Chapter 20; The Vietnam War Era -1954-1975
Study Guide
The Vietnam
Section 1: Origin of the Vietnam War; pg. 644-648
Section 2: US Involvement Grows; pg. 649-655
Section 3: The War Divides America; pg.657-663
Section 4: The War’s End and Impact; pg. 664-671
Section 5: Nixon and the Cold War; pg. 672-675
1. Ho Chi Minh - The most important voice demanding independence for Vietnam. Became
involved in anti-French organizations and fled Vietnam in n1912. Embraced communism; not
really a communist but a nationalist.
2. Truman and Vietnam - Truman believed if he supported Vietnamese independence he would
weaken anticommunists forces in France- he was anticolonial- but needed France as an ally in
the fight against Soviet communism. After communists took over in China, US sent more aid to
the French in Vietnam Truman did not want a communist victory in Asia- Between 1950-1954
the US sent 2.6 billion to aid the French. Containing the Vietnamese- where action for the
league for the Independence of Vietnam- became a national priority.
3. Domino Theory- Eisenhower continued Truman’s policies toward Vietnam- Theory of
Eisenhower’s that if Vietnam fell to communism its dearest neighbors would follow- This would
threaten Japan, the Philippines and Australia.
4. Dien Bien Phu- 1954 the French lost the battle to regain Vietnam- Vietnamese trapped the
French here- A military base in northwest Vietnam- Siege lasted 55 days. Vietnamese troops
destroyed the French airstrips, cut supply lines and attack Key French positions- May 7 1954after 15,000 casualties the French surrendered.
5. Geneva Accords- The day after Dien Bien Phu falls there is an international peace conference in
Geneva, Switzerland- according to the Geneva Accords, France granted independence to
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The Accords also divided Vietnam at the 17th Parallel into two
countries; North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh’s communist forces ruled in North
Vietnam, and an anticommunist government, supported by the US, assumed power in South
Vietnam. The accords also called for free elections in 1956 to unify Vietnam.
6. SEATO – (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization)formed in 1954 by the US and seven other
countries; similar to NATO. Goal was to contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.
7. Ngo Dinh Diem – Leader of South Vietnam, an ardent Nationalist and anticommunist. He was
not popular but had the support of the US. When it came time for the 1956 unification elections,
American intelligence analysts predicted that Diem would lose to the more popular Ho Chi
Minh. Rather than risk losing, Diem refused to participate in the elections, a move made under
the support of the US government. Diem’s own policies also weakened his position in South
Vietnam. A devout Roman Catholic in an overwhelmingly Buddhist country. Signed antiBuddhist legislation and refused to enact land reforms. By late 1963, Diem regime in a
shambles. Working behind the scenes, Americans plotted with anti-Diem generals to overthrow
Diem’s government. On November 1, 1963, Diem was removed from power, later assassinated
during the Kennedy Administration.
8. Vietcong – Guerilla fighters for the National Liberation Front. A communist rebel group in the
South.
9. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – Passed under LBJ, Congress authorized LBJ “to take all necessary
measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent any further
aggression.” Gave Johnson tremendous war power. Allowed him to commit US troops in South
Vietnam and fight a war against North Vietnam without ever going back to Congress to ask for a
declaration of war.
10. William Westmoreland – The American commander in South Vietnam who advised Johnson
along with Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara. Believed the US needed to increase its military
presence in Vietnam and do more of the fighting in order to win the war.
11. Operation Rolling Thunder – Ordered by LBJ, the first sustained bombing campaign against
North Vietnam. He hoped the intensive bombing would convince North Vietnam to stop
reinforcing the Vietcong in South Vietnam.
12. Napalm – A jellied gasoline which was dropped in large canisters that exploded on impact
covering large areas in flames. Dropped in Vietnam by US pilots along with defoliants like Agent
Orange-used to disrupt the enemy’s food supply- caused cancer and other physical problems.
13. John McCain – Navy pilot shot down over North Vietnam. Spent 5 ½ years in a POW camp.
Senator from Arizona; Republican candidate for President in 2008.
14. Hawks – Congress members, mostly conservatives who supported LBJ’s war policy. Believed
strongly in the containment of Communism and the domino theory. They accepted rising troop
levels, escalating costs and increasing numbers of battlefield deaths. Believed Vietnam was a
crucial front in the Cold War.
15. Doves – Broke with Johnson’s war policies. A diverse group of liberal politicians, pacifists,
student radicals and civil rights leaders. They questioned the war on both moral and strategic
grounds. Believed the conflict was a localized civil war, not a local Cold War battlefield.
16. Draftees – Young men drafted into the military service. By 1965 most were draftees and no
longer volunteers. The government drafted more than 1.5 million men into service during
Vietnam.
17. Deferments- Postponement of military service for college students and men in certain
occupations. Most of the men who served in Vietnam came from working class and poor
backgrounds. (Afr. Amer.)
18. Students for a Democratic Society – Founded in 1960 at the University of Michigan. Originally
formed to campaign against racism and poverty but soon began campaigning to end the war in
Vietnam. Staged protests against the war.
19. Credibility Gap- Emerged between what the Johnson administration said and what journalists
reported. Referred to the American public’s growing distrust of statements made by the
government. (1st televised war)
20. Tet Offensive- Named after the Vietnamese lunar new year. A coordinated assault on 36
provincial capitals and 5 major cities, as well as the US embassy in Saigon (now called Ho Chi
Minh City). Communist s planned to take and hold the cities until the urban population took
arms in their support. Thought this had a good chance of ending the war. American and South
Vietnamese forces repelled the offensive and there were no popular uprisings against the
government of South Vietnam. Although US forces won a tactical victory by preventing the
Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army from achieving their primary objectives, the Tet Offensive
was a strategic blow to the Americans. It demonstrated that the communists had not lost the
will or ability to fight.
21. Eugene McCarthy- Minnesota senator and an anti-war candidate for the Democratic Party 1968
nomination.
22. Robert F. Kennedy- New York Democratic Senator who ran for the nomination in 1968.
23. MLK Assassination-James Earl Ray/April4, 1968/Memphis,TN
24. RFK Assassination- Ambassador Hotel/Sirhan Sirhan/June 5, 1968. JFK’s brother.
25. 1968 Demoncratic Convention in Chicago- Anti-war protesters arrived and Chicago’s mayor
deployed police and members of the National Guard to prevent violence. Democrats chose
Hubert Humphrey; LBJ’s VP over McCarthy who was supported by anti-war groups. Violence
erupted outside between the police and protesters. Police beat protesters with nightsticks; was
on TV and shocked many Americans; the division and violence in Chicago mirrored the deep
divisions in American politics and the heartbreaking violence on the front lines in Vietnam.
26. Richard Nixon- Won the 1968 Presidential election.
27. Vietnamization- Nixon’s plan where US forces would withdraw as South Vietnam forces would
assume more combat duties and with continued American aid behind the front lines, the South
would fight its battles to secure South Vietnam. (peace talks-Nixon refused North’s terms)
28. “Peace with Honor”- Peace with Vietnam after the US pulls out (not give up)
29. Cambodia-Nixon ordered attacks on Moth Vietnamese bases in Cambodia because he thought
the war was moving too slow. Caused more anti-war sentiment in US. (Ho Chi Minh Trail in
Cambodia)
30. Khmer Rouge-communist movement in Cambodia supported by North Vietnam.
Pol Pot-The Killing Field
31. Kent State Shootings in Ohio- Protest caused the National Guard to be brought in. On campus
protesters threw rocks and bottles at the National Guard. One guardsman thought he heard a
shot and fired a shot, causing others to shoot into a group of protesters. Killing 4 people.
Caused many more anti-war protests on other college campuses.
32. My Lai- Village where American soldiers, looking for Vietcong, shot and killed unarmed citizens
-killed between 400-500 people- Lieutenant said he was following orders. Many soldiers did not
participate in the massacre. Investigation was inadequate (cover up). Life Magazine published
pictures of the massacre which caused more anti-war sentiment. (pg. 667)
33. Pentagon Papers- Published in the NY Times; referred to a classified government history of
America’s involvement in Vietnam. Nixon tried to block the publication of these.
34. New York Times v. US- Supreme Court Case “Pentagon Papers Case”-ruled against the Nixon
Administration. The study revealed that American leaders involved the US in Vietnam without
fully informing the American people and occasionally even lied to Congress.
35. Paris Peace Accords- Signed by US, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong. They
agreed to a cease fire and a US troop withdrawal from South Vietnam. POWs would be
exchanged, but North Vietnam troops would remain in the South. The National Liberation Front
would become a legitimate political party in the South. The South’s noncommunist government
would remain in power pending a political settlement.
36. Fall of Saigon- Spring of 1975 the North launched a siege on the South. South could not fight
them and Saigon fell. Vietnam was now unified.
37. Vietnam Veterans Memorial- pg.669 (casualties)
38. Born of the Fourth of July- Written by Kovac about his treatment on returning to US paralyzed.
Tom Cruise/Oliver Stone movie. (Cambodia pg.669)
39. War Powers Act- Passed in Congress in 1973. Restricted the President’s War Making Powers by
requiring him to consult with Congress within 48 hrs. of committing American forces to a foreign
conflict. A Congressional attempt to check the unilateral formation of American foreign policy
and stop the growth of the imperial presidency.
40. Henry Kissinger – Nixon’s National Security Advisor and later Sec. of State.
41. Realpolitik- Embraced by Nixon and Kissinger. Political goals should be defined by concrete
National interests instead of abstract ideologies.
42. Nixon & China. (Ping Pong pg. 674)
43. Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty- Agreed to at the summit between Brezhnev and Nixon. Froze
the deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles and placed limits on anti-ballistic missiles but
did not alter the stock-piling.
44. Leonid Brezhnev- Soviet Leader who feared that improved relations between the US & China
would isolate Russia; invited Nixon to Russia. Signed SALT I with Nixon.
45. De’tente- A policy aimed at easing Cold War tensions