Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

History > Vietnam War > Flashcards

Vietnam War Flashcards

(74 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What three countries made up idochina?

A

Loas
Cambodia
Vietnam

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Who controlled Indochina? (Before ww2)

A

France

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Who were the Vietminh?

A

The league for the independence of Vietnam, a nationalist, communist - dominated movement originally formed in 1941 to fight for Vietnamese independence from French rule

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What was the name of the battle where the french lost control over Vietnam?

A

Dien Bien Phu

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Was NORTH Vietnam communist or capitalist? And who led it?

A

Communist and led by Ho Chi Minh

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Was SOUTH Vietnam communist or capitalist? Who led it?

A

Capitalist and led by Ngo Dinh Diem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

When France was fighting for control over Vietnam who supported each side?

A

The USA supported France and China supported Vietnam

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

When was the battle of Dien Bien Phu?

A

March 1954

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How many French soldiers were sent into the battle of Dien Bien Phu? And how many survived?

A

16,500 were sent in but only 3,000 survived

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How much money did the USA supply France with to defeat the Vietminh and why would they?

A

$3 billion and they did this to prevent the spread of communism as the Vietnam war took place at the same time as the Cold War

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What were some of the reasons why the Vietminh won at the battle of Bien Dien Phu?

A
  • The Vietminh knew the country well (home advantage)
  • China supplied the Vietminh with weapons, ammunition and troops
  • The Vietminh were very committed (they worked even during the night)
  • Villagers helped the Vietminh move supplies and spy.
  • The Vietminh were more motivated as they were defending their country
  • The french underestimated the local support for the Vietminh and how armed they were
  • The French supply planes were shot down by the Vietminh using anti-aircraft guns
  • China supplied Vietminh with 20,000 bikes to move supplies
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What was decided at the Geneva accords?

A

Vietnam would be split into two separate countries, separated by a demilitarised zone.
Ho Chi Minh would run the northern part
Bao Dai would run the southern part
Vietnamese troops and people could move North or South during 300 days after the agreement
And in July 1956, elections would take place

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

On what parallel was Vietnam split?

A

17th

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

In October 1955, Ngo Dinh Diem was elected. What is a bit of evidence that proved that the elections were rigged?

A

he got 650,000 votes from Saigon but only 450,000 people lived there

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Why was Diem and his government unpopular?

A
  • He was a catholic (most Vietnamese were Buddhists)
  • He persecuted Buddhists
  • He policies favoured the catholic landowners
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What did the Buddhists do as protest in 1963?

A

They set themselves on fire with petrol

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Eisenhower encouraged Diem to make reforms. He didnt. What did he do instead?

A
  • He raised taxes
  • He took land from peasants
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

In 1960 the NLF began a guerilla movement against Diem. What does NLF stand for?

A

National Liberation Front

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How much money did Kennedy spend on military support for Diem?

A

$270 million

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What was the Strategic Hamlet Program?

A

The US policy of creating fake villages and moving peasants in. These villages were fortified and surrounded by troops.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How many hamlets were set up?

A

Around 3,000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What does ARVN mean?

A

It is the acronym for the south Vietnamese army

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Why did the strategic hamlets fail?

A

They just trapped communists in with capitalists.
The peasants missed their homes
They were unable to identify communists and capitalists.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How many troops were in the Vietcong in 1963 vs 1965

A

1963 - 23,000
1965 - 170,000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What is it called when you set yourself on fire as protest?
Self-immulating
26
What was the Ho Chi Minh trail?
A series of dirt paths which ran through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. North Vietnam sent troops and supplies to Vietcong in the South
27
What was the golf of tonkins resolution? And when?
In 1964. And it was when Johnson claimed they were being attacked for the second time so America had a reason to start the Vietnam war
28
By 1964 the Vietcong were more of a threat. Why?
Communist China and the USSR supplied ammunition, troops and general support The Vietcong won local support ( helped farmers) North Vietnam sent more people over The south Vietnamese government was very unpopular and seen as a puppet of the US. (In -fighting) The Vietcong had time on their side Vietcong propaganda claimed they were fighting the us to end poverty, injustice and unite vietnam
29
How long was the Vietnamese tunnel network?
Over 250km
30
What were punji traps?
The Vietcong would placed trip wires or dig holes filled with spikes (sometimes covered in excrement) and then cover the hole with leaves to deceive the enemy.
31
What was the tunnel system?
Used by the Vietcong as a hiding spot they had dormitories, hospitals, supply routes, food and weapons.
32
What was the original US campaign and what did they change it to?
‘Hearts and minds’ to ‘search and destroy’
33
The Americans are in a quagmire. What is a quagmire?
A sticky situation that you can’t get out of
34
What was operation Rolling thunder?
It was when America dropped bombs on Vietnam causing over $300 million in damages. roughly $400,000 per each Vietcong killed as they hid out underground
35
What was operation ranch hand?
When Agent Orange and Napalm was used to strip the leaves out of the jungle to reveal the Ho Chi Minh trail. This is called defoliation.
36
Drinking agent orange led to what?
Genetic Mutations
37
What is Tet?
Vietnamese new year - celebrated 30th January
38
What was the Tet offensive?
A series of attacks on 26 cities and US bases in South Vietnam by the North Vietnamese and Vietcong. Began on Tet
39
How long did the Tet offensive last?
2 months
40
How many US troops had Johnson sent into Vietnam?
500,000
41
How many North Vietnamese troops played a part in the Tet offensive?
85,000
42
What was one of the bloodiest battles due to Tet?
The battle of Hue
43
How many US and South Vietnamese troops were killed? - in the battle of Hue
4,000 US 14,000 SV
44
An estimated ……………… NLF soldiers were killed compared to 2,500 Americans.
37,000
45
On the evening of January 31st 1968. How many members of the NLF launched a surprise attack?
70,000
46
What is a word to describe how Eisenhower handled the Vietnam war?
AID. He provided aid to south Vietnam
47
What is a word to describe how Kennedy handled the Vietnam war?
ADVISE. He sent over 16,000 advisers.
48
What is a word to describe how Johnson handled the Vietnam war?
WAR. Johnson actually started the war and carried out most of the major operations in vietnam
49
What is a word to describe how Nixon handled the Vietnam war?
LIES.
50
What did vietnamisation mean?
Ending US involvement in Vietnam and handing the war back to South Vietnam
51
What were Nixons two policies?
Vietnamisation Escalation of the war
52
How did Nixon escalate the war?
He expanded it to Cambodia and Laos
53
What was the madman theory?
The idea that Nixon would act like a madman and claim that he was insane and tell NV that he would nuke them.
54
How many bombs were dropped on Cambodia during Nixon’s presidency?
3 million tonnes
55
How many people in Cambodia were killed?
100,000 and 2 million were made homeless
56
Who were the silent majority as Nixon called them?
The people who supported Nixon in the Vietnam war but were not vocal about their decision
57
How many Americans died in the Vietnam war?
58,000
58
Why would politicians oppose the Vietnam war?
Because of the corrupt regime in South Vietnam
59
Why would Vietnam veterans oppose the Vietnam war?
PTSD
60
Why would black Americans oppose the Vietnam war?
Because they were greatly affected by the socio-economic cutbacks caused by the war
61
Why would women oppose the Vietnam war?
Because they had husbands and sons sent out to fight and many returned with PTSD
62
Why would supporters of the civil rights movement be opposed to the Vietnam war?
Because proportionally more black men were conscripted than white men and it took the attention off of racial inequality.
63
Why would ‘members of the great society’ oppose the Vietnam war?
Because the war in 1968 alone cost $88 billion dollars. compared to the education&health&housing which cost $24 billion
64
Why did opposition to the Vietnam war grow (give three)
US methods of warfare (chemical & search and destroy) The draft system (Young boys - average soldier was 19) Media coverage of the war (First widely televised war - colour TV) US casualties 1965 - under 2,000 but by 1968- 14,000 Political (pentagon papers showed that the government had lied about the reason for war)
65
In the My Lai massacre what was the company called?
Charlie
66
My Lai massacre. What was the company’s mission?
To destroy pinkville and all its inhabitants
67
My lai massacre. What made it so terrible?
Men, women and kids were killed - indiscriminate
68
My Lai massacre, how many officers were charged?
14 but only 1 was convicted
69
How many were murdered during the My Lai massacre?
347
70
What happened to Lt Calley?
He was found guilty and was given a life sentence but was released after only three
71
What was operation Phoenix?
An operation which aimed for the army to identify and arrest at least 3,000 Vietcong monthly. Over 28,000 were arrested and many were tortured
72
What happened at Kent state university in 1970?
There was a peaceful protest done by students. The mayor of Kent ordered a civil emergency. 1000 students burnt down a campus building. 1,200 national guard turned up and used tear gas and bayonets to push the crowd back The guard advanced and 61 shots were fired - 4 students were killed by the bullets. Which then eventually led to 100,000 ppl protesting at the whitehouse.
73
In 1964 85% of people in America supported the war? What was the percentage in 1970?
50%
74
Why did the fear of communism mean many Americans supported the war?
McCarthyism The spread of communism in Asia The activities of the Vietcong and the domino theory Fear that the USSR/communism would attack since the golf of tonkins

History (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions