Vocab
What is communism?
Government owns everything, everyone is equal, no social classes
Who invaded Vietnam during World War II?
Japanese forces
Who was the president of North Vietnam or the Democratic Republic of Vietnam?
Ho Chi Minh
About how many people died during the war?
Over 3 million people
What was the terrain and climate like in Vietnam?
Very hot and humid, in the jungle and dense forest
Free Fire Zones
Areas from which all innocent civilians were supposed to have evacuated and only the enemy remained
When was war declared?
Trick question: There was no declaration of war
Who was the initial leader of South Vietnam?
Emperor Bao
What was the approximate cost of the war?
About $200 billion
What was the purpose of the Vietnam War?
For the North: to establish a communist government; For the South & US: to prevent the spread of communism
Guerilla Warfare
Irregular warfare, small groups attack traditional military using ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare
Vietnam had been under _______ control since the 19th century.
French Colonial
Who took over leadership of South Vietnam in 1955
Ngo Dinh Diem
Around how many American soliders died?
58,220 American soldiers
How did Americans react to seeing photographs and watching news reports of the war?
They protested, and believed we shouldn't be involved; we were killing more civilians than soldiers
Operation Rolling Thunder
Codename for when U.S. planes began regular bombing raids
When did Japan withdraw its forces from Vietnam?
1945
Who was in charge of making war decisions for the US military?
Lyndon B Johnson
Around how many innocent civillians died?
Around 2 million civilians died
What toxic chemical was used by the US
Agent Orange
Gook
Derogatory term used towards Vietnamese individuals
The French loss at what battle ended almost a century of French colonial rule in Indochina?
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Who was Kennedy's Secretary of Defense
Robert McNamara
About how many innocent children died?
84,000 innocent children
How did American soldiers distinguish the enemy from civillians?
Trick question: it was hard to differentiate the soldiers from the innocent people