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Unit 4: International experiences in the Modern World (The Cold War 1945 to 1991)
Quick questions on The Vietnam War 1955 to 1975: QCE Modern History Unit 4
15short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is french colonialism in Indochina?Show answer
France ruled Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from the 1860s. Resistance was led from the 1930s by Ho Chi Minh, founder of the Vietnamese Communist Party (1930) and the Viet Minh nationalist movement (1941).
What is wWII and Japanese occupation?Show answer
Japan occupied Indochina from 1940. Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh fought a guerrilla campaign against Japanese forces. In August 1945, the Viet Minh declared independence (Hanoi declaration, September 2, 1945, paraphrasing the US Declaration of Independence).
What is french return?Show answer
France refused to recognise Vietnamese independence and re-imposed colonial control. The First Indochina War (1946-1954) was an anti-colonial conflict. France was supported by the USA after 1950 (when the Cold War reframed the conflict as anti-communist).
What is dien Bien Phu?Show answer
Vietnamese forces under General Vo Nguyen Giap besieged and defeated a French fortified position. The decisive defeat ended French resolve.
What are geneva Accords?Show answer
Conference of major powers and Vietnamese parties: - Vietnam temporarily divided at the 17th parallel. - North: Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) under Ho Chi Minh, communist. - South: State of Vietnam (later Republic of Vietnam) initially under Bao Dai, then Ngo Dinh Diem.
What is containment and the domino theory?Show answer
Eisenhower articulated the domino theory in 1954: if Vietnam fell to communism, neighbouring states (Laos, Cambodia, Thailand) would follow. US support for Diem's South Vietnam was framed as containing communist expansion in Southeast Asia.
What is insurgency in South Vietnam?Show answer
Communist sympathisers in the South (later organised as the National Liberation Front, "Viet Cong", from 1960) began guerrilla operations against Diem's government. The North supported them through the Ho Chi Minh Trail (1959 onwards).
What is diem's regime?Show answer
Authoritarian, Catholic-dominated, alienating the Buddhist majority. The "Buddhist crisis" (1963) saw monks self-immolate in protest. Diem was assassinated in a US-supported coup on November 2, 1963 (three weeks before Kennedy's own assassination).
What is gulf of Tonkin incident?Show answer
US destroyer USS Maddox reported attacks by North Vietnamese boats. The second alleged attack (August 4) was later acknowledged as not having occurred. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 7) authorising military action without formal declaration of war.
What is operation Rolling Thunder?Show answer
Sustained US bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
What is ground troop deployment?Show answer
US forces in South Vietnam: 23,000 (1964); 184,000 (1965); 385,000 (1966); 485,000 (1967); 536,000 peak (1968).
What is australian involvement?Show answer
Australia committed forces from 1962 (advisers) and combat troops from 1965 (1st Australian Task Force). Peak commitment around 8,300. Around 500 Australians killed.
What is tet Offensive?Show answer
Coordinated Viet Cong / NVA attacks on over 100 South Vietnamese cities and towns during the Lunar New Year (Tet). Major fighting in Hue (held by NVA for 25 days) and Saigon (including the US embassy compound). Tactically the offensive was repulsed but at heavy Viet Cong losses; the Viet Cong as a fighting force was greatly weakened.
What is domestic political consequence?Show answer
Walter Cronkite's "stalemate" broadcast (February 27, 1968). Johnson announced (March 31, 1968) he would not seek re-election. Peace talks began in Paris (May 1968).
What is vietnamization?Show answer
Withdraw US ground troops while building up South Vietnamese capacity. US troop numbers fell from 536,000 (1968) to under 30,000 by 1972.