Why did America get involved in the Vietnam war
Because the locals in south vietnam were turning to support the Vietcong. They feared the spread of communism and the domino effect. The USA wanted to contain the spread of communism
How did the USA support vietnam before the Geneva conference
It supported the french against the Vietminh with money and equipment
How did America support south vietnam just after the Geneva conference
They sent aid, equipment and military advisors
What did Kennedy introduce and why
He introduced a ‘safe village’ system in an attempt to isolate the Vietcong outside
What was the ‘safe village’ system
A system in which Kennedy tried to isolate peasants in villages
Why did the ‘safe village’ system not work
The guerrilla fighter were peasants, and so they continued to operate from the ‘safe villages’
Who succeeded Kennedy
Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ)
What did Johnson believe about the Vietnam war
That it would be won quickly if he drastically increased the involvement of US troops in Vietnam
How much land did the Vietcong manage to take
40 percent of the rural areas
Who seemed to be ‘winning’ when Johnson took over from Kennedy
The Vietcong
How did Johnson justify the ‘need’ for more US involvement in Vietnam
When an American boat was torpedoed in north Vietnamese waters.
How many troops were there during Johnson’s presidency
500 000
How did Johnson believe the way was to defeat the Vietnamese
He believed that America needed to cut off the supplies coming from the Ho Chi Minh trail from north vietnam to the Vietcong.
What did Johnson launch to try and cut off supplies to the Vietcong
Operation rolling thunder
What was operation rolling thunder
A bombing offensive
What was the aim of operation rolling thunder
To cut of the Vietcong from the north Vietnamese support
How did operation rolling thunder plan to achieve its aims
By destroying ports, army bases and supply lines without committing American troops to the war on the ground
What did operation rolling thunder not achieve
It did not weaken the north Vietnamese economy or the Vietcong’s will to fight. It did not stop the flow of men and supplies along the Ho Chi Minh trail
What was Tet
The start of the new lunar year
What was the Tet religious festival
A Vietnamese new year
What was the Tet offensive
The day before Tet, the Vietcong launched a surprise guerrilla attack on south Vietnamese towns and American bases
How did the Vietcong manage to surprise American troops with the Tet offensive
They planned to do it during the festival while people would be going outside with fireworks and decorations so it wouldn’t look suspicious
How did the Vietcong hide their weapons
There were many funerals, so they hid their guns in the coffins
What were the results of the Tet offensive
Both the Vietcong and Americans suffered heavy casualties. It showed that the Vietcong had the capacity to strike the centre of American-held territory thus negatively affecting the morale of American troops and rendering them ineffective. It also indicated to the American public that they could not win the war
