HGPS 415 MIDTERM

WEEKS 1-8

What is the interdisciplinary focus of HGPS 415?

It studies genocide, cultural violence, war, peace, and conflict through fields such as history, anthropology, sociology, political science, psychology, literature, law, medicine, and peace studies.

Why study genocide and mass violence?

To understand how atrocities emerge, how suffering can be prevented or limited, and how social, political, economic, and cultural systems enable violence.

How does the course frame the Vietnam War beyond a U.S. military conflict?

As a conflict involving Vietnamese nationalism and self-determination, colonialism, authoritarianism, sovereignty, Cold War politics, civilian suffering, and displacement.

What is ethnocentrism?

Judging another culture by the beliefs and values of one's own culture.

What is cultural relativism?

Understanding that standards of right and wrong, sacred and profane, and appropriate behavior are shaped by a culture's context, needs, time, and place.

How can ethnocentrism contribute to genocide?

It can portray one group as superior and another as inferior, making exclusion, dehumanization, domination, or violence seem justified.

What is dehumanization?

Treating people as less than fully human, often through labels such as savage, diseased, criminal, animal, or infidel, making violence easier to rationalize.

What three broad dimensions shape cultural violence and genocide in the course notes?

Social factors, economic factors, and political factors.

What happened to California's Native population after the Gold Rush, according to the notes?

It fell from an estimated 150,000 in 1846 to roughly 25,000–30,000 by 1865.

What happened to the Yuki population between pre-contact estimates and 1880?

The notes give a decline from about 20,000 before European encroachment to 3,500 in 1854 and 168 by 1880.

How do the notes characterize genocide against Native peoples in California?

As part of the domination and economic exploitation of western North America, not merely an accidental by-product of settlement.

What kinds of violence did the Yuki experience?

Massacre, murder, rape, disease, displacement, food insecurity, environmental collapse, forced labor, slavery, prostitution, incarceration, and cultural destruction.

What is the central warning behind the idea that 'missing people do not write history'?

Historical accounts can marginalize victims and conquered peoples, so historians must question whose experiences are recorded and whose are excluded.

What historical conflict does The Battle of Algiers depict?

The Algerian struggle for independence from French colonial rule, especially urban resistance and French counterinsurgency.

How does violence escalate in The Battle of Algiers?

The film depicts smaller acts of repression and resistance escalating into organized violence, assassinations, bombings, raids, and torture.

What forms of French repression appear in the user's reflection on The Battle of Algiers?

Checkpoints, arrests, raids, intimidation, torture, waterboarding, electrocution, burning, discrimination, and insults directed at Arabs.

Why does the user's reflection sympathize with the FLN's goal but question its methods?

The FLN seeks independence after other efforts fail, but its bombings deliberately target civilians and raise serious moral questions.

What is the user's reflection's central point about French and FLN violence?

Both sides escalate violence, but French authorities bear greater responsibility because they hold colonial state and military power and use violence to maintain rule.

What does Lt. Col. Mathieu's argument imply in The Battle of Algiers?

That maintaining French authority in Algeria carries consequences, even when that authority requires violating Algerians' rights.

What distinction does The Battle of Algiers raise between legal authority and moral legitimacy?

An action is not automatically morally legitimate simply because a government or military orders or authorizes it.

How does The Battle of Algiers portray violence beyond physical attacks?

As including discrimination, humiliation, abuse of power, and the denial of equal status.

What broader lesson does the reflection draw from civilians caught between French forces and the FLN?

Civilians often bear the consequences of conflicts they did not choose, and independence struggles can involve both resistance and morally troubling violence.

How did many Vietnamese understand the conflict that the United States framed as anti-communism?

As a struggle for national independence and self-determination from foreign control.

What happened when Ho Chi Minh appealed for Vietnamese independence at the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference?

His appeal was ignored by the major powers.

Why did Ho Chi Minh turn toward communism, according to the documentary notes?

He saw Leninist communism as a vehicle for ending colonial rule and gaining support for independence.

What organization did Ho help form in 1941?

The Viet Minh, a broad Vietnamese independence front led by Communists.

How did the U.S. OSS assist the Viet Minh during World War II?

It supported and trained them to fight Japanese forces.

When did Ho Chi Minh declare Vietnamese independence?

September 2, 1945.

Why did Ho quote the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1945?

To appeal to American ideals of equality and self-determination and encourage U.S. support for Vietnamese independence.

How did U.S. policy toward Vietnam change after World War II?

Cold War containment increasingly outweighed anti-colonial self-determination, and the United States supported France's effort to return to Vietnam.

How does Rotter describe Vietnamese nationalism in relation to communism?

Vietnamese nationalism predated communism; Ho was a nationalist first and used communism as a vehicle and source of resources for anticolonial struggle.

How did French colonialism reshape Vietnam?

France divided Vietnam into Tonkin, Annam, and Cochin China and built some schools and infrastructure while exploiting labor and resources, imposing racial hierarchy, and repressing resistance.

What contradiction marked French claims to civilize Vietnam?

Claims of modernization and civilization coexisted with extraction, forced labor, racial inequality, and political repression.

What was the Viet Minh?

The Vietnam Independence League, established in 1941 as a broad nationalist front led by Communists to resist foreign domination.

What resources made Southeast Asia strategically important to Japan?

Oil, rubber, tin, tungsten, and other resources sought for Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

What did the Atlantic Charter endorse, and what was the limitation in FDR's view?

It endorsed self-determination, but FDR believed colonized peoples might need tutelage before independence and considered trusteeship arrangements.

Why did the Truman administration view Vietnam increasingly through the Cold War?

Containment, Soviet expansion concerns, and the division between the perceived Communist and Free worlds led U.S. leaders to see Ho primarily as a Communist threat.

When did the First Indochina War begin?

In 1946, after France returned and negotiations failed; the notes identify French shelling of Haiphong in November 1946 as a major escalation.

What does Rotter say about the November 1946 shelling of Haiphong?

French forces shelled the port city, killing approximately 6,000 people according to Rotter's account.

What was the significance of Bao Dai in the French-backed government?

He headed a French Union-backed government, but many Vietnamese questioned its legitimacy because it depended on France.

Why did the Korean War affect U.S. policy in Vietnam?

It encouraged U.S. leaders to interpret Vietnam as another example of communist expansion, although Rotter argues the analogy overlooked Vietnamese nationalism and anticolonial roots.

What happened at Dien Bien Phu?

Viet Minh forces under Vo Nguyen Giap defeated French forces on May 7, 1954, ending France's major colonial military position in Vietnam.

How did Giap's forces overcome the French position at Dien Bien Phu?

They built supply routes, moved artillery into the surrounding mountains, used labor and bicycles to transport supplies, and employed trenches and timing to reduce exposure to French firepower.

Why did the French establish the Dien Bien Phu base in November 1953?

To block Viet Minh routes, protect Laos, and draw the Viet Minh into a battle the French expected to win.

What did the 1954 Geneva settlement do?

It temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel, with a Communist North and non-Communist South, and envisioned nationwide reunification elections that were never held.

Why were the planned nationwide elections not held?

South Vietnam and the United States opposed the elections, fearing a Ho Chi Minh victory.

Who was Ngo Dinh Diem?

The anti-Communist leader supported by the United States in South Vietnam, whose authoritarian rule, repression, and weak popular legitimacy alienated many people.

What was the Strategic Hamlet Program?

A South Vietnamese/U.S.-supported effort to secure rural populations by concentrating or reorganizing villages, which struggled to overcome political alienation and insurgent influence.

What was the National Liberation Front (NLF)?

A movement formed in 1960 that united Communists and other opponents of Diem's government; Diem called its fighters Viet Cong.

Why is the Vietnam War described as 'multiple wars at once'?

It combined civil conflict, anticolonial struggle, Communist revolution, Cold War confrontation, and international conflict.

What was Kennedy's flexible response strategy in Vietnam?

Using advisers, Special Forces, counterinsurgency, and limited force rather than immediately committing to a large conventional war.

What was the credibility trap in U.S. Vietnam policy?

Leaders feared that reducing support would undermine trust in U.S. commitments, so they deepened involvement to avoid appearing weak.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

A 1964 congressional resolution that gave President Johnson broad authority to expand U.S. military action after disputed reported attacks.

What was Operation Rolling Thunder?

The sustained U.S. bombing campaign against North Vietnam that began in 1965.

Why did U.S. military superiority fail to create a stable South Vietnamese government?

Military power could not compensate for weak political legitimacy, repression, and limited popular support.

What was the significance of the Tet Offensive in January 1968?

Communist forces attacked cities and installations across South Vietnam; although they suffered heavy losses, the offensive undermined U.S. claims that victory was near.

Why is Tet often described as a tactical Communist defeat but a strategic or psychological victory?

The attacks were largely repelled at high cost to Communist forces, but they damaged U.S. public confidence and official claims of progress.

What was Vietnamization?

Nixon's policy of withdrawing U.S. troops while expanding South Vietnamese responsibility for fighting the war.

Why was Nixon's policy sometimes described as 'withdrawal via escalation'?

He reduced U.S. troop levels while expanding bombing and military operations into Cambodia and Laos to pressure North Vietnam and improve bargaining leverage.

What happened at Kent State on May 4, 1970?

National Guard troops killed four students during protests intensified by the U.S. invasion of Cambodia.

When was the Paris Peace Agreement signed?

January 27, 1973.

Why did the Paris Peace Agreement not create lasting peace?

It ended direct U.S. involvement and returned American POWs, but fighting continued and North Vietnamese forces remained in the South.

When did Saigon fall?

April 30, 1975, ending South Vietnam as an independent state.

What is the 'Vietnam Syndrome'?

A claimed post-Vietnam reluctance among U.S. leaders and the public to use military force because of fear of another costly, unpopular war.

What is Rotter's central thesis about the Vietnam War?

The war grew from a collision between Vietnamese nationalism and anticolonialism and a rigid U.S. Cold War worldview; military power could not resolve political legitimacy problems.

What strategic position did Dien Bien Phu occupy?

It controlled routes linking Vietnam with Laos and areas toward China, making it important to French efforts to block Viet Minh movement.

What did the French underestimate at Dien Bien Phu?

The Viet Minh's ability to move supplies and artillery through difficult terrain and surround the French base.

Why did the French ask the United States for help at Dien Bien Phu?

Their position was deteriorating and they wanted outside military support; the United States supplied equipment and transport but hesitated to intervene directly.

How long did the Battle of Dien Bien Phu last?

About 55 days, ending with French surrender on May 7, 1954.

What was one important consequence of the fall of Dien Bien Phu?

It became a symbol of anticolonial resistance and helped end France's major colonial position in Vietnam.

What political problems weakened Diem's government?

Authoritarian centralization, repression of opposition, weak rural support, failed land reform, and refusal to accept the planned Geneva reunification elections.

What triggered the Buddhist Crisis in 1963?

Authorities prevented Buddhists from displaying religious flags; protests, deaths, arrests, and monks' self-immolations damaged Diem's standing.

What happened to Diem in November 1963?

South Vietnamese generals overthrew and assassinated him, with U.S. officials pressing for a change in leadership.

How did U.S. involvement change by the end of 1964?

The adviser role had expanded toward direct combat involvement, and approximately 23,000 Americans were in Vietnam according to the documentary notes.

What is Jeffrey Kimball's central argument in 'Nixon, Kissinger, and a Pax Americana'?

Nixon and Kissinger tried to withdraw from Vietnam without accepting the political meaning of defeat, seeking to preserve South Vietnam, U.S. credibility, and the American-led world order.

What did Nixon mean by 'peace with honor'?

A negotiated end and U.S. withdrawal that reduced American casualties while avoiding the appearance of an obvious U.S. defeat.

What was Pax Americana?

A U.S.-centered international order sustained through American political, military, and diplomatic power.

Why did Nixon worry about U.S. credibility in Vietnam?

He feared abandoning South Vietnam would make allies doubt U.S. commitments and encourage adversaries to challenge American power.

What does the McNaughton memo illustrate in Kimball's account?

That avoiding a humiliating U.S. defeat could be prioritized above the well-being or political future of South Vietnam.

What was the 'decent interval' concept?

Allowing time between U.S. withdrawal and a possible South Vietnamese defeat so the collapse would not look like an immediate American defeat.

What were the three broad policy camps in the Nixon transition study?

Group A favored escalation and confidence in victory; Group B saw stalemate and favored negotiation or compromise; Group C favored unilateral withdrawal but had essentially no government advocates.

What did Group A believe about the war?

That Communist forces were weakening and South Vietnam was improving, so continued or expanded military pressure could produce success.

What did Group B believe about the war?

That it was a costly stalemate requiring negotiations, mutual withdrawal, compromise, and greater South Vietnamese responsibility.

What was NSSM 1?

A January 21, 1969 National Security Study Memorandum assessing enemy strength, South Vietnamese forces, pacification, politics, negotiations, operations, and prospects.

What did Kissinger mean when he said there was no consensus even about the facts?

U.S. agencies disagreed sharply about conditions in Vietnam, demonstrating bureaucratic conflict and uncertainty in policy-making.

What was the RVNAF capability catch-22?

More U.S. involvement sustained South Vietnamese dependence, while less U.S. involvement risked collapse before South Vietnamese forces could stand alone.

What was the political reform catch-22 in Kimball's notes?

Failure to reform left South Vietnam politically illegitimate, while pressure for reform could destabilize the government.

What was Abrams's 'One War, One Strategy'?

An integrated approach combining conventional operations, counterinsurgency, clearing operations, territorial security, and pacification.

What were Nixon's five main strategic elements?

Vietnamization, pacification, diplomatic isolation of North Vietnam, gradual U.S. troop withdrawal, and peace negotiations.

What was Nixon's 'madman' strategy?

Trying to convince Hanoi that Nixon might take extreme action, making U.S. threats appear more credible.

How did Nixon and Kissinger use linkage?

They connected Vietnam diplomacy to U.S. relations with China and the Soviet Union, hoping great-power relationships could influence Hanoi.

What was the contradiction between détente and coercion?

Nixon sought improved relations and arms control with China and the Soviet Union while also using military pressure to influence Vietnam.

Why did secrecy and backchannels matter to Nixon and Kissinger?

They wanted presidential control, distrusted the bureaucracy, and sought to manage negotiations without exposing internal divisions.

What were the three fronts in Nixon's Vietnam strategy?

Domestic politics, the war in Vietnam, and diplomacy with Hanoi, the Soviet Union, and China.

What did Kimball mean by the 'hammer of antiwar pressure' and the 'anvil of Hanoi'?

Nixon faced pressure to withdraw quickly enough to satisfy Americans but slowly enough to preserve bargaining leverage and South Vietnam.

What contradictions undermined Nixon's strategy?

Withdrawal versus victory, Vietnamization versus dependence, escalation versus withdrawal, détente versus coercion, reform versus stability, and secrecy versus bureaucracy.

What larger diplomatic event overlapped with Nixon's 1972 escalation?

The Moscow Summit, which was intended to showcase détente and progress in U.S.-Soviet relations.

What was détente?

A reduction of Cold War tensions through diplomacy, negotiation, and agreements such as arms control.

What was SALT?

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, negotiations aimed at limiting aspects of U.S. and Soviet strategic nuclear arsenals.

What was the Easter Offensive?

A major North Vietnamese offensive that began March 30, 1972, using tanks and artillery and causing serious ARVN setbacks.