Changes Under Nixon 69-73 Flashcards
(12 cards)
What did the Nixon doctrine state
July 1969
US would fulfill any existing promises to the ARVN
Would help if the threat of nuclear war was imminent
However the US would only help financially reducing military involvement
Nixons promise of Vietnamisation
Nixon wanted US troops to withdraw whilst keeping up the appearance that the US did not lose
The ARVN would take matters into their own hands
The US would still remain vigilant if Vietnam was under communist takeover
They would help only in a financial capacity
Why did Vietnamisation eventually fail ?
US did not supply the ARVN with enough training and equipment leading to desertion and corruption
Attacks on Cambodia and Laos 1970-71
Despite promises of deescalation Nixon sends troops to prevent North Vietnamese from helping Cambodia’s communist powers.
Congress were outraged and cancelled the Gulf of Tonkin resolution leading to huge decrease in military spending
US also gave air aupport to ARVN when invading Laos to prevent communist influence form spreading
Bombing North Vietnam and 1972
In April the USA bombed North vietnam in an attempt to prevent supplies arriving from china and the USSR
Communications were crippled and industry was destroyed.
It caused the USSR to prompt North Vietnam to sign a peace treaty
Features of the negotiations 1973
All countries would accept Vietnam as a single unified country
There would be an immediate ceasefire
The US would stop all interference in Vietnamese politics
Where and when was the agreement signed
Paris 1973
How was the treaty significant
Finally allowed the US to render all ties with Vietnam
However the removal of all funding and bad harvests caused the south Vietnamese economy collapsed
This lead to the increased popularity of the vietcong and eventually in 1975 Saigon fell to communism and all of US actions were meaningless.
What were the costs of the Vietnam war
Cost the US 167 billion leading to domestic cutbacks and caused economic problems in the US
Over 58000 died and 75000 were left disabled
850000 suffered severe mental problems causing a huge increase of suicides among veterans of the war
Why did the US get involved
Fear of communism
Patriotism - Americans were concerned to keep the US standing high therefore meaning that the US Could not lose against the Vietcong as a defeat would embarrass them on the world stage
The silent majority- a televised speech in 1969 where Nixon argued that the majority of Americans backed the war, he was completely correct with 77 percent of citizens in favour of US involvement .
North Vietnamese strengths
Soldiers were familiar with the topography giving them advantage over US troops
Many people wanted a unified Vietnam and would gladly volunteer to fight
The Vietnamese expected full military involvement from both extremely young and old citizens
Between 54- 67 USSR and china had given the country 3 billion in aid . The USSR remained North vietnams biggest economic supporter and supplied them with sufficient supplies .
They were committed to their goals and unlike the US soldiers were more prepared to fight in extreme conditions . They were used to fight in jungle conditions allowing them to execute guerrilla style warfare
The weakness of the US armed forces
The US fought a war that had no clear public agreement casting doubt and hesitance across the government
For the first time war veterans would protest against Vietnam
Huge amounts of media criticisms targeted at how the military executed their actions
Their was a gradual decrease in military funding
The south Vietnamese never fully agreed with the US the people simply saw them as a foreign nation interfering with matters that had no need for them and the majority of the south Vietnamese people preferred North Vietnamese values .
US failed to see that no matter how many troops were deployed if they did not change how they fought then there would be no victory and prioritised the amount of VC they eliminated rather than how much territory they actually controlled.
Most troops were young and inexperienced
The troops were not used to fight in jungle conditions were hit and run tactics were most prominent
