to $25 billion in 1968, causing taxes to rise… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because this caused a loss of support amongst the US public, which put pressure on the US government and since they were a democratic government they therefore had to listen to the public

What is the second piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - changing public opinion in the USA?

TV pictures of the war persuaded many that the war was going badly and that the US army was committing atrocities, consequently leading to many popular protests such as protests against the draft by the Black Panthers and celebrities like Muhammed Ali voicing their opposition… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because it showed that there was a great deal of opposition to the war, meaning the US government had to review their position given their lack of domestic support in the war, leading to them changing tactics and withdrawing

What is the counter analysis for the factor - changing public opinion in the USA?

However, many people still supported the war as a Gallup poll showed that 50% of the US public supported the war in 1970

What is the first piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - international isolation of the USA?

There were protests in London in 1968 with 10,000 people in Trafalgar Square and 200 people were arrested outside the US embassy… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because this showed that other nations viewed the USA as the ‘bad guys,’ which put pressure on the US government to change their approach to rescue their reputation, thus pushing them to make the choice of withdrawing themselves

What is the second piece of knowledge and analysis for the factor - international isolation of the USA?

The USA did not have any military support from a single NATO ally, while China and the USSR sent military aid to the Viet Cong, alongside the unbreakable Ho Chi Minh trail… This was an important factor in causing the US loss because the US army was isolated and thus had to do more fighting, leading to the loss of their men and morale, which ultimately led the USA to reassess their strategy and withdraw

What is the counter analysis for the factor - international isolation of the USA?

However, the USA did have some support from other allies such as Australia and New Zealand