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The USSR (Communist) in 8 points:
1. Was a one party dictatorship. They had
elections, but all of the candidates were
Communist (what was the point
exactly?!!!)
2. Saw the rights of individuals as much
less important than the good of society
and therefore tightly controlled
individuals’ lives.
3. Had censorship.
4. Believed that other countries should be
run in the Communist way.
5. Firmly believed that the role of the
Communist state was to encourage a
worldwide Communist revolution.
6. Were bitterly opposed to Capitalism.
7. Believved that everyone was EQUAL.
8. Had an extensive Secret Police service
(KGB)
The USA (Capitalist) in 8 points:
1. Was a democracy, its government
was chosen in free democratic
elections.
2. It was capitalist. Business and
property were privately owned.
3. For Americans being free of
government control was more
important than everyone being
equal.
4. 4. Believed that other countries
should be run in the American way.
5. Were bitterly opposed to
Communism and were scared by the
Communist desire for a revolution.
6. Saw their policy as ‘doing the right
thing’ rather than serving the
interest of the USA.
7. Believed that you got out what you
put in, ie that everyone was an
individual and not equal.
8. Believed in the freedom of speech.
The Potsdam Conference July – August 1945:
- Truman, Stalin and Atlee.
- A very different conference.
- Stalin’s armies now occupied most of
Eastern Europe, Communist governments
had been set up there.
- Roosevelt had died and the anti-Communist
Truman was now President of America.
- 16th July had seen the USA test the atomic
bomb. Truman informed Stalin (generally
about it.
- Disagreement over whether to cripple
Germany or not.
- Disagreement over the level of reparations
(if any)
- Disagreement over what ‘sphere of influence
meant’
The Yalta Conference: Feb 1945:
- Roosevelt, Stalin and
Churchill
- Overall a positive
conference.
- Stalin agreed to enter the
war against Japan once
Germany surrendered.
- Agreement to hunt down
war criminals responsible
for the Holocaust.
- Free elections for countries
liberated from Germany.
- Create the UN.
- Eastern Europe to be
‘sphere of influence’
Stalin tightens his control:
Having got Communist governments in
Eastern Europe, Stalin now wanted to
tighten his control in each country. As a
result he set up:
- The Communist Information
Bureau (Cominform) in 1947 to
co-ordinate the work of the
Communist parties of Eastern
Europe. Leaders were often
brought to Moscow to be
‘briefed’ (checked for loyalty!
- Yugoslavia’s Tito escaped this
close control and was expelled
from Cominform in 1948!
Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ Speech
- By 1946 Poland, Hungary, Romania,
Bulgaria and Albania all had
Communist governments.
- Churchill described the border
between the Soviet Controlled
countries and the west as an ‘Iron
Curtain’. The Name stuck.
Start of the Cold War
Germany
surrenders 7th May
1945
Czechoslovakia:
- Some Americans hadn’t supported
the Marshall plan – they didn’t want
to waste all of that money.
- Their attitude changed however
when in March 1948 the Soviets
purged anti Communist leaders in
Czechoslovakia. Masaryk, who was
pro American was found dead below
his open window. The Soviets said
that he had jumped….hmmmm
Congress immediately granted the
money!
Greece:
When the Germans retreated from Greece in 1944
there were two rival groups seeking control: the
monarchists and the Communists. Britain sent troops
to support the monarchists. The USSR complained to
the UN who did nothing. The Communists then tried
to take control by force. Britain couldn’t afford to
keep going so bowed out on 24th Feb 1947. Truman
(USA) stepped in), they paid the British to stay in. By
1950 the monarchists were in control of Greece
(just!).
USA 1, USSR 0.
The Truman Doctrine:
1. USA will send money,
equipment and advice
to any country under
threat from
Communism.
2. Eastern Europe was
written off – this was
now considered
Communist.
3. Some believed that
Containment should
include the use of US
troops.
The Marshall Plan:
1.Truman believed that Communism
thrived in poverty and hardship.
2.He sent General Marshall to Europe to
assess the situation – he found a ruined
economy.
3. $11.5 billion was owed by Europe to
the USA in war debts. In 1947 Britain
saw all electricity turned off for a period
each day to deal with coal shortages!
4.$11 billion was ploughed into Europe
by America. Countries of Eastern Europe
were banned from applying by Stalin.
5.Congress wasn’t convinced at first – it
signs in 1947 after seeing what
happened in Czechoslovakia (see left!)…
East Germany:
1. Unfortunately, life in East Germany
was not so good.
2. Berlin was in East Germany, but it
was also divided equally since it
was such a prestigious city.
3. Stalin decided to respond to this
Western success by blockading
Berlin in the hope that he could
drive the West out, thus securing
his own propaganda triumph.
The allies had divided Germany into 4
parts at Potsdam, but in 1948 the USA,
France and Britain had united their
zones to create West Germany. In 1948
they also reformed the currency and
there were signs of a West Germany
recovery.
The American Response:
1. The USA knew that if they tried to use tanks to
ram the blockades of the rail or roads then it
would be used as an act of war by the USSR.
2. However, they were not prepared to give up.
They saw Berlin as a test case, if they gave in to
Stalin here then who knows what they would
ask for.
3. Truman wanted to show Stalin that he was
serious.
4. As a result, the allies decided to air lift supplies
into Berlin. This was extremely dangerous (Stalin
could choose to shoot them down) and
extremely expensive (it cost a lot more to fly a
plane and you could get far less on it!)
5. June 1948 saw the start of the blockade, and
during the height of the crisis 1 plane was
reaching Berlin every 30 second (1 plane landed
every 3 minutes at Templehof airport in Berlin).
6. There were shortages, but in May 1949 Stalin
decided to lift the blockade. The USA had ‘won’
and communications were reopened.
7. The Blockade had lasted 318 days and had seen
275,000 planes transport 1.5 million tons of
supplies.
Key Questions to get you thinking!
1. Give three key features of a Communist Political System.
2. Give three key features of a Capitalist Political System.
3. Is Communism left wing, or right wing politically?
4. What had ended in 1945 that caused increased tension between the USSR and
USA?
5. Which was first, Yalta or Potsdam?
6. Which three leaders were at the Yalta Conference?
7. Which three (or four!) leaders were at the Potsdam Conference?
8. Describe what happened at Yalta.
9. Describe what happened at Potsdam.
10. What had changed between the two conferences that caused an increase in
tension?
11. What did Stalin do to countries which he ‘liberated’ in Eastern Europe?
12. What happened in Greece in 1944? Why did this increase tension?
13. What did Churchill say had descended across Europe in 2916? Why? (think question
11!)
14. What happened in Czechoslovakia in 1948? Why didn’t the US like this?
15. Who went to Europe and found that “Communism thrived in poverty”?
16. How much did the Marshall Plan promise to Europe (both in hard cash and debt
cancellation)?
17. Which part of Germany went to the USSR?
18. Which part of Berlin went to the USSR?
19. When did the USA, Britain and France unite their zones (of Germany and Berlin)?
20. What else did they change/reform?
21. What year did the Berlin Blockade occur?
22. Why did Stalin start the Berlin Blockade?
23. Did the Berlin Blockade involve the building of a wall across Berlin? (NO!)
24. Who was The American president at the time of the Berlin Blockade?
25. How many days did the blockade last for?
26. How often did US planes reach Berlin?
27. What was the outcome of the Crisis?
28. Give two reasons why the US could be considered to have ‘started’ the Cold War.
29. Give two reasons the USSR could be considered to have ‘started’ the Cold War.
30. Who do you think was most to blame and why?
It was the Soviets who developed the
first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM) on 15th May 1957 which allowed
them to launch a missile into space and
bring it down on a specific location in
the US. This gave them the advantage in
missile technology.
The US weren’t far behind in terms of missile
technology, developing their own ICBMs by 1959.
These Atlas and Minuteman missiles were just as
quick and accurate and the USA soon had far more of
them than the USSR. The US then developed Polaris
missiles (fired from submarines) which were virtually
undetectable.
The USA also had medium range missiles based in
Europe and Turkey which could reach the USSR in a
matter of minutes,
As you can see, by the early 1960’s the USA was
pulling away in the arms race.
Both American and Soviet citizens feared a nuclear attack and
were brought up aware of the dangers. American students
practiced ‘duck and cover’ drills (see left) for example.
Remember:
- By 1948 most of Eastern Europe had fallen under the influence of the USSR.
- In 1949 China had become Communist under the leadership of Mao Zedong.
- In 1949 Stalin announced that the USSR had developed its own atomic bomb.
- 1950 had seen Communist North Korea invade the USA’s ally South Korea. The US had
pushed them back to their original boarders, but could do no more.
- Communism appeared to be unstoppable…
- Truman believed in ‘containment’ which involved creating a network of allies (NATO,
SEATO and CENTO) and arms, America spent billions on their military including 12 B52
bombers which were kept armed with nuclear weapons and in the air 24 hours a day.
Cuba and Batista:
Cuba is just 160 km from Florida
and was considered in the
‘backyard’ of the USA. As such, the
Americans supported the
unpopular and corrupt Cuban
leader General Batista. They
supported him because he was
opposed to Communism.
Fidel Castro:
He led the opposition to Batista
and, after a 3 year guerrilla
campaign Castro overthrew
Batista. He was a clever leader
who won over the majority of
Cubans.
USA Response:
Originally the USA decided to support
Castro, but relations quickly
worsened. Thousands of Cuban exiles
fled to the USA and put pressure on
the government and Castro started
nationalising America businesses.
President Eisenhower authorised the
CIA to look into ways of overthrowing
Castro in 1960.
The Bay of Pigs:
The 1960 election led to a surprise
result and a new young leader taking
power in January 1961 – JFK. He
picked up Eisenhower’s plans and
signed them off. April 1961 saw CIA
backed Cuban exiles (1300 of them)
land in Cuba, they were met by
20,000 Cuban troops. All were killed
or captured within days.
The Results:
1. The half-hearted invasion suggested to the USSR that the USA was unwilling to get directly involved in
Cuba.
2. It pushed Castro to look for support elsewhere, he found the Soviets willing to buy Cuban sugar.
3. It made Kennedy look weak.
Soviet Support of
Cuba:
- In May 1962
the Soviet
Union
publically
acknowledged
that it was
supplying Cuba
with arms.
- By July 1962
Cuba had the
best equipped
army in Latin
America.
- By September
they had
thousands of
Soviet missiles,
radar vans, jet
fighters and
5,000
technicians.
- America was
worried.
- September
11th saw
Kennedy warn
the USSR that
the USA would
prevent by
‘whatever
means
necessary’
Cuba’s
becoming a
nuclear base
for the USSR.
Sunday 14th October 1962:
U2 spy plane takes detailed photos that show the USSR was creating nuclear
missile bases in Cuba. Reports were quickly confirmed that 20 Soviet ships
were on their way to Cuba.
16th October 1962:
President Kennedy is informed of the missile build up. Ex Comm is formed.
20th October 1962:
Kennedy decides on a blockade of Cuba
22nd October 1962:
Kennedy announces the blockade and calls on the USSR to remove its
missiles.
23rd October 1962:
Kennedy receives a letter from Khrushchev saying that the Soviet ships will
not observe the blockade. Khrushchev does not admit the presence of
missiles on Cuba.
24th October 1962:
Blockade begins (800km zone). Suddenly the 20 closest Soviet ships stop or
turn around.
26th October 1962:
President Kennedy receives a long personal letter from Khrushchev claiming
that the missiles are defensive, but offering to remove the missiles if the
USA promised not to invade Cuba.
27th October 1962:
Khrushchev sends a second letter changing his demands – he now wants the
US missiles in Turkey withdrawn. A U2 pilot is also shot down – Kennedy is
advised to attack Cuba.
28th October 1962:
Kennedy replies to Khrushchev’s first letter, ignoring the second. However,
he agrees to secretly remove the US missiles in Turkey at a later date.
Khrushchev accepts.
Success for America (Kennedy):
1. Kennedy had stood up to Khrushchev
successfully. He now looked ‘tough’
on Communism, since he had got the
68 missiles removed without giving
anything publically in return.
2. Kennedy was able to stand up to his
own hard liners (in his government)
and to prove to them that you could
deal with Communism without
resorting to military force.
3. Kennedy and Khrushchev had
avoided a nuclear war through
diplomacy, and the credit for this
should go to both of them. A hotline
(telephone line) was now established
between Washington and Moscow in
order to avoid this from happening
again.
4. Khrushchev was forced from power
shortly afterwards (1964) and it
seems likely that this was as a result
of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Success for the USSR (Khrushchev):
1. Khrushchev got Kennedy to promise
not to invade Cuba, which meant
that Cuba would remain Communist
for the foreseeable future.
2. Khrushchev could publically claim to
be the peacemaker since he made
the first move towards a
compromise.
3. Khrushchev got the USA to remove
their Jupiter missiles from Turkey.
Unfortunately Khrushchev had
promised to keep this secret and
could not use it for propaganda
purposes.
The Result for Cuba:
1. Castro was upset that Khrushchev had cut a deal with America, but had
little choice but to accept it.
2. Cuba stayed Communist and highly armed, but lost its nuclear deterrent.
3. Castro kept control of America companies and still controls them today
(or Cuba does on his behalf!)
Remember that you’ll need
at least a couple of points
for each side to get 9/10 in
a 10 mark question.
Key Questions to get you thinking!
1. Who was the leader of Cuba which America supported?
2. Who overthrew him in 1959?
3. How did America feel about the Cuban Revolution?
4. What did Castro do as a response to American hostility?
5. What did this cause the US to stop trading with Cuba?
6. Why were the US concerned about Cuba becoming Communist?
7. What did the USA do in 1961 (detail needed)?
8. What were the results of this?
9. What is an ICBM?
10.Why did Khrushchev want to put missiles in Cuba?
11.What date did the USA discover that there were Soviet Missiles in Cuba?
12.How many Soviet technicians were already working in Cuba?
13.How did Kennedy decide to deal with the Missiles in Cuba?
14.What did the ‘hardliners’ in the US government want Kennedy to do?
15.How many Soviet ships turned around?
16.What did Khrushchev’s first letter to Kennedy (acknowledging the missiles)
say?
17.How was the second one different?
18.What was the response of Kennedy?
19.What was installed between the USA and USSR as a result of the crisis?
20.Give 2 reasons the USA/Kennedy could be considered to have ‘won’ the
crisis?
21.Give 2 reasons that the USSR/Khrushchev could be considered to have
‘won’ the crisis?
22.Give 2 reasons that Cuba could be considered to have ‘won’ the crisis?
23.How far was Cuba from Florida?
24.What type of missile did the USA have in Turkey?
25.How many missiles did the USSR have in Cuba?
26.What happened to Khrushchev in 1964?
Why did America get involved?
1. The Domino Theory and Containment – The Domino theory stated that when one country fell
to Communism a country next door would swiftly fall too. Containment stated that America
should ‘contain’ Communism by supporting any country threatened by a Communist takeover.
(Think about the Truman Doctrine).
2. Originally supporting the French – America started off by providing the French with $500
million in order to help prevent a Communist takeover by the Viet Minh who were supported
by China.
3. Dien Bein Phu 1954 – After this French defeat, Vietnam was divided into North and South
Vietnam. Elections were meant to be held within 2 years to reunite the country (the North
became Communist). However, America were not willing to allow the South to become
Communist (which it almost certainly would have), so they supported Ngo Dinh Diem in 1955
when he set up a Republic of South Vietnam. During the 1950’s the USA gave Diem $1.6 billion.
Unfortunately Diem was not popular (see picture below).
What happened next?
- These actions increased opposition to the South Vietnam government amongst the ordinary people.
In turn, this increased support for the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (more
commonly known as the Viet Cong, set up in 1960)
- The Viet Cong also started a guerrilla war against the South Vietnamese government. By 1962
President Kennedy was sending military personnel ‘advisors’ to support the South Vietnamese
government against the Viet Cong.
- American involvement continued to increase from there:
- 1962 = 11,500 troops
- 1964 = 23,000 troops
The Gulf of Tonkin: August 1964
North Vietnamese patrol boats opened
fire on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin
(or did they?!!). The US Congress
passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
which gave Johnson the power to ‘take
all necessary measures to prevent
further aggression and achieve peace
and security’. March 1965 saw 3,500
US marines (combat troops, not
advisors) arrive in Vietnam.
Left: June
1963, Thic
Quang Duc
sets himself on
fire in protest
at the South
Vietnamese
leader’s (Diem)
anti-Buddhist
policies)
Key facts to remember:
- $110 billion was spent which over 10
years works out at $2000 per second.
- 5,000 helicopters were destroyed and
3,500 fixed wing aircraft.
- 2/3 of American bombs dropped were
on South Vietnam, the country they
were meant to be protecting!
- About 10,000 shells were fired every
day.
Key Dates:
1964 – Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1965 (Feb) – Operation Rolling
Thunder begins
1965 (March) – First US Combat
troops arrive
1968 (January) – Tet Offensive.
1968 (Oct) – Operation Rolling
Thunder ends
1969 – American policy of
Vietnamisation begins.
1973 – Ceasefire signed in Paris
29th March 1973 – all US troops
are removed from South Vietnam.
1975 – Saigon falls to
Communists, US evacuate last
officials by helicopter.
American Tactics:
Bombing (Operation Rolling Thunder)
The idea behind this was to bomb the Viet Cong
into submission. They thought that if they
bombed the suspected tunnels (Ho Chi Minh trail)
that the Viet Cong would no longer be able to
carry their supplies into South Vietnam. Even after
the air raids the Viet Cong could launch the Tet
Offensive. 14,000 US and South Vietnamese
planes were shot down. It was estimated that it
took $400,000 to kill one Viet Cong fighter
(including 75 bombs and 400 artillery shells)
Chemical Weapons
The US found it difficult to see where the Viet
Cong were working since much of Vietnam was
jungle. As a result they developed Agent Orange
to destroy the jungle where the Viet Cong hid.
They sprayed thousands of square km of jungle
which destroyed the foliage. It also burnt through
cloths and skin however and killed many soldiers
and civilians.
Search and Destroy
Bombing wasn’t working so the US commander
General Westmoreland developed this policy.
These raids did kill Viet Cong soldiers but there
were problems. For every one Viet Cong weapon
captured there were 6 bodies. Mai Lai is the worst
example of these failings.
Vietcong tactics:
- Ho Chi Minh only had 170,000 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers in 1965, this
was far less than the Americans and South Vietnamese.
- Open warfare would only result in an American victory due to superior US firepower eg. La Dreng
Valley (2000 Viet Cong lost, 300 US)
- Guerrilla warfare was the order of the day eg. booby traps: bouncing Betty land mine, tripwires etc.
These caused 11% of US causalities.
- Ambushes were a key part of the Guerrilla war and these accounted for 51% of US losses. These
were fought to keep he Americans at close quarters and to stop them from using their superior air
support. It was nicknamed ‘hanging onto American belts’.
- The Viet Cong maintained the support of the peasants by being polite to them and helping them at
busy times. They also ruthlessly killed South Vietnamese government officials (estimates are as
high as 27,000)
- They used the Ho Chi Minh trail to move troops and supplies around. Although the US relentlessly
bombed this over 40,000 Viet Cong fighters worked to keep this crucial supply line open.
American Problems:
1. Low Morale and inexperience – many American troops weren’t entirely sure why they were in
Vietnam and this became much more of a problem after the introduction of the draft (compulsory
military service) was introduced in 1967. Many of those drafted were inexperienced and 60% of US
soldiers killed in Vietnam were aged 17-21. The majority of those drafted were poor Americans
(those rich enough could use university to delay the draft). Some units even turned against their
officers and evidence suggests that as many as 3% of officers were ‘fragged’ (killed by their own
men. 18% of US causalities were caused by factors other than combat (eg illness) and there were
over 500,000 incidences of desertion.
2. Vietnam’s neighbours – these countries were sympathetic to the Vietcong. American forces were
not at war with these countries and could not enter them. The fact that the Ho Chi Minh trail went
through these countries meant that the US could never deal with it fully.
3. Hearts and Minds – The US knew the importance of winning the support of the Vietnamese people,
but their tactics failed to allow them to do this. American tactics also caused civilian deaths, and
these turned the people of South Vietnam against the Americans. Look at the next example…
My Lai Massacre
Date: March 1968
Task: Search and Destroy mission in South Vietnam
Background: Intelligence told them that My Lai was a Viet
Cong HQ and home to 200 guerrilla fighters.
Events: Orders were to destroy all the houses and
livestock. They had been told that the villagers would
have left for a Saturday market. Most believed that they
were to kill all they found there.
300-400 civilians were killed, mostly women, children and
old men. Only 3 weapons were recovered.
Aftermath: It took 12 months for this to come out but
when photographs of the event appeared in Life
magazine and some US papers, Congress was asked to
investigate.
Trial: Lieutenant William Calley was tried for mass
murder in September 1696. The Army pinned the blame
on Calley (said he hadn’t been acting under orders) who
was found guilty of 22 counts in March 1971. The Media and public protest
- To start with the media supported the war and the military. The military created the MACV (Military
Assistance Command, Vietnam) to liaise with journalists.
- 1967-8 saw a change in attitude however.
- Television began to take over from newspapers and the footage of the street execution of a Viet Cong
suspect (see photo below) by Colonel Nguyen Noc Loan horrified America.
- Doubts about the war were increasing, it had been going on for a while now after all. One of the most
famous reporters Walter Cronkite declared (as a result of the Tet Offensive – see next box!) that he
thought the war was unwinnable. At this point Johnson knew that he had lost the support of ‘middle
America’.
- Johnson had promised a ‘Great Society’ at his election but the cost of the Vietnam War undermined this
promise. 30% of black Americans were drafted compared to 19% of whites!
- Students took up the protest and the chant ‘Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today’ became
well known. Many started to ‘draft dodge’ and in November 1969 there were 700,000 anti -war
protesters demonstrating in Washington DC.
- The Kent State university protest saw the National Guard open fire and kill 4 students and injure 11. The
press were horrified and up to 2 million students went on strike.
This was really important because it took the Americans completely by surprise. It took place at a point
when the American public were being led to believe that they were winning the war. The American
reporters were generally to be found in Saigon (the capital of South Vietnam). From there they would be
escorted to carefully selected combat zones where they would (hopefully) see the effects of superior US
equipment and firepower. However, the Tet Offensive brought the reality of the war home and was
broadcast into millions of homes across America. Here are some key facts to remember:
1. It was a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong attack on South Vietnam (and the
American soldiers there).
2. It was a complete surprise to the Americans – it took place during the religious festival and
traditional truce which surrounded the Tet Holiday period.
3. The attack was a complete change of tactics, it was no longer a guerrilla war, but one in which
the NVA targeted over 100 cities and other military targets in South Vietnam.
4. Even Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam was attacked. This was where many US supporters
got to see the fighting first hand.
5. The American embassy was breached, although this was described as some ‘piddling platoon
action’ by an American general, this shocked the American public – how could this happen when
the US were meant to be winning??!!!
6. It was during this offensive that American viewers so the photo from the previous page – the
summary execution of a Viet Cong suspect by South Vietnamese police chief Colonel Nguyen
Ngoc Loan – where America even supporting the right side, if stuff like this was happening?
7. The Viet Cong lost around 10,000 experienced fighters and were badly weakened by the
offensive – the US had won the military engagement, they had lost far fewer troops and
regained all of their previously occupied land relatively easily – this was the kind of war they
knew how to fight…
8. The NVA and Viet Cong won the propaganda battle, the US had nearly 500,000 troops in
Vietnam by this stage and were spending $20 billion per year on the war – how could they be
caught by surprise by this.
9. Walter Cronkite summed up the view of the American media when he said “what the hell is
going on? I thought we were winning this war.”
10. After the Tet Offensive President Johnson concluded that the war could not be won militarily.
He reduced the bombing campaign against North Vietnam and instructed his officials to begin
peace negotiations (although these would be concluded under President Nixon under
‘Vietnamisation’).
However:
Don’t overestimate the impact of the media, for example: from 1965-70 only 76 out of 2,300 TV reports
showed heavy fighting and less than 25% of TV reports showed the dead or wounded and usually not in
detail. In fact in a sample of 800 broadcasts on 16% of criticisms of government policy came from
journalists, the majority came from officials or the general public. In fact, war weariness and casualty
figures were the key reason for the drop in support for the war, the public had made up the ir mind by
1967, not after it….
Stage 1: Nixon and Vietnamisation
- November 1968 saw he election of
Richard Nixon as President of the United
States.
- From 1969 to 1973 he and his National
Security Advisor Henry Kissinger worked
to end US involvement in Vietnam.
- 1972 saw another big offensive from
North Vietnam, but they were unable to
conquer the South (remember that it was
the South that the US supported).
- January 1973 saw Le Duc Theo (North
Vietnamese official), Nixon and the South
Vietnamese President Thieu sign a peace
agreement
- Nixon called this ‘Peace with honour’
- By 29th March 1973 the last American
troops had left Vietnam.
Stage 2: After the US had left
- Nixon had promised to continue to
provide financial aid (and military
support, just not troops) to South
Vietnam, but Congress refused to allow
it.
- 1974 – Nixon was forced to resign over
the Watergate scandal.
- Without US air power, or military back
up and lacking the support of the
majority of the population, the South
Vietnamese government was in trouble.
- December 1974 saw another North
Vietnamese offensive (attack).
- April 1975 saw the capital of South
Vietnam fall to the Communists.
- Once again, the media were there to
show the last American officials fleeing
(see picture left)
Refugees trying to board a transport plane, April 1975. An
American official is punching a man in the face to make him
let go.
CV (Cartoonists Viewpoint) – The Cartoonist is
telling us that Vietnamisation was a failure. He is
criticising the policy. This is shown by the crows all
pecking at the scarecrow labelled Vietnamistaion.
They’re not scared of the scarecrow, just as the
NVA weren’t scared of South Vietnam once the US
pulled out.
Key Questions to get you thinking!
1. Which theory encouraged the USA to get involved in Vietnam?
2. Which key battle did the French lose to cause increased American involvement in 1954?
3. What was meant to happen within 2 years of the 1954 Geneva Peace Treaty? Why didn’t it?
4. Who was the leader of North Vietnam?
5. Who was the leader of South Vietnam?
6. Why was the leader of South Vietnam unpopular?
7. What did the USA put into Vietnam before ground troops (can you give specific numbers)?
8. What was (and when) the Gulf of Tonkin incident? Why was it important?
9. Who was the president of America in 1964>
10. What was Operation Rolling Thunder?
11. What’s the difference between Napalm and Agent Orange?
12. What proportion of US bombs were dropped on South Vietnam?
13. What was the Vietnam tactic that helped them to avoid the superior US air power?
14. What was the other key American tactic?
15. What percentage of US casualities were caused by Viet Cong ambushes?
16. Give an example of a Viet Cong Booby trap?
17. What percentage of US casualities were caused by booby traps?
18. What was the most feared position in a US patrol? Why?
19. How long was the average tour of duty for a US soldier in Vietnam? Why was this a problem?
20. How much did it cost the USA to kil l one Viet Cong Soldier?
21. How much did the US spend on the Vietnam War (could go for cost per second)?
22. How old was the average combat veteran during the Vietnam War (think Paul Hardcastle) – there’s
another fact you could use if you don’t know this!
23. What was the worst example of a US ‘Search and Destroy’ mission (additional details needed)?
24. What was the name of the big NVA and Viet Cong offensive in 1969?
25. Which building did this assult briefly reach in Saigon that shook the US public to the core?
26. Who won the military victory of the Tet Offensive?
27. Why did the Viet Cong win the publicity battle?
28. What did Walter Cronkite say that worried President Johnson so much (why did it worry him)?
29. How many protesters turned up to the Washington protest?
30. When was this protest?
31. What happened at Kent State (and when)?
32. Why should we not overestimate the importance of the media in causing the US withdrawal from
Vietnam?
33. What was Nixon’s policy to withdraw US troops called?
34. When did US troops leave Vietnam?
35. Who blocked further US funding for South Vietnam?
36. When did Saigon fall?
37. What were the final images of the US withdrawl?
