Apush Vietnam

Define “cold war”.

• A conflict between two belligerents in which neither engages in open

military conflict with the other. However, tension is so high that war could

erupt at any time.

What was the source of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union?

• The US had a democratic government and capitalist economic system

while the USSR had a communist system in which the political and

economic systems were one in the same. Both countries sought to expand

their ideologies globally.

What was the overarching US strategy during the Cold War?

• Containment. Marxist-Leninism was inherently expansionist, calling for

worldwide revolution, which compelled the US to attempt to halt its spread

economically, diplomatically, and militarily.

How did democratic/ capitalist nations and communist nations align themselves?

• The notion of collective security on both sides caused like-minded

countries to enter into mutual defense pacts.

Define “arms race”. Why didn’t nuclear war happen?

• The advancement and stockpiling of new weapons, specifically nuclear

bombs during this period. As the US and USSR flaunted their newest

weapons through massive tests, both sides came to realize the devastating

potential for the planet should war break out.

How was the Korean War a “proxy war”?

• The ideological conflict between democratic capitalism and communism

was not exclusive to the US and USSR. The Korean peninsula became

ideologically divided, as well, and war broke out. The Soviets and Chinese

rallied behind the North and the United States and the UN on behalf of

the South. “By proxy,” the Cold War belligerents attempted to further their

goals via the Korean conflict.

What was the Second Red Scare?

• Like the first back in the 1920s, paranoia surrounding the potential for

widespread infiltration of communism into the US ran high following

World War II. This paranoia reached the federal government, as military

officials and high profile civilians were accused of connections to the

USSR by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities

Committee (HUAC).

What was the GI Bill?

• Learning from economic woes following World War I, the GI Bill (officially

the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act) gave WWII veterans access to a free

college education and low-interest home and business loans.

What caused the demographic spike and shift after World War II? Where did people move?

• The postwar population spike in the United States as a result of young men

returning from war to a generally prosperous economy. Massive planned

communities sprang up in suburban areas across the country, especially in

the South and West.

What were two primary causes for increased mass culture?

• The succession of the radio by the television and the continued growth and

pervasiveness of the advertising.

What was the Beat Generation?

• Literary movement that rejected the conformity and capitalism of postwar

America through their writing, as well as through their fashion and drug

use.

What was the decision in Brown v Board of Ed.?

• Segregation justified by Plessy v Ferguson was overturned on the basis of

“separate but equal” being “inherently unequal”. This led to the long and

difficult  process of school integration.

Describe the reaction to Brown v BoE?

• Massive resistance was the broad strategy employed by Southern, white-

majority state legislatures. Over 100 Southern congressmen publicly

rejected the decision, leading to threats of school closures and violence

against black students.

Describe two examples of civil disobedience used by civil rights activists in the 1950s and 60s.

• The Montgomery Bus Boycotts, orchestrated by the NAACP and Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. forced local authorities to desegregate busses.

Similarly, the sit in movement, led predominantly by black college

students, resulted in mass arrests and the eventual desegregation of public

spaces.

What was the March on Washington?

• The 1963 highlight of the civil rights movement in which MLK, Jr. led 200-

300,000 supporters and gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the

steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

What examples of political success did the civil rights movement have in the 1960s?

• Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson publicly befriended the

civil rights movement. LBJ signed multiple pieces of legislation, including

the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Describe alternative approaches to civil rights from that of Dr. King.

• Malcolm X was a very vocal critic of Dr. King’s optimism and nonviolent

methods. He saw white racism as unavoidable, thus the separation of races

was the pragmatic way forward. This sentiment gave rise to more extreme

and militant forms of activism as well as increased conflict with police and

the federal government.

Describe the women’s rights movement during this period.

• This movement called for legislation protecting the economic and social

rights for women. The Equal Rights Amendment would have been the

crowning achievement but conservative backlash prevented it from being

ratified.

How did other groups approach the issue of civil rights? 

•  The support and successes of the African American Civil Rights Movement

inspired the Chicano Movement, American Indian Movement, the

Gay Liberation Movement, among others to use similar tactics of civil

disobedience, nonviolence, and militant activism for gaining protections

and equality.

What was the counterculture movement?

• Predominantly young people who cast off societal restraint with rebellious

styles of clothing, and music, along with experimental drug use and free

love.

How did the Supreme Court address civil liberties in the 1960s?

• Baker v Carr established the precedent for legislative reapportionment,

or redistricting, subject to court review. This attempted to balance the

representation of rural and suburban white communities with increasingly

minority-majority urban communities.

• Engel v Vitale further reaffirmed separation of church and state, making

mandatory Bible readings and teacher-led prayers in public schools are illegal.

Who was Fidel Castro? How did the US respond to his actions?

• The leftist revolutionary who established a communist regime in his native

Cuba in 1959. The US attempted to overthrow his regime through invasion

and assassinate him, though both failed.

What actions did the US take in the Middle East?

• The Central Intelligence Agency assisted in the overthrow of a socialist

government in Iran amid its efforts to nationalize Iranian oil reserves.

What caused the Vietnam War?

• Similar to the Korean War, conflict between communist and democratic

forces broke out, bringing Russia and China to North Vietnam’s aid and

the US to the South.

What escalated American involvement in Vietnam?

• The Gulf of Tonkin incident, though disputed like the sinking of the USS • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Maine in Cuba, was used as justification for increasing American troop

presence in Vietnam.

Describe the outcome of the Vietnam War

• After over a decade of military involvement in Vietnam, over 50,000

Americans died which paled in comparison to the upwards of 2 million

Vietnamese deaths. The US withdrew in 1973 amid massive protests

throughout the late 1960s and early 70s, having never declared war.

What was the Great Society?

• President Lyndon Johnson’s continuation of New Deal era government-led

social and economic reforms. These programs and legislation focused on

safety nets for the poor.

Describe 3 significant Great Society acts of legislation.

• Medicare- Provided health insurance to people over the age of 65

• Medicaid- Provided health insurance to people in low-income situations or with disabilities

• Immigration Act- Abolished immigration quotas

What was stagflation?

• A recession, or a decline in economic activity, struck in the early 1970s.

This slow economic growth, or stagnation, occurred at the same time as

rising prices for goods, or inflation.

What was the Watergate Scandal?

• The 1972-1974 political scandal involving the Nixon administration

in which the Democratic presidential campaign was brazenly spied.

Investigative journalists uncovered the plot. Nixon was impeached,

choosing to resign in order to escape removal from office.

What was the Roe v Wade decision?What effect did this decision have on society?

• The Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a constitutional right on

the basis of the “right to privacy”. This decision galvanized evangelical

Christians around the conservative Republican Party as a vehicle for

opposing the right to abortion.

What was the EPA?

• The Environmental Protection Agency was a regulatory agency that sought

to put limits on the environmental impact of industry on the land, and air,

and water.

1. Cold War tensions & containment

• The U.S. followed the policy of containment (stop spread of communism)
  
  

• Fear of the Domino Theory
  
  → If Vietnam fell to communism, other Southeast Asian countries would follow
  
  

2. Vietnamese independence movement

• Vietnam had been controlled by France
  
  

• After WWII, Ho Chi Minh led a communist nationalist movement
  
  

• Conflict between:
  
  

  • North Vietnam (communist)
    
    

  • South Vietnam (non-communist, backed by U.S.)
    
    

3. Decolonization after WWII

• Many countries were breaking free from European empires
  
  

• Vietnam wanted independence → U.S. saw it as a communist threat instead of a nationalist movement
  
  

4. Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)

• Alleged attack on U.S. ships by North Vietnam
  
  

• Led to Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
  
  → Gave president power to escalate war without formal declaration
  
  

5. Presidential escalation

• Lyndon B. Johnson massively increased troop levels
  
  

• War became a full-scale U.S. military conflict
  
  

⚔ WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE WAR

• Guerrilla warfare used by Viet Cong
  
  

• U.S. used bombing campaigns (ex: Operation Rolling Thunder)
  
  

• War was difficult: unfamiliar terrain, unclear enemy
  
  

Turning Point: Tet Offensive (1968)

• Surprise attack by North Vietnam
  
  

• Militarily failed, but:
  
  → Shocked Americans
  
  → Made people doubt the war
  
  

📉 EFFECTS OF THE VIETNAM WAR

1. U.S. defeat & withdrawal

• Richard Nixon began “Vietnamization” (train South Vietnam to fight)
  
  

• U.S. withdrew troops
  
  

• 1975: North Vietnam wins → Vietnam becomes communist
  
  

2. War Powers Act (1973)

• Limited presidential power to send troops without Congress
  
  

• Reaction to too much executive control during war
  
  

3. Anti-war movement

• Huge protests across U.S. (college students, etc.)
  
  

• Media coverage made war more real (first “televised war”)
  
  

4. Loss of trust in government

• Known as the “credibility gap”
  
  

• Americans began questioning leaders more
  
  

5. Social divisions

• Split between:
  
  

  • “Hawks” (pro-war)
    
    

  • “Doves” (anti-war)
    
    

⏳ CONTEXTUALIZATION (60 YEARS BEFORE = ~1890s–1900s)

For APUSH DBQ, this is CRUCIAL.

🌍 Imperialism & Expansion (1890s–early 1900s)

1. U.S. becoming a global power

• Spanish-American War
  
  → U.S. gained overseas territories (Philippines, Guam)
  
  

2. Philippine-American War (1899–1902)

• U.S. fought Filipino rebels who wanted independence
  
  

• Similar to Vietnam:
  
  

  • Guerrilla warfare
    
    

  • U.S. fighting nationalist movement abroad
    
    

3. Open Door Policy (China)

• U.S. wanted access to Asian markets
  
  

• Shows early interest in Asia → leads into later involvement like Vietnam
  
  

4. Shift toward interventionism

• U.S. moved away from isolationism
  
  

• Became more willing to intervene globally