APUSH vietnam

Dien bien Phu: The decisive battle in 1954 that marked the end of French colonial rule in Indochina.

dien bien phu was considered President Johnson’s big failure

Americans supported the South Vietnamese government through military and financial aid, but the lack of a clear strategy ultimately led to escalating involvement in the conflict.

americans did NOT support the division of vietnam into factions and the decision to let it hold democratic elections

ho chi minh controlled the communist north vietnam

the viet cong/national liberation front was created to support ho chi minh (and oppose president diem)

The “Domino theory” was used to justify U.S. involvement in Vietnam, suggesting that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow suit.

The u.s. did not intervene to prevent Vietnamese president diem’s murder

lyndon johnson vowed the u.s. would stay in vietnam “as long as it takes”

the gulf of tonkin resolution was passed in 1964, granting President Johnson the authority to use military force in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war. This escalation marked a significant turning point in U.S. involvement, leading to increased troop deployments and a commitment to combat the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.

the viet cong fought on behalf of the North Vietnamese government, utilizing guerrilla tactics to undermine U.S. and South Vietnamese forces while gaining local support through a combination of ideology and promises of land reform.

johnsons cold war policies got in the way of his great society programs

operation rolling thunder was the name given to a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam, aimed at disrupting the supply lines and weakening the Viet Cong's ability to wage war.

As the conflict escalated, the U.S. faced significant challenges, including rising anti-war sentiment domestically and questions about the effectiveness of its military strategy.

the vietnam war was the first major conflict that heavily involved television coverage, bringing the brutal realities of warfare into American living rooms and shaping public opinion.

the vietnam war was called a “living room war” due to its unprecedented media coverage, which allowed Americans to witness the realities of combat and the suffering of soldiers and civilians alike, ultimately influencing public perception and opposition to the war.

Americans struggled to distinguish friendly south vietnamese from unfriendly viet cong forces

The ho chi min trail was the main supply route for the North Vietnamese forces, providing them with essential resources and reinforcements throughout the conflict.

president johnson tracked the war’s progress by collecting data reports of “body counts” for casualties

The american public was conflicted in their support of the war

The tet offensive turned much of the american public against the war, as the scale and intensity of the attacks revealed that the conflict was far from over and that U.S. forces were not achieving the anticipated victory.

American forces defeated the viet cong in the tet offensive however the heavy losses and the surprise nature of the attacks led to a significant decline in public support for the war, ultimately changing perceptions about U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

The u.s. had no specific plan to win the vietnam war

President johnson refused to run for president in 1968 due to the mounting criticism of his administration's handling of the war and the growing anti-war movement across the country. This culminated in widespread protests, particularly among college students, who organized demonstrations to express their opposition to U.S. involvement and demand a withdrawal of troops.

both tuman and eisenhower supplied aid to the french war effort as a part of containment in regards to vietnam

dien bien phy: 1954

vietnam won independence from the french in 1954 and was divided along the 17th parallel

ho chi minh controlled communist stronghold north of line, and his supporters were called the vietmen

ngo dinh diem was a democratic president in the south. JFK initially sent military advisors to support

the communists in south vienam formed the national front of liberation of south vietnam (NLF) and viet cong (guerilla fighters against diem)

Diem was not liked by everyone, ad many protested against his government, which had corruption

the u.s. realized they could not support diem anymore so they allowed him to be assassinated

after the assassination of diem, vietnam broke into chaos and grew vulnerable to communist takeover

after lyndon b johnson became president, the united states escalated its involvement in vietnam after johnson took the presidency

gulf of tonkin resolution (1964): came after north vietnamese attacked u.s. destroyers in the gulf of tonkin

war powers act (1973): passed [DURING NIXONS ADMINISTRATION] in response to congress’ apparent regret in giving johnson so much power; later limited the president’s authority to wage war since the vietnam war was so controversial

operation rolling thunder: U.S. Bombing campaign against north vietnam; continued until 1975

johnson had seen the gulf of tonkin resolution as an opportunity to pursue the bombing campaign and extend it further. the bombing campaign did not have any overwhelming impact. north vietnamese soldiers started infiltrating the south, which called for johnson to introduce ground troops for offensive operations

by 1968, over 500,000 us troops were in vietnam

american public believed the government was not honest with what they told the american public what was going on, and what actuallly was going on

tet offense (1968): turning point of the war. surprise attack launched by vietcong on a vietnamese new year (tet) against u.s. forces in south vietnam, aimed at removing all american influence in vietnam. attack was contrary to media reports that the u.s. was very close to winning the war; even though it actually developed into a u.s. victory