IB History Topic Cold War Crises - Vietnam War Revision Notes (SL/HL)

IB History Topic Cold War Crises - Vietnam War Revision Notes (SL/HL) | RevisionDojo

The Vietnam War (1955-1975)

French Indochina and the Origins of the Conflict

Vietnam was a French colony within Indochina - after World War II, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence and led the communist Viet Minh against French rule.
France fought to restore colonial control but was decisively defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, ending French involvement.
The Geneva Accords (1954) temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel - the communist North under Ho Chi Minh and the US-backed South under Ngo Dinh Diem.
Reunification elections planned for 1956 were blocked by Diem with US support - both feared Ho Chi Minh would win due to his widespread popularity.
The Diem regime was corrupt, repressive, and unpopular - it persecuted Buddhists and favoured the Catholic minority, fuelling internal opposition.
The Viet Cong (National Liberation Front) formed in 1960 to oppose Diem, using guerrilla warfare and receiving support from North Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Note

The Geneva Accords were non-binding - the USA and South Vietnam did not sign them, leaving the door open for continued confrontation.
Diem was overthrown in a US-backed coup in November 1963, but the political instability that followed made South Vietnam even more dependent on American support.

US Escalation Under Kennedy and Johnson (1961-1968)

President Kennedy increased the number of US military advisors in South Vietnam from around 900 to over 16,000 by 1963, reflecting a commitment to containment.
The Gulf of Tonkin incident (August 1964) - alleged North Vietnamese attacks on US ships - gave President Johnson congressional authority to escalate military involvement.
Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968) was a sustained US bombing campaign against North Vietnam - over 800,000 tons of bombs were dropped, more than in all of World War II.
By 1968, over 500,000 US troops were deployed in Vietnam, yet the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army continued to resist effectively using guerrilla tactics.
The USA used Agent Orange and napalm to destroy jungle cover, causing massive environmental damage and civilian suffering that fuelled global opposition.
The USSR and China provided North Vietnam with weapons, supplies, and financial aid, making the conflict a major Cold War proxy war.

Common Mistake

Do not treat the Gulf of Tonkin incident as a straightforward cause of the war - evidence suggests the second attack may not have occurred, and Johnson used it to justify a pre-existing policy.
Avoid describing the conflict as purely a Cold War conflict - for many Vietnamese, it was a war of national liberation against foreign interference, rooted in decades of colonial resistance.

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The Vietnam War (1955-1975)

French Indochina and the Origins of the Conflict

Vietnam was a French colony within Indochina - after World War II, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence and led the communist Viet Minh against French rule.
France fought to restore colonial control but was decisively defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, ending French involvement.
The Geneva Accords (1954) temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel - the communist North under Ho Chi Minh and the US-backed South under Ngo Dinh Diem.
Reunification elections planned for 1956 were blocked by Diem with US support - both feared Ho Chi Minh would win due to his widespread popularity.
The Diem regime was corrupt, repressive, and unpopular - it persecuted Buddhists and favoured the Catholic minority, fuelling internal opposition.
The Viet Cong (National Liberation Front) formed in 1960 to oppose Diem, using guerrilla warfare and receiving support from North Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Note

The Geneva Accords were non-binding - the USA and South Vietnam did not sign them, leaving the door open for continued confrontation.
Diem was overthrown in a US-backed coup in November 1963, but the political instability that followed made South Vietnam even more dependent on American support.

US Escalation Under Kennedy and Johnson (1961-1968)

President Kennedy increased the number of US military advisors in South Vietnam from around 900 to over 16,000 by 1963, reflecting a commitment to containment.
The Gulf of Tonkin incident (August 1964) - alleged North Vietnamese attacks on US ships - gave President Johnson congressional authority to escalate military involvement.
Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968) was a sustained US bombing campaign against North Vietnam - over 800,000 tons of bombs were dropped, more than in all of World War II.
By 1968, over 500,000 US troops were deployed in Vietnam, yet the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army continued to resist effectively using guerrilla tactics.
The USA used Agent Orange and napalm to destroy jungle cover, causing massive environmental damage and civilian suffering that fuelled global opposition.
The USSR and China provided North Vietnam with weapons, supplies, and financial aid, making the conflict a major Cold War proxy war.

Common Mistake

Do not treat the Gulf of Tonkin incident as a straightforward cause of the war - evidence suggests the second attack may not have occurred, and Johnson used it to justify a pre-existing policy.
Avoid describing the conflict as purely a Cold War conflict - for many Vietnamese, it was a war of national liberation against foreign interference, rooted in decades of colonial resistance.

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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 Cold War Crises - Vietnam War Notes

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

The Vietnam War (1955-1975)

French Indochina and the Origins of the Conflict

US Escalation Under Kennedy and Johnson (1961-1968)

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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The Vietnam War (1955-1975)

French Indochina and the Origins of the Conflict

US Escalation Under Kennedy and Johnson (1961-1968)

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account