Name______________
Pd.________
The Vietnam War Year (1954-1975)
Vocabulary
Chapter 29, Pgs. 906-933
Learning Goal: Students will understand the causes and effects of the Vietnam War in the
United States and its legacy.
Directions: Use your textbook to find definitions for each of the words listed below. Write the
definitions in a way that you will understand them. You do not need to copy word for word.
Please write your definitions on a separate sheet of paper. You WILL be handing in your
definitions on the day of the Vocab Test.
Section 1: Cold War Roots of the Conflict, Pgs. 908-913
1. French Indochina- French-ruled colony made up of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
2. Ho Chi Minh- revolutionary founder of the Indochinese Communist Party
3. Domino Theory- belief that if a country fell to communism, nearby countries would
follow
4. Ngo Dinh Diem- leader of South Vietnam
5. Bay of Pigs invasion- failed U.S. attempt to overthrow Cuba’s Communist leader
6. Cuban missile crisis- 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union
caused by Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba
7. Viet Cong- South Vietnamese who fought to overthrow the Diem government and
reunite the country under Communist rule
8. Ho Chi Minh Trail- secret route used by North Vietnamese to send troops and supplies to
the Viet Cong
9. Communism- system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy
10. Guerillas- small bands of fighters who weaken the enemy with surprise raids and hitand-run attacks
Section 2: War Expands in Vietnam, Pgs. 914-919
11. Guerrilla warfare- surprise attacks by small band of fighters
12. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- 1964 legislation that gave President Johnson the power to use
military force in Vietnam
13. Escalation- policy of increasing military involvement in Vietnam
14. William Westmoreland- general in command of U.S. forces in South Vietnam
15. Tet offensive- surprise Communist attack on U.S. and South Vietnamese forces in 1968;
further weakened American support for the war
16. Napalm- jellied gasoline that burns violently; used to destroy vegetation and as a
weapon
17. Agent Orange- chemical that kills plants; used in Vietnam to expose Viet Cong hideouts
Name______________
Pd.________
The Vietnam War Year (1954-1975)
Vocabulary
Chapter 29, Pgs. 906-933
Section 3: Conflicts at Home, Pgs. 920-925
18. Counterculture- movement of mostly young Americans who had become disillusioned
with the Vietnam War and injustices in society
19. doves- U.S. citizens who opposed the Vietnam War
20. hawks- U.S. citizens who supported the Vietnam War
21. Richard Nixon- Republican president elected in 1968
22. Vietnamization- strategy for withdrawing U.S. troops and turning the ground fighting
over to the South Vietnamese
23. Cambodia- country bordering Vietnam
24. Commune- a place where people or families live together and share everything
Section 4: The Vietnam War Ends, Pgs. 926-929
25. Twenty-sixth Amendment- Constitutional amendment passed in 1971 that lowered the
voting age from 21-18
26. War Powers Act- legislation passed in 1973 to limit the president’s war-making powers
27. Ambush- an unexpected attack from a hidden position