unit 9 + 10 Flashcards
who was John F. Kennedy, what did he advocate for?
JKF was the democratic 36th president of the United States. In contrast to Eisenhower, he advocated for a Flexible Response, meaning that he wanted every aspect of the military to be built up so the country could respond to any threat. He was assassinated 2 and a half years into his term, but oversaw the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin Wall, and the beginning of the Vietnam War.
Who was Fidel Castro? What was the official American response to him? What did his take over cause to occur in Florida?
a Cuban communist revolutionary who overthrew the regime of Batista. Originally, Eisenhower attempted to develop good relations with him, but he was openly determined to nationalize land held by U.S. citizens and enforce radical reform measures while accepting Soviet economic and military aid. Castro taking over led many Cubans to immigrate to Miami and southern Florida. Castro’s motto was “the U.S. is a great evil.”
What was the Bay of Pigs Invasion? Who authorized it, what organization was involved in the planning and executing it?
After Eisenhower broke relations with Cuba, he authorized the CIA to plan an invasion to overthrow Castro. When Eisenhower left office, Kennedy chose to authorize the invasion due to pressure from the CIA and his aides. The invasion was a CIA led force of Cuban exiles that attacked Cuba. Their forces were poorly equipped, and they landed at a site with no protective cover. Only 300 of 1400 survived, making the invasion a massive failure. It also strengthened Castro’s position against the United States.
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
U.S. intelligence discovered that the Soviets were building nuclear missile sites in Cuba, believed to be an attempt to protect Castro from another U.S. invasion. Kennedy demanded removal of the missiles and announced a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent the Soviets from completing the missiles. Kennedy worked for a diplomatic solution and agreed that he would remove U.S. missiles from Turkey and Italy if the Soviets removed theirs from Cuba. Nikita Khrushchev agreed to this after 6 days, ending the crisis.
What was the impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis? What is the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?
Khrushchev lost prestige in the Soviet Union and Kennedy was seen as a more nature leader. The crisis prompted the countries to move towards peace, or a relaxing of the tensions between rivals. they installed a hot line form Washington D.C. to Moscow to improve communication. The year after the crisis, the U.S., the S.U., and Great Britain agreed on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which was the first nuclear weapons agreement and ended aboveground nuclear tests.
What was the Berlin Wall? What led to its establishment?
Khrushchev wanted to place the western zones of Berlin under the control of east Germany, which was part of the S.U., motivated by the flow of East German workers in West Berlin. Kennedy refused to give up the land, as he did not want to end the occupation rights he considered critical to defending Western Europe. After a meeting to resolve the issue failed, Khrushchev ordered the construction of a wall dividing East and West Berlin. The Berlin Wall became a visible symbol of the war between the communist east and the democratic west.
who is Ho Chi Minh? What he was known for rebelling against?
The French ruled over Indochina and Vietnam in an exploitative manner. Ho Chi Minh was an important voice in demanding independence for Vietnam. He embraced communism, and the Soviets rallied to his cause of converting Vietnam. In this area, Truman decided to support France despite his anticolonial sentiments to ensure an anticommunist Europe.
Vietminh
Ho Chi Minh’s communist army in North Vietnam. They fought only when victory was assured, and never on their enemy’s terms. They used guerilla and ambush methods, as well as booby traps and land mines. This method meant that even if the U.S. won many battles, they could never win the war as they never fought in significant engagements.
What was the Domino Theory
The idea supported by Eisenhower stating that is Vietnam fell to communisms, it’s neighbors would follow. This spread the idea that stopping communists in Vietnam was important to the protection of the entire region.
What was Dien Bien Phu? What occurred there?
A French military base in northwest Vietnam. Here, anticommunist military forces were trapped by the Vietminh, who laid violent siege for 55 days. After this, the French surrendered and Vietnam was independent. It was divided into North and South at the Seventeenth Parallel in 1954, with the agreement that there would be a free election in 1956 to unify the country under the winner.
Who was Ngo Dinh Diem
The United States helped install the anticommunist and nationalist leader Diem in South Vietnam. He was highly unpopular due to policies preventing Buddhism, and when the time for the election came he refused to participate in it rather than lose, which was supported by the U.S.
Vietcong
Guerilla fighters in the communist rebel group of South Vietnam called the National Liberation Front.
What was the Gulf of Tonkin resolution? What was the perception of it?
The result of a missile being fired at a U.S. warship. President Johnson asked congress to authorize the use of force to defend American troops. This resolution authorized the president to take all necessary measures to repel armed attacks against communist forces. It allowed him to commit troops to wars without a declaration, and was seen as congress handing its constitutional war powers to the executive branch, which raised questions about the unequal relations between the branches.
Who was William Westmoreland?
William Westmoreland was the American commander in South Vietnam, he believed that the U.S. needed to increase its military presence in Vietnam and do more fighting to win the war. This was fulfilled by Operation Rolling Thunder, which was a sustained bombing campaign against North VIetnam.
what are Napalm and Agent Orange
Napalm is jellied gasoline which was dropped in cannisters that exploded on impact and covered large areas in flames. Agent Orange is an herbicide chemical that killed forests the Vietcong used to hide in.
