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The United States Focuses on Vietnam: Chapter 25, Section 1
Key Terms and Names:
Ho Chi Minh: Vietnam leader of the nationalism movement
domino theory: the belief that it Vietnam fell to communism, so would the other Southeast Asian nations
guerrillas: irregular troops who usually blend into the civilian population and are often difficult for regular armies to fight
Dien Bien Phu: the location of the battle that forced France to withdraw from Indochina
Ngo Dinh Diem: the leader of the government of South Vietnam
Geneva Accords:
1. divided French Indochina into Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
2. divided Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam
3. called for elections to be held in 1956 to reunite the country under a single government
Early American Involvement in Vietnam:
4. How did President Eisenhower defend the U.S. policy in Vietnam?
He stressed the domino theory.
The Vietminh Drive Out the French:
5. What was the significance of the battle of Dien Bien Phu?
It led to the French withdrawal from Indochina (which caused a power vacuum that the U.S. ended up filling).
Going to War in Vietnam: Chapter 25, Section 2
Key Terms and Names:
Vietcong: a new guerilla army organized by Ho Chi Minh and his followers
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: a Congressional resolution that allowed President Johnson to use force to defend American troops in
Vietnam
napalm: a jellied gasoline that explodes on contact
Agent Orange: a chemical that strips leaves from trees and shrubs
Ho Chi Minh trail: a network of paths, on which North Vietnam sent arms and supplies
CAUSE
EFFECT
1. Many Vietnamese opposed the corrupt
government of Diem.
The power of the Vietcong increased.
2. The Vietcong used terror.
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3. The war powers were essentially given to
the president.
Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution.
4. This refusal made it difficult to win the
war.
President Johnson refuses to invade North
Vietnam for fear of China’s involvement.
American Involvement Deepens:
5. Why did the Vietcong’s power increase? Because Diem’s government was so unpopular and because the Vietcong resorted to
terror, killing many government officials.
Johnson and Vietnam:
6. How did American involvement in Vietnam change after March 1965? Johnson switched from using air strikes to using a
bombing campaign against North Vietnam. He also sent combat troops to fight with the South Vietnamese troops against the
Vietcong.
A Bloody Stalemate Emerges:
7. Why did President Johnson refuse to order an invasion of North Vietnam? He was afraid of bringing China into the war against
South Vietnam.
Vietnam Divides the Nation: Chapter 25, Section 3
Key Terms and Names:
William Westmoreland: American commander in South Vietnam
credibility gap: a lack of belief in government reports regarding the Vietnam War
Teach-in: an informal discussion held between college faculty and students about issues relating to the war and the reasons for
opposing it
Doves: those who wanted the United States to withdraw from the Vietnam War
Hawks: those who wanted the United States to stay and fight
Tet Offensive: a surprise attack in January 1968 by the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese of all American airbases in South
Vietnam and most of the nation’s major cities
Events of 1968:
1. Vietcong and the North Vietnamese launch the Tet Offensive
2. President Johnson announced he will not run for re-election
3. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated
4. Senator Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated
5. Riots erupt at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago
6. Republican Richard Nixon win 1968 presidential election
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A Growing Credibility Gap:
7. What led to a credibility gap in the United States in the late 1960s? There were differences between the government’s report of
the nation’s progress in the Vietnam War and the reports by the media.
An Antiwar Movement Emerges:
8. Why did minorities make up a large percentage of the soldiers in Vietnam? The draft deferred those who attended college.
Many young people from lower-income familes could not afford to go to college and many of these people were minorities.
1968: The Pivotal Year:
9. Why did President Johnson not run for re-election in 1968? Johnson’s approval rating plunged drastically after the Tet
Offensive.
The War Winds Down: Chapter 25, Section 4
Key Terms and Names:
Henry Kissinger: special assistant for national security affairs under President Nixon
Linkage: the policy of improving relations with the Soviet Union and China to persuade them to reduce their assistance to North
Vietnam
Vietnamization: a plan for a gradual withdrawal of American troops and for the South Vietnamese army to take over more of the
fighting in Vietnam
Pentagon Papers: documents that revealed that various administrations had deceived Congress and the people about the situation in
Vietnam
War Powers Act: a law that required the president to inform Congress of any troop commitment within 48 hours and to withdraw the
troops in 60 days unless Congress approved the troop commitment
Effects on South Vietnam
Effects on the United States
1. North Vietnam captured Saigon (capital of S. Vietnam)
3. the war cost more than $170 billion
2. South Vietnam united with North Vietnam under
Communist rule
4. 58,000 American deaths and 300,000 wounded
5. Veterans faced psychological effects
6. Congress passed the War Powers Act
7. Americans became cynical about their government
Nixon Moves to End the War:
8. Why did Henry Kissinger set up the policy of linkage? He wanted to improve relations with the Soviet Union and China to urge
these nations to reduce their assistance to North Vietnam.
Turmoil at Home Continues:
9. How did Congress respond to Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia? Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (which
indicated their irritation with Nixon over this action---in other words—Congress withdrew its support of the war).
The United States Pulls Out of Vietnam:
10. What happened after the United States troops left Vietnam? North Vietnam captured Saigon, united Vietnam under
Communist rule, and renamed Saigon HO Chi Minh City.
The Legacy of Vietnam:
11. How ere the veterans of the Vietnam War often treated on their return home? Many Americans viewed the Vietnam War as a
defeat. As a result, American soldiers were not recognized for their sacrifices and did not experience welcome-home parades
or celebrations.
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