The U.S. struggles against the Communist in Vietnam

You are to read pages 356-61 in your Vietnam War reading. Then, using the chart that was given to you in class, complete the following assignment. You are to copy and paste only questions 1 a - 1 b. & 2 a. - 2 h. to your blog.
Why was the US army unable to defeat the Communists in Vietnam?

Step 1: Gathering the evidence-fill out chart
Step 2: Using pages 356-61 in the Vietnam War Reading, make notes in columns 2 (US Army) and 4 (Viet Cong) to record how far each side had each quality.
Step 3: in each row of column 3, draw some scales to show which way the balance falls for this quality. Did the USA or the Viet Cong have the advantage?

1. Now think about the overall picture - how the strengths and weaknesses work together.
a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?
The Viet Cong seemed to have the advantage in these areas: many good, committed soldiers, effective war tactics and support from the Vietnamese. The US had the advantage with technology, and supplies and equipment.

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?
I think that the fact that the Viet Cong had such advanced war tactics meant that they would win. The Guerilla warfare tired the US troops out. The Viet Cong had the advantage of knowing the territory and could use it as a means to get ahead in war.

Stage 3: Explaining your conclusions
The failure of the U.S. army to beat the Communists in Vietnam was the result of its own weaknesses and Viet Cong strengths.

2. Now write up your answer:
a. The U.S. weaknesses were that they weren't popular among the Vietnamese population. The soldiers were drafted, young, inexperienced and not motivated.

b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were that they were fighting Guerilla warfare which was an advantage over the Americans who didn't know the land. They also has many soldiers that could replace casualties. They had Vietnamese support.

c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example, they bombed the Ho Chi Minh trail that carried supplies to the Viet Cong. The Operation Rolling Thunder bombing was successful, the US bombed military and industrial targets in North Vietnam. They had chemical weapons that worked well but killed many civilians.

d. However, there were some major US failures as well. Examples of these were search and destroy missions were not effective because they killed many civilians. The US troops got caught in traps frequently, and they lost support from the Vietnamese population.


e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as Guerrilla warfare. They had a major advantage over the US inexperienced soldiers.

f. However, the Viet Cong also suffered defeats, for example the Tet offensive. The attacked many south Vietnam cities and the US embassy on the same day and lost many experienced fighters.

g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be that the soldiers were young and inexperienced because this hurt them a lot. They drafted young men who frequently tried to avoid the draft by moving to canada. The Viet Cong had many experienced fighters that were extremely motivated.

h. The key Viet Cong strength was the Guerilla warfare because they were more effective fighters.

The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War

In your Cold War file folder in your Google Docs account, read pages 353 to 355 of Vietnam War.

1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.
Since the Americans were afraid of a communist plan to dominate all of South east Asia, they gave $500 million a year into the French war effort and helped the French to set up a non-communist government in the south of the country. This war lasted from 1946 to 1954. After the war, the country was split into North and South Vietnam until elections could be held. The USA made a rule that prevented the elections from taking place because it feared that Communists would win. They viewed Vietnam as the first domino in a long line of countries that would fall to communism, and the US had to prevent this.
The US supported leaders as long as they were anti-communist, even if the governments were corrupt (which they were). This increased support of communist parties.

2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.
The US politicians viewed it as stopping the spread of communism, and they would do anything it would take to do this.

3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order.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.

(1965) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang (military)
(1955) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam (political)
(1954) Formation of South Vietnam (political involvement)
(1960s) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases (military)
(1960) Viet Cong formed (military)
(1962) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500 (military involvement)
(1962) JFK sends military advisers (military involvement)
(1963) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president
(1963) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem (financial, political)
(1964) Gulf of Tonkin Incident (military involvement)



4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain
your choice.
Assassinations of JFK-This was really important because in the middle of this situation that the US is in, the president is assassinated and there is a new one, which changes everything. JFK believed in a more peaceful approach to conflicts, and Johnson didn't think this way at all.
I think when JFK sends military "advisers" to fight the Viet Cong is significant because it increased tension between north and south vietnam and American involvement was really large.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

In your Cold War file folder in your Google Docs account, read pages 350 to 351 of Cuban Missile Crisis.

1. Kennedy described Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 27 as the darkest days of the crisis. Use the information on page 350 to explain why.
On Wednesday, October 24, the blockade of Soviets into Cuba begins. This would not directly be an action of war, but also doesn't fix the main problem of missiles in Cuba, since they are already there.
On Saturday, Oct. 27, an American U-2 plane is shot down over Cuba. The pilot is killed. The president is advised to launch immediate attack back on Cuba, but Kennedy decides to delay an attack. Also, Kennedy ignores the second letter Krushchev sent to him, and accepts the first. Kennedy says that if the Soviet Union doesn't withdraw than an attack will follow.


2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?
Yes I do think that nuclear was was a possibility in this crisis because the missiles were set up already. If someone had done something that angered the other side even a little too much, it could have turned into nuclear war.

3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.

Kennedy and Krushchev are arm wrestling. They are both sitting on hydrogen bombs, but Kennedy is about to push a button to detonate the Soviet bomb. I think this is a Soviet cartoon because it is implying that Kennedy's actions will spark a nuclear war, the Soviets will fire their bomb and then the Americans will fight back.

4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.
Why did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?

To bargain with the USA
-Having missiles on Cuba could be used in a bargain with the US. Krushchev could agree to remove the missiles in return for something from the US.

To test the USA
-The Soviets wanted to see what the US would do if they put missiles in Cuba, whether they would confront the situation or not do anything. Krushchev thought Kennedy was young an inexperienced (compared to Eisenhower), and he wanted to test him and see what he was capable of.

To trap the USA
-The Soviets wanted to start a war with the US, but wanted to start it indirectly. The Soviets could use Cuba to do this.

To get the upper hand in the arms race
-The Soviets and the US were racing to have better arms than each other because in a war this would be extremely important. Each side wanted to be prepared and wanted to know, if they were fighting against the other, that they would win. Since Cuba is a lot closer to the US than the USSR is, this made the Soviets more confident.

To defend Cuba
-The soviets wanted to help Cuba because they might not have had enough power if they were in trouble

5. Choose the explanation(s) that you think best fit what you have found out about the crisis. Explain your choice.
I think that the Soviets put missiles on Cuba to get the upper hand in the arms race. This makes most since because if they ever did have a nuclear war, which was a possibility, it would be important that they had more missiles and that they would be close by and ready to be used if necessary.

The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba

In your Cold War file folder in your Google Docs account, read pages 347 to 349 of Cuban Missile Crisis.

1. Why was Cuba so important to the United States?
Cuba had been an American ally for a long time. Americans owned most of the businesses on the island and they had a huge naval bade there.

2. Why do you think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves?
They didn't want to anger the Soviets so they gave weapons to Cuban exiles so they weren't directly fighting.

3. Why did the invasion fail?
The exiles were met by 20,000 Cuban troops armed with tanks and modern weapons. Castro killed or captured all within days. To Cuba and the USSR, the failed invasion suggested that the US was unwilling to get directly involved in Cuba.

4. Compare Source 17 on page 345 (in the Arms Race.pdf reading) with Source 24 on page 348. Describe how the Soviet Union missiles on Cuba changed the Cold War balance of power.
Before, the US had the power, and their missiles were directed toward the Soviets. Now, the Soviets have missiles on Cuba with a large range of destruction, giving them power.