The Brezhnev Era, 1972-1985: the USA and SE Asia - Costs of War

Question 1

How did domestic attitudes towards US involvement in Vietnam change?

Answer 1

• Before the 1968 Test Offensive, there was general support for the war
• Afterwards, strong anti-war culture present
• Often divided classes, as most soldiers were working class and university students could be exempt
• Most loudest protests at universities

Question 2

How many Americans died in the Vietnam
War?

Answer 2

•Over 58,000

Question 3

How many Americans served in Vietnam?

Answer 3

• Around 2.7 million people
- Over 9% of the US population at the time

Question 4

How were veterans affected by the war?

Answer 4

• Many ostracised by peace movements that believed them to be supporters of US policy
• Many rejected due to brutality of US troops and loss of war
• Physical and mental trauma
• Some felt indifference towards veterans

Question 5

How many American ‘draft dodgers’ fled from the US?

Answer 5

•100,000 men
- Most went to Canada and were accepted as legal immigrants

Question 6

How did Ford and Carter try deal with draft dodgers?

Answer 6

• Ford

• Ford created a Clemency Board to manage an ‘earned amnesty process
• Divided US: some saw as justifiable, others didn’t as other men had to serve

• Carter

• In January 1977, in his inauguration speech, he announced he would give amnesty to all draft dodgers
• Controversial

Question 7

When did Carter announce he would grant amnesty to all draft dodgers?

Answer 7

•January 1977
- In his inauguration speech

Question 8

How much did the war cost for the US?

Answer 8

•$167 billion

Question 9

How did the war affect funding for domestic policies?

Answer 9

• Many domestic programmes suffered e.g Johnson’s ‘Great
Society’
• Included reforms to eliminate poverty and racism

Question 10

Describe whether containment failed in Southeast Asia following
Northern Victory

Answer 10

• South Vietnam regarded as foundation of democracy in
Southeast Asia
• Loss of South Vietnam implied other countries falling to
communism through domino effect
• Cambodia and Laos fell to communism
• Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia remained capitalist

Question 11

Which Southeast Asian countries fell to communism after Northern victory and which countries didn’t?

Answer 11

• Communist

• Cambodia
• Laos

• Capitalist

• Thailand
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Indonesia

Question 12

How many estimated casualties did Vietnam face?

Answer 12

• 1.3 to 9 million killed during all hostilities

Question 13

How many NLF and NVA fighters were killed and how many ARVN fighters were killed?

Answer 13

• NLF and NVA
- 1.1 million
• ARVN
- 100,000 to 330,000

Question 14

How many civilian casualties were there?

Answer 14

•Around 250,000

Question 15

How did US actions affect Vietnam’s economy and foreign relations?

Answer 15

• Ford opposed Vietnam’s entry into United Nations, isolating
Vietnam from international community
• Ford imposed trade embargo formally lasting until 1995
• Slowed Vietnam’s economic growth

Question 16

When did the US trade embargo on Vietnam formally end?

Answer 16

•1995

Question 17

How did the war affect Vietnam’s infrastructure?

Answer 17

• Bombing

• 643,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam
• 700.000 tons on South Vietnam
• Massive destruction of agricultural land

• Chemical warfare

• Operation Ranch Hand was defoliation programme to expose guerrilla fighters
• Agent Orange and Napalm used to poison over 6 million acres of South Vietnamese land

Question 18

How many tons of bombs were dropped on
North and South Vietnam?

Answer 18

• North Vietnam
- 643,000 tons

• South Vietnam
- 700,000 tons

Question 19

Which US military operation involved the defoliation of South
Vietnamese jungles? When did this operation occur?

Answer 19

• Operation Ranch Hand
- 1962-1971

Question 20

How many acres of South Vietnamese land were poisoned?

Answer 20

• Over 6 million acres

Question 21

Did the US provide reparations?

Answer 21

•No

Question 22

How was presidential powers affected by the war?

Answer 22

• In 1973, the US Congress passed the War Powers Act
• Gave Congress the right to declare war, preventing presidents from acting without Congress’ consent
• Reversed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964

Question 23

When was the War Powers Act passed?

Answer 23

•1973

Question 24

When was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed?

Answer 24

•1964

Question 25

Give examples of Vietnam’s reforms following the war

Answer 25

• Many southerners forced into ‘re-education camps’
• In March 1978, southern resentment increased after Hanoi hastily imposed a communist-style economic system in the South
• Collectivisation of agriculture was introduced and many
Southern farms lost their livelihoods

Question 26

What is collectivisation?

Answer 26

• The practice of combining farming units into large single units
• These would be controlled b the state and each would have production targets

Question 27

How many people left Vietnam? How many went to the US?

Answer 27

• About 1.5 million people
- Approx. two-thirds went to the US

Question 28

What ideology does Vietnam currently have? How are relations with the US?

Answer 28

• Socialist republic that has embraced capitalism
- Now has positive relationship with US, which benefits it financially