GCSE MODERN WORLD HISTORY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1945-1975 VIETNAM WAR INTERACTIVE WHY DID THE USA FAIL TO WIN THE VIETNAM WAR?
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GCSE MODERN WORLD HISTORY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1945-1975
VIETNAM WAR INTERACTIVE WHY DID THE USA FAIL TO WIN THE VIETNAM
WAR?
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WHY AMERICA GOT INVOLVED 8 Diem's government proved corrupt,
oppressive, and extremely unpopular. Nonetheless, the United States
continued to support it.oppressive Ho Chi Minh launched a guerilla
campaign in South Vietnam, led by Vietcong units, with the aim of
uniting the country under communist rule. In 1962, American
president John F Kennedy sent American military advisors to Vietnam
to help train the South Vietnamese army, the ARVN. This marked the
first official U.S. involvement in Vietnam.guerilla Vietcong John F
Kennedy ARVN The USA was afraid that if South Vietnam turned
communist then country after country in Asia would fall to
communism. This was called the Domino Theory. During Kennedys
presidency, American advisers in Vietnam were increased from 500 to
10,000. By 1968, there were 500,000 Americans in Vietnam, with 300
dying per week, at a cost of 30 billion dollars a year. America
quickly realised that it was not possible to save Diems government.
Therefore, in 1963, the United States backed a coup that overthrew
Diem and installed a new leader. The new American-backed leaders
proved just as corrupt and ineffective. Just weeks later, Kennedy
was assassinated, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became
president.communist coup GCSE Modern World History The Vietnam War
THE DOMINO THEORY This theory was first argued by President Harry S
Truman. The idea was that if South Vietnam fell to the Communists,
the other countries of Southeast Asia (Laos, Cambodia, Thailand)
and perhaps South Korea, Taiwan, Burma, and even India would also
fall and be added to the communist camp in quick succession. This
was part of the American policy of containment.
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Why did America get involved in Vietnam? Fear of the Domino
Theory. Kennedy sent advisers to support the South Vietnamese
government. The National Liberation Front was set up in South
Vietnam. The American policy of containment. The Gulf of Tonkin
incident. Johnson wanted a more aggressive war against the
communists. Support the capitalist South Vietnam. GCSE Modern World
History The Vietnam War President Kennedy (1961-63) Increased
involvement in Vietnam. He sent American advisers, the CIA and U.S.
ambassadors. President Johnson (1963-69) After the Gulf of Tonkin
incident, sent U.S. combat troops. By 1964, it cost $30 billion
every year. President Nixon (1969-74) After escalating the war,
negotiated a peace treaty in 1973 and withdrew American troops.
American involvement in the Vietnam War 10
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17 THE TET OFFENSIVE North Vietnamese leaders believed they
could not sustain the heavy losses inflicted by the Americans
indefinitely and had to win the war with an all-out military
effort. The attacks began on January 31, 1968, the first day of the
Lunar New Year, Vietnam's most important holiday. All the major
cities of South Vietnam, more than 100 altogether were attacked.
The Vietcong sent 4,500 troops into Saigon to try to hold out for
forty- eight hours until reinforcement arrived but they were cut
off and killed by the U.S. forces and the ARVN. It took weeks for
U.S. and South Vietnamese troops to retake all of the captured
cities, including the former imperial capital of Hue.ARVN Why was
the Tet Offensive important? The Tet Offensive came at a time when
U.S. forces appeared to be winning the war. This made the shock
even greater. Although Vietcong losses were frightful, it showed
that the Vietcong could strike anywhere and at any time and that
there was nothing that the Americans could do about it. It was
clear that the war in Vietnam could not be won. GCSE Modern World
History The Vietnam War Weakened Support American leaders had
claimed victory in Vietnam close at hand. Tet Offensive
dramatically showed this was not case. Attacks greatly weakened
American public support for war. Opposition Grew After Tet
Offensive, war expanded into Laos, Cambodia. North Vietnamese had
supply network-Ho Chi Minh Trail. U.S. efforts to destroy
network-Ho Chi Minh Trail failed. Was the Tet Offensive a turning
point in the war? Turning point means when an action or an event
takes a turn for the better or for the worse. It is the point at
which a very significant change occurs; a decisive moment. TET: A
TURNING POINT? The Battle of Hamo Village during the Tet Offensive
1968. U.S. Marines and ARVN troops working together to defend a
position against a Vietcong attack.