The Vietnam War
Study Guide: Chapter 30
Key Terms:
Dien Bien Phu
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Vietminh/Vietcong
ARVN
Domino Theory
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Agent Orange
Credibility Gap
Draft
New Left
Dove
Hawk
Free Speech Movement
Vietnamization
Tet Offensive
silent majority
My Lai Massacre
Kent State University
Pentagon Papers
War Powers Act
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
Key People:
Ho Chi Minh
Ngo Dinh Diem
Robert McNamara
General Westmoreland
Robert Kennedy
Eugene McCarthy
Hubert Humphrey
George Wallace
Richard Nixon
Henry Kissinger
Lyndon Johnson
Key Concepts:
1. Explain the gradual escalation of US involvement in Vietnam from initial aid to the French through
the end of Johnson’s administration.
2. Explain the reasons for the growth of the anti-war movement in the United States.
3. What was the impact of the Tet Offensive on the United States, both militarily and politically?
4. Explain Nixon’s handling of the war following his election in 1968. How did he attempt to end the
war and maintain “peace with honor?”
5. How does the conflict in Vietnam eventually end, both for the United States and South Vietnam?
6. Explain the legacy of Vietnam on American society. Think social/political impact.