| Front | Back | | --- | --- | | Why did the Domino Theory make US intervention in Vietnam feel urgent to policymakers in the 1950s? |

Geopolitical fear: Believed if one nation fell to communism, neighboring countries would inevitably follow.
Strategic context: Triggered by the communist victory in China and the anti-French war in Vietnam.

| | Why did the US refuse to sign the 1954 Geneva Accords despite the temporary division of Vietnam? |

Electoral risk: Feared nationwide elections would result in a communist victory under Ho Chi Minh.
Alternative strategy: Began directly backing and funding the anti-communist regime of Ngo Dinh Diem in the South.

| | How did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) fundamentally change the nature of US involvement in Vietnam? |

Legislative shift: Granted President Johnson authority to conduct military operations without a formal declaration of war.
Combat transition: Shifted US role from financial aid and military advisors to direct, full-scale combat.

| | How did the Viet Cong leverage asymmetric tactics to counter superior US military technology? |

Guerrilla warfare: Used tunnel networks, ambushes, and local terrain to avoid open battles.
Attrition: Focused on wearing down US domestic morale rather than achieving decisive territorial victories.

| | Why is the 1968 Tet Offensive considered a major political turning point despite being a military defeat for the communists? |

Credibility gap: Exposed the falsehood of official US government claims that the enemy was near defeat.
Public opinion: Massively accelerated the shift of US public and media opinion against the war.

| | What was the dual political objective of Richard Nixon's "Vietnamization" policy starting in 1969? |

Domestic goal: Pacify the US anti-war movement by gradually withdrawing American ground troops.
Military goal: Shift the combat burden to the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) while maintaining US air support.

| | How did the leak of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 affect the domestic political landscape in the US? |

Erosion of trust: Revealed that multiple administrations had systematically lied to Congress and the public about the war's scope.
Legal precedent: Affirmed press freedom to publish classified material in the public interest (Supreme Court ruling).

| | How did the US Congress attempt to limit executive war-making power through the War Powers Act of 1973? |

Congressional approval: Required the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military forces.
Time limit: Mandated troop withdrawal within 60 days unless Congress declared war or authorized the action.

| | How did Canada's official stance on the Vietnam War affect its diplomatic relationship with the United States? |

Non-participation: Refused to send troops, straining relations with Washington.
Sanctuary: Accepted tens of thousands of US draft dodgers, signaling domestic opposition to US foreign policy.

| | How did the Vietnam War influence left-wing movements and anti-US sentiment in Latin America? |

Anti-imperialist symbol: Used the war as a model of successful resistance against US hegemony.
Radicalization: Fueled domestic protests and armed struggles against US-backed military dictatorships.

| | What is the critical distinction between the Paris Peace Accords (1973) and the Fall of Saigon (1975)? |

Paris Peace Accords (1973): Ended direct US military involvement and withdrew US troops.
Fall of Saigon (1975): The military collapse of South Vietnam and the reunification of the country under communist rule.

| |

This image depicts the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. What legislative power did President Johnson secure using this event, and what did it authorize?

Resolution: The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964).
Authorization: Granted the president authority to use direct military force in Vietnam without a formal congressional declaration of war.

| |

This image refers to the leaking of the Pentagon Papers. Who leaked these documents, and what did they reveal about the geographic scope of the war?

Leaker: Daniel Ellsberg (1971).
Revelation: Revealed that the US had secretly expanded the war by bombing neighboring Cambodia and Laos.

| |

How did the outcome of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954) trigger the shift toward direct US involvement in Vietnam?

French collapse: The decisive defeat of French colonial forces left a power vacuum in Indochina.
US intervention: The US stepped in to replace French influence to prevent a communist takeover under the Domino Theory.

| | The Geneva Accords of 1954 temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel, establishing a communist North and an anti-communist South. | The Geneva Accords of 1954 temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel, establishing a communist North and an anti-communist South. | | In 1965, the US escalated the war by launching Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. | In 1965, the US escalated the war by launching Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. | | In the landmark case New York Times v. United States (1971), the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not block the publication of the Pentagon Papers on national security grounds. | In the landmark case New York Times v. United States (1971), the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not block the publication of the Pentagon Papers on national security grounds. | | The concept of the Domino Theory was first publicly articulated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954 to justify US containment policies in Southeast Asia. | The concept of the Domino Theory was first publicly articulated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954 to justify US containment policies in Southeast Asia. |

Paper 1 - The Move to Global War6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Rights and Protest6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Conflict and Intervention6 subtopics

Paper 2 - Independence Movements5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Emergence and Development of Democratic States5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Authoritarian States7 subtopics

Paper 2 - Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars4 subtopics

Paper 2 - The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries4 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Europe18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of the Americas18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Asia and Oceania18 subtopics

IB History Vietnam War Flashcards

Flashcards for Vietnam War

Flashcards for Vietnam War - IB