1. US military tactics in Vietnam
They used traditional warfare tatics against the viet cong's gurella tatics which was uneffective. This is shown by the huge number of casualities that resulted from the war.
2. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime
This hurt the US effort because the public was doing alot to help the communists win the war. This is especially appearent in the huge amounts of viet cong soldiers who were willing to fight, which helped make the large number of casualities the north forces faced not as much of a big deal.
3. The experience of the Viet Cong and the inexperience of the American soldiers
The viet cong had knowledge of the land on which the war was being fought. This was helpful in moveing weapons and effectively useing their gurella tatics.
4. Domestic opposition to the war in the U.S.
The domestic oppisition to the war made for alot of problems for those who were trying to gain support for the war. This especially hurt the US after the Tet offensive, s more and more began to call for an end to the war effort, and the government had to split their focas between Vietnam and the domestic issues.
5. Chinese and Soviet support for the Viet Cong
This hurt the Us in the regard that the viet cong was always well armed and ready to continue day and night gurlla warfare against the US forces. Their well armed soldiers were able to carry out the Tet offensive, which vastly brought down domestic support for the war effort.
6. 'But did they really lose?' Summarize the argument put forward in Source 57, and your view on it.
This source is basically arguing that we did nottechnically lose the war. Although it's a nice thought, unfortunatly it holds no credibility. We could not hold off the Viet Cong soldiers and basically were blown out of Vietnam.
Showing posts with label Vietnam_War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vietnam_War. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Vietnam War Opposition
I plan to do the optional assignment which was to support the war in Vietnam.
1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.
(I'll do why it's right)
1. It is to stop the spread of the evil communism.
2. We are protecting the rights of the Vietnamese people, to be a free nation and not have to be ruled by a dictator.
3. We need to look out for our own intrests in the matter as well, it is necessary to protect ourselfs against the communists in the cold war and haveing another communist nation in Southeast Asia would start a domino effect which would cause many more nations to fall, giving the communists an upperhand in the cold war.
2. Note what you re trying to achieve with this poster.
With my poster I'll be trying to convince people that the war is a necessary one for the US and that it is worth every effort and dollar being spent to win and stop the spread of communism.
3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.
Images I can use could be a mixture of awe inspiring patriotic photos (flag being lifted from world war 2 ect) and pictures depicting communism as evil. This way it gives the message that the US, which has historically been a defender of moral rightnes, is once again going to war to protect the free world from another dangerous evil
4. List some possible slogans for your poster.
"America, we must once again protect ourselfs and the worldfrom another evil threat"
1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.
(I'll do why it's right)
1. It is to stop the spread of the evil communism.
2. We are protecting the rights of the Vietnamese people, to be a free nation and not have to be ruled by a dictator.
3. We need to look out for our own intrests in the matter as well, it is necessary to protect ourselfs against the communists in the cold war and haveing another communist nation in Southeast Asia would start a domino effect which would cause many more nations to fall, giving the communists an upperhand in the cold war.
2. Note what you re trying to achieve with this poster.
With my poster I'll be trying to convince people that the war is a necessary one for the US and that it is worth every effort and dollar being spent to win and stop the spread of communism.
3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.
Images I can use could be a mixture of awe inspiring patriotic photos (flag being lifted from world war 2 ect) and pictures depicting communism as evil. This way it gives the message that the US, which has historically been a defender of moral rightnes, is once again going to war to protect the free world from another dangerous evil
4. List some possible slogans for your poster.
"America, we must once again protect ourselfs and the worldfrom another evil threat"
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Vietnam War Turning Points
1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.
The Tet offensive brough up many domestic questions surrounding the war. Many questioned how the Communists were able to wage a successful offensive against the US forces considering all the money the US was putting into the war. It was also very destructive and carried with it many casualities. It caused a major drop in domestic support for the war.
2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
No. Source 51 is curseing the actions that took place as unmoral, compareing them to those that the Nazis would carry out in WWII. Source 52 tried to justify the actions that were taken as not a mass murder but a stand against the evils of communism.
3. Why do you think it took 12 months for
anyone to do anything about the massacre?
It became a "dont't ask don't tell" situation because of the fear of what would happen if word got out. Those involved in the massacre knew what would happen if the American public found out about the killing of so many innocents at the hands of the US Army. The already miniscule support that remained for the war would dissappear and there would be political nightmares for all involved in the war.
4. Why was the massacre so shocking to
the American public?
American throughout history had been held to a higher moral standard. Never before had such non excusable devistateing actions been taken willingly by US soldiers. It was a shock because most everybody thought that the US was above that.
The Tet offensive brough up many domestic questions surrounding the war. Many questioned how the Communists were able to wage a successful offensive against the US forces considering all the money the US was putting into the war. It was also very destructive and carried with it many casualities. It caused a major drop in domestic support for the war.
2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
No. Source 51 is curseing the actions that took place as unmoral, compareing them to those that the Nazis would carry out in WWII. Source 52 tried to justify the actions that were taken as not a mass murder but a stand against the evils of communism.
3. Why do you think it took 12 months for
anyone to do anything about the massacre?
It became a "dont't ask don't tell" situation because of the fear of what would happen if word got out. Those involved in the massacre knew what would happen if the American public found out about the killing of so many innocents at the hands of the US Army. The already miniscule support that remained for the war would dissappear and there would be political nightmares for all involved in the war.
4. Why was the massacre so shocking to
the American public?
American throughout history had been held to a higher moral standard. Never before had such non excusable devistateing actions been taken willingly by US soldiers. It was a shock because most everybody thought that the US was above that.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The U.S. struggles against the Communist in Vietnam
a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?
In regards to the strengths of the armies, the US/South Vietnamise army had the advantage. They had better weapons and better trained troops. If the war had been foughttraditionally they would have won the war easily.
b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
The effective use of gurella tatics on behalf of the Viet Cong was the reason why US forces could not defeat them. This outweighed any advantages the US had, because they simply could not find a way to defend the unpradictible tatics used by the Viet Cong.
a. The U.S. weaknesses were:
1) Their inability to adapt to the gurella tatics used by Viet Cong
2) Their lack of support from the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their low moral due to the constant fear of attack from Viet Cong forces.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were:
1) Their effective use of gurella tatics
2) The support of the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their high morale due to their genuine belief in their cause and the fact that they were winning the war
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example:
Their bomb raids were effective in slowing the transportation of arms to the South and slowd military movements.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were:
They were simply not able to figure out a successful way to combat the gurella tatics used by the Viet Cong forces. They continued to take heavy casualities in the day and night attacks by the gurella warriors. These continued blows not only hurt the US militarly but moraly as well. The continued loss of life killed the moral of the soldiers stationed in Vietnam and caused them to live in constant fear.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as:
They played every advantage they had to their fullest. They used their knowledge of the land to effectively use gurella tatics and basically win the war. They Took advantage of favor from the citizens and used them for help in whatever ways they could. They caused the US soldiers to fear them.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example:
The bombing raids by the Americans were successful in killing over 1 million Vite Cong soldiers. This was not considered unacceptable by the Communist leaders, however, because of the high numbers of Viet Cong soldiers.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be [Insert weakness here] because:
Weakness : inability to adapt to gurella warfare
because.. This was the reason they lost. They could not adapt and it destroied them in every aspect of the war. They lost casualitys and morale because of the constant attacks they could not defend against.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was [Insert strength here] because:
Strenght: gurella warfare
because... It played off all of their advantages and won them the war (above mentioned reasons).
In regards to the strengths of the armies, the US/South Vietnamise army had the advantage. They had better weapons and better trained troops. If the war had been foughttraditionally they would have won the war easily.
b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
The effective use of gurella tatics on behalf of the Viet Cong was the reason why US forces could not defeat them. This outweighed any advantages the US had, because they simply could not find a way to defend the unpradictible tatics used by the Viet Cong.
a. The U.S. weaknesses were:
1) Their inability to adapt to the gurella tatics used by Viet Cong
2) Their lack of support from the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their low moral due to the constant fear of attack from Viet Cong forces.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were:
1) Their effective use of gurella tatics
2) The support of the Vietnamese civilians
3) Their high morale due to their genuine belief in their cause and the fact that they were winning the war
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example:
Their bomb raids were effective in slowing the transportation of arms to the South and slowd military movements.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were:
They were simply not able to figure out a successful way to combat the gurella tatics used by the Viet Cong forces. They continued to take heavy casualities in the day and night attacks by the gurella warriors. These continued blows not only hurt the US militarly but moraly as well. The continued loss of life killed the moral of the soldiers stationed in Vietnam and caused them to live in constant fear.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as:
They played every advantage they had to their fullest. They used their knowledge of the land to effectively use gurella tatics and basically win the war. They Took advantage of favor from the citizens and used them for help in whatever ways they could. They caused the US soldiers to fear them.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example:
The bombing raids by the Americans were successful in killing over 1 million Vite Cong soldiers. This was not considered unacceptable by the Communist leaders, however, because of the high numbers of Viet Cong soldiers.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be [Insert weakness here] because:
Weakness : inability to adapt to gurella warfare
because.. This was the reason they lost. They could not adapt and it destroied them in every aspect of the war. They lost casualitys and morale because of the constant attacks they could not defend against.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was [Insert strength here] because:
Strenght: gurella warfare
because... It played off all of their advantages and won them the war (above mentioned reasons).
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War
1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.
This is because the Us suppoered the anti-communist governments established in the south, even though they were extreamily currupt.
2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.
They would have argued that if Vietnam fell to communism, many other countries in the region would follow suit. It was necessary to stop a communist takeover of an entire contenent.
3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.
The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.
( 8 ) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president
( 2 ) Formation of South Vietnam
( 9 ) Gulf of Tonkin Incident
( 7 ) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this highly increased the US presence in South Vietnam.
( 6 ) JFK sends military advisers- military invlovement. This brought the US more into the conflict because it created a US military presence in the conflict that was going on between North and South Vietnamise forces.
( 10 ) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this officially started war between North Vietnam and the US
( 1 ) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam- political involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because It angered many who supported an Communist Vietnam and was looked upon as a lack of principlas on behalf of the US, which condemned Stalin for takeing similar actions in the USSR.
( 3 ) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem- political involvement- This brought the US more into the conflict because this was their way of keeping communism from spreading throughout the entire region. They believed that if it can be stopped in Vietnam, it won't spread further.
( 5 ) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases
( 4 ) Viet Cong formed
4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain
your choice.
I think the forming of Viet Cong and the attack at the Gulf of Tonkin were the most curtial events. This is because they really forced the US's hand in Vietnam. Vite Cong symbolized the communist sprit which many rallied around. It grew at a rate that the US could not ignore because it had alot of power to spread communism which would be dangerous to the US. The attack at the Gulf of Tonkin forced the US to retaliate. It showed that the communist threat was not only strong but viloent and letting it continue without interfearing would be dangerous.
This is because the Us suppoered the anti-communist governments established in the south, even though they were extreamily currupt.
2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.
They would have argued that if Vietnam fell to communism, many other countries in the region would follow suit. It was necessary to stop a communist takeover of an entire contenent.
3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.
The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.
( 8 ) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president
( 2 ) Formation of South Vietnam
( 9 ) Gulf of Tonkin Incident
( 7 ) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this highly increased the US presence in South Vietnam.
( 6 ) JFK sends military advisers- military invlovement. This brought the US more into the conflict because it created a US military presence in the conflict that was going on between North and South Vietnamise forces.
( 10 ) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang- military involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because this officially started war between North Vietnam and the US
( 1 ) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam- political involvement. This brought the US more into the conflict because It angered many who supported an Communist Vietnam and was looked upon as a lack of principlas on behalf of the US, which condemned Stalin for takeing similar actions in the USSR.
( 3 ) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem- political involvement- This brought the US more into the conflict because this was their way of keeping communism from spreading throughout the entire region. They believed that if it can be stopped in Vietnam, it won't spread further.
( 5 ) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases
( 4 ) Viet Cong formed
4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain
your choice.
I think the forming of Viet Cong and the attack at the Gulf of Tonkin were the most curtial events. This is because they really forced the US's hand in Vietnam. Vite Cong symbolized the communist sprit which many rallied around. It grew at a rate that the US could not ignore because it had alot of power to spread communism which would be dangerous to the US. The attack at the Gulf of Tonkin forced the US to retaliate. It showed that the communist threat was not only strong but viloent and letting it continue without interfearing would be dangerous.
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