OCR GCSE Modern World History Revision Guide

1. The USSR (Communist) in8 points:
1. Was a one partydictatorship.Theyhad
elections,butall of the candidateswere
Communist(whatwasthe point
exactly?!!!)
2. Saw the rightsof individualsasmuch
lessimportantthanthe goodof society
and therefore tightlycontrolled
individuals’lives.
3. Had censorship.
4. Believedthatothercountriesshouldbe
run inthe Communistway.
5. Firmlybelievedthatthe role of the
Communiststate wasto encourage a
worldwide Communistrevolution.
6. Were bitterlyopposedtoCapitalism.
7. Believvedthateveryone wasEQUAL.
8. Had an extensiveSecretPolice service
(KGB)
The USA (Capitalist) in8 points:
1. Was a democracy,itsgovernment
was choseninfree democratic
elections.
2. It was capitalist.Businessand
propertywere privatelyowned.
3. For Americansbeingfree of
governmentcontrol wasmore
importantthaneveryone being
equal.
4. 4. Believedthatothercountries
shouldbe runin the Americanway.
5. Were bitterlyopposedto
Communismandwere scaredbythe
Communistdesire forarevolution.
6. Saw theirpolicyas‘doingthe right
thing’ratherthan servingthe
interestof the USA.
7. Believedthatyougotout what you
put in,ie that everyone wasan
individualandnotequal.
8. Believedinthe freedomof speech.

2. The Potsdam Conference July – August 1945:
- Truman,Stalinand Atlee.
- A verydifferentconference.
- Stalin’sarmiesnow occupiedmostof
EasternEurope,Communistgovernments
had beensetupthere.
- Roosevelthaddiedandthe anti-Communist
Truman wasnow Presidentof America.
- 16th
Julyhad seenthe USA testthe atomic
bomb.Truman informedStalin(generally
aboutit.
- Disagreementoverwhethertocripple
Germanyor not.
- Disagreementoverthe levelof reparations
(if any)
- Disagreementoverwhat‘sphere of influence
meant’
The Yalta Conference:Feb1945:
- Roosevelt,Stalinand
Churchill
- Overall apositive
conference.
- Stalinagreedtoenterthe
war againstJapanonce
Germanysurrendered.
- Agreementtohuntdown
war criminalsresponsible
for the Holocaust.
- Free electionsforcountries
liberatedfromGermany.
- Create the UN.
- EasternEurope to be
‘sphere of influence’
Stalin tightenshiscontrol:
Havinggot Communistgovernmentsin
EasternEurope,Stalinnowwantedto
tightenhiscontrol ineachcountry.As a
resulthe setup:
- The CommunistInformation
Bureau(Cominform) in1947 to
co-ordinate the workof the
Communistpartiesof Eastern
Europe.Leaderswere often
broughtto Moscow to be
‘briefed’(checkedforloyalty!
- Yugoslavia’sTitoescapedthis
close control and wasexpelled
fromCominformin 1948!
Churchill’s‘Iron Curtain’Speech
- By 1946 Poland,Hungary,Romania,
Bulgariaand Albaniaall had
Communistgovernments.
- Churchill describedthe border
betweenthe SovietControlled
countriesandthe westas an ‘Iron
Curtain’.The Name stuck.
Start of the Cold War
Germany
surrenders 7th
May
1945

3. Czechoslovakia:
- Some Americanshadn’tsupported
the Marshall plan – theydidn’twant
to waste all of that money.
- Theirattitude changedhowever
wheninMarch 1948 the Soviets
purgedanti Communistleadersin
Czechoslovakia.Masaryk,whowas
pro Americanwasfounddeadbelow
hisopenwindow.The Sovietssaid
that he had jumped….hmmmm
Congressimmediatelygrantedthe
money!
Greece:
When the Germans retreated from Greece in 1944
there were two rival groups seeking control: the
monarchistsandthe Communists.Britainsenttroops
to supportthe monarchists. The USSR complained to
the UN who didnothing. The Communists then tried
to take control by force. Britain couldn’t afford to
keep going so bowed out on 24th
Feb 1947. Truman
(USA) steppedin), they paid the British to stay in. By
1950 the monarchists were in control of Greece
(just!).
USA 1, USSR 0.
The Truman Doctrine:
1. USA will sendmoney,
equipmentandadvice
to any countryunder
threatfrom
Communism.
2. EasternEurope was
writtenoff – thiswas
nowconsidered
Communist.
3. Some believedthat
Containmentshould
include the use of US
troops.
The Marshall Plan:
1.Truman believedthatCommunism
thrivedinpovertyandhardship.
2.He sentGeneral Marshall toEurope to
assessthe situation –he founda ruined
economy.
3. $11.5 billionwasowedbyEurope to
the USA in war debts.In1947 Britain
saw all electricity turnedoff foraperiod
each dayto deal withcoal shortages!
4.$11 billionwasploughedintoEurope
by America.Countriesof EasternEurope
were bannedfromapplyingbyStalin.
5.Congresswasn’tconvincedatfirst – it
signsin1947 afterseeingwhat
happenedinCzechoslovakia(seeleft!)…

4. East Germany:
1. Unfortunately,life inEastGermany
was notso good.
2. BerlinwasinEast Germany,but it
was alsodividedequallysince it
was sucha prestigiouscity.
3. Stalindecidedtorespondtothis
Westernsuccessbyblockading
Berlininthe hope thathe could
drive the Westout,thus securing
hisownpropagandatriumph.
The allieshaddividedGermanyinto4
parts at Potsdam,butin 1948 the USA,
France and Britainhad unitedtheir
zonesto create WestGermany.In 1948
theyalsoreformedthe currencyand
there were signsof a WestGermany
recovery.
The AmericanResponse:
1. The USA knew that if theytriedto use tanksto
ram the blockadesof the rail or roads thenit
wouldbe usedas an act of war bythe USSR.
2. However,theywere notpreparedtogive up.
Theysaw Berlinasa testcase, if theygave into
Stalinhere thenwhoknowswhattheywould
ask for.
3. Truman wantedtoshow Stalinthat he was
serious.
4. As a result, the alliesdecidedtoairliftsupplies
intoBerlin.Thiswasextremelydangerous(Stalin
couldchoose to shootthemdown) and
extremelyexpensive (itcostalot more to flya
plane andyou couldgetfar lessonit!)
5. June 1948 saw the start of the blockade,and
duringthe heightof the crisis1 plane was
reachingBerlinevery30second(1 plane landed
every3 minutesatTemplehof airportinBerlin).
6. There were shortages,butinMay 1949 Stalin
decidedtoliftthe blockade.The USA had‘won’
and communicationswerereopened.
7. The Blockade had lasted318 daysand had seen
275,000 planestransport 1.5 milliontonsof
supplies.

5. Key Questions to get you thinking!
1. Give three key features of a Communist Political System.
2. Give three key features of a Capitalist Political System.
3. Is Communism left wing, or right wing politically?
4. What had ended in 1945 that caused increased tension between the USSR and
USA?
5. Which was first, Yalta or Potsdam?
6. Which three leaders were at the Yalta Conference?
7. Which three (or four!) leaders were at the Potsdam Conference?
8. Describe what happened at Yalta.
9. Describe what happened at Potsdam.
10. What had changed between the two conferences that caused an increase in
tension?
11. What did Stalin do to countries which he ‘liberated’ in Eastern Europe?
12. What happened in Greece in 1944? Why did this increase tension?
13. What did Churchill say had descended across Europe in 2916? Why? (think question
11!)
14. What happened in Czechoslovakia in 1948? Why didn’t the US like this?
15. Who went to Europe and found that “Communism thrived in poverty”?
16. How much did the Marshall Plan promise to Europe (both in hard cash and debt
cancellation)?
17. Which part of Germany went to the USSR?
18. Which part of Berlin went to the USSR?
19. When did the USA, Britain and France unite their zones (of Germany and Berlin)?
20. What else did they change/reform?
21. What year did the Berlin Blockade occur?
22. Why did Stalin start the Berlin Blockade?
23. Did the Berlin Blockade involve the building of a wall across Berlin? (NO!)
24. Who was The American president at the time of the Berlin Blockade?
25. How many days did the blockade last for?
26. How often did US planes reach Berlin?
27. What was the outcome of the Crisis?
28. Give two reasons why the US could be considered to have ‘started’ the Cold War.
29. Give two reasons the USSR could be considered to have ‘started’ the Cold War.
30. Who do you think was most to blame and why?

6. It was the Sovietswhodevelopedthe
firstIntercontinental BallisticMissile
(ICBM) on 15th
May 1957 whichallowed
themto launcha missile intospace and
bringit downona specificlocationin
the US. This gave themthe advantage in
missile technology.
The US weren’tfarbehindintermsof missile
technology,developingtheirownICBMsby1959.
These AtlasandMinutemanmissileswere justas
quickand accurate andthe USA soonhad farmore of
themthan the USSR. The US thendevelopedPolaris
missiles(firedfromsubmarines) whichwere virtually
undetectable.
The USA also hadmediumrange missilesbasedin
Europe and Turkeywhichcouldreachthe USSR ina
matterof minutes,
As youcan see,bythe early1960’s the USA was
pullingawayinthe arms race.
Both AmericanandSovietcitizensfearedanuclearattackand
were broughtupaware of the dangers.Americanstudents
practiced‘duckand cover’drills(see left) forexample.
Remember:
- By 1948 mostof EasternEurope had fallenunderthe influence of the USSR.
- In 1949 Chinahad become Communistunderthe leadershipof Mao Zedong.
- In 1949 Stalinannouncedthatthe USSR haddevelopeditsownatomicbomb.
- 1950 had seenCommunist NorthKoreainvadethe USA’sallySouthKorea.The US had
pushedthembackto theiroriginal boarders,butcoulddonomore.
- Communismappearedtobe unstoppable…
- Truman believedin‘containment’whichinvolvedcreatinganetworkof allies(NATO,
SEATO andCENTO) and arms, Americaspentbillionsontheirmilitaryincluding12 B52
bomberswhichwere keptarmedwithnuclearweaponsandinthe air 24 hoursa day.

7. Cuba and Batista:
Cuba is just 160 km from Florida
and was considered in the
‘backyard’of the USA.As such, the
Americans supported the
unpopular and corrupt Cuban
leader General Batista. They
supported him because he was
opposed to Communism.
Fidel Castro:
He led the opposition to Batista
and, after a 3 year guerrilla
campaign Castro overthrew
Batista. He was a clever leader
who won over the majority of
Cubans.
USA Response:
Originallythe USA decidedtosupport
Castro, but relations quickly
worsened.Thousandsof Cubanexiles
fled to the USA and put pressure on
the government and Castro started
nationalising America businesses.
PresidentEisenhower authorised the
CIA to lookintowaysof overthrowing
Castro in 1960.
The Bay of Pigs:
The 1960 election led to a surprise
result and a new young leader taking
power in January 1961 – JFK. He
picked up Eisenhower’s plans and
signed them off. April 1961 saw CIA
backed Cuban exiles (1300 of them)
land in Cuba, they were met by
20,000 Cuban troops. All were killed
or captured within days.
The Results:
1. The half-heartedinvasionsuggestedtothe USSR thatthe USA wasunwillingtogetdirectlyinvolvedin
Cuba.
2. It pushed Castro to look for support elsewhere, he found the Soviets willing to buy Cuban sugar.
3. It made Kennedy look weak.

8. SovietSupport of
Cuba:
- In May 1962
the Soviet
Union
publically
acknowledged
that itwas
supplyingCuba
witharms.
- By July1962
Cuba hadthe
bestequipped
army inLatin
America.
- By September
theyhad
thousandsof
Sovietmissiles,
radar vans,jet
fightersand
5,000
technicians.
- Americawas
worried.
- September
11th
saw
Kennedywarn
the USSR that
the USA would
preventby
‘whatever
means
necessary’
Cuba’s
becominga
nuclearbase
for the USSR.
Sunday 14th
October 1962:
U2 spy plane takesdetailedphotosthatshow the USSRwas creatingnuclear
missile basesin Cuba. Reports were quickly confirmed that 20 Soviet ships
were on their way to Cuba.
16th October 1962:
PresidentKennedyisinformedof the missile build up. Ex Comm is formed.
20th October 1962:
Kennedy decides on a blockade of Cuba
22nd October 1962:
Kennedy announces the blockade and calls on the USSR to remove its
missiles.
23rd October 1962:
KennedyreceivesaletterfromKhrushchevsaying that the Soviet ships will
not observe the blockade. Khrushchev does not admit the presence of
missiles on Cuba.
24th October 1962:
Blockade begins(800kmzone).Suddenlythe 20 closest Soviet ships stop or
turn around.
26th October 1962:
PresidentKennedyreceivesalongpersonal letterfromKhrushchevclaiming
that the missiles are defensive, but offering to remove the missiles if the
USA promised not to invade Cuba.
27th October 1962:
Khrushchevsendsasecondletterchanginghisdemands –he nowwantsthe
US missilesin Turkey withdrawn. A U2 pilot is also shot down – Kennedy is
advised to attack Cuba.
28th October 1962:
KennedyrepliestoKhrushchev’sfirstletter, ignoring the second. However,
he agrees to secretly remove the US missiles in Turkey at a later date.
Khrushchev accepts.

9. Success for America (Kennedy):
1. Kennedyhadstoodupto Khrushchev
successfully.He nowlooked‘tough’
on Communism,since he hadgotthe
68 missilesremovedwithoutgiving
anythingpublicallyinreturn.
2. Kennedywasable tostandup to his
ownhard liners(inhisgovernment)
and to prove to themthatyou could
deal withCommunismwithout
resortingtomilitaryforce.
3. KennedyandKhrushchevhad
avoidedanuclearwar through
diplomacy,andthe creditforthis
shouldgoto both of them.A hotline
(telephone line)wasnowestablished
betweenWashingtonandMoscow in
orderto avoidthisfromhappening
again.
4. Khrushchevwasforcedfrompower
shortlyafterwards(1964) and it
seemslikelythatthiswasas a result
of the CubanMissile Crisis.
Success for the USSR (Khrushchev):
1. KhrushchevgotKennedytopromise
not to invade Cuba,whichmeant
that CubawouldremainCommunist
for the foreseeable future.
2. Khrushchevcouldpublicallyclaimto
be the peacemakersince he made
the firstmove towardsa
compromise.
3. Khrushchevgotthe USA to remove
theirJupitermissilesfromTurkey.
UnfortunatelyKhrushchevhad
promisedtokeepthissecretand
couldnot use itfor propaganda
purposes.
The Resultfor Cuba:
1. Castro wasupsetthat Khrushchevhadcut a deal withAmerica,buthad
little choice buttoaccept it.
2. Cuba stayedCommunistandhighlyarmed,butlostitsnucleardeterrent.
3. Castro keptcontrol of Americacompaniesandstill controlsthemtoday
(or Cubadoeson hisbehalf!)
Rememberthatyou’ll need
at least a couple of points
for each side to get 9/10 in
a 10 mark question.

10. Key Questions toget youthinking!
1. Who was the leader of Cuba which America supported?
2. Who overthrew him in 1959?
3. How did America feel about the Cuban Revolution?
4. What did Castro do as a responseto American hostility?
5. What did this causethe US to stop trading with Cuba?
6. Why were the US concerned aboutCuba becoming Communist?
7. What did the USA do in 1961 (detail needed)?
8. What were the results of this?
9. What is an ICBM?
10.Why did Khrushchev wantto put missiles in Cuba?
11.What date did the USA discover that there were Soviet Missiles in Cuba?
12.How many Soviet technicians were already working in Cuba?
13.How did Kennedy decide to deal with the Missiles in Cuba?
14.What did the ‘hardliners’ in the US government wantKennedy to do?
15.How many Soviet ships turned around?
16.What did Khrushchev’s firstletter to Kennedy (acknowledging the missiles)
say?
17.How was the second one different?
18.What was the responseof Kennedy?
19.What was installed between the USA and USSR as a resultof the crisis?
20.Give 2 reasons the USA/Kennedy could be considered to have ‘won’ the
crisis?
21.Give 2 reasons thatthe USSR/Khrushchev could beconsidered to have
‘won’ the crisis?
22.Give 2 reasons thatCuba could be considered to have ‘won’ the crisis?
23.How far was Cuba fromFlorida?
24.What type of missile did the USA have in Turkey?
25.How many missiles did the USSR have in Cuba?
26.What happened to Khrushchev in 1964?

11. Why did America get involved?
1. The DominoTheoryand Containment –The Domino theory stated that when one country fell
to Communism a country next door would swiftly fall too. Containment stated that America
should‘contain’Communismbysupportingany countrythreatenedbyaCommunisttakeover.
(Think about the Truman Doctrine).
2. Originally supporting the French – America started off by providing the French with $500
millioninordertohelppreventaCommunisttakeover by the Viet Minh who were supported
by China.
3. Dien Bein Phu 1954 – After this French defeat, Vietnam was divided into North and South
Vietnam. Elections were meant to be held within 2 years to reunite the country (the North
became Communist). However, America were not willing to allow the South to become
Communist(whichitalmostcertainly would have), so they supported Ngo Dinh Diem in 1955
whenhe setup a Republicof SouthVietnam.Duringthe 1950’s the USA gave Diem$1.6 billion.
Unfortunately Diem was not popular (see picture below).
What happened next?
- These actionsincreasedoppositiontothe SouthVietnamgovernmentamongstthe ordinary people.
In turn, this increased support for the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (more
commonly known as the Viet Cong, set up in 1960)
- The Viet Cong also started a guerrilla war against the South Vietnamese government. By 1962
President Kennedy was sending military personnel ‘advisors’ to support the South Vietnamese
government against the Viet Cong.
- American involvement continued to increase from there:
- 1962 = 11,500 troops
- 1964 = 23,000 troops
The Gulf of Tonkin: August 1964
NorthVietnamesepatrol boatsopened
fire on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin
(or did they?!!). The US Congress
passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
whichgave Johnsonthe power to ‘take
all necessary measures to prevent
further aggression and achieve peace
and security’. March 1965 saw 3,500
US marines (combat troops, not
advisors) arrive in Vietnam.
Left:June
1963, Thic
Quang Duc
setshimself on
fire inprotest
at the South
Vietnamese
leader’s(Diem)
anti-Buddhist
policies)

12. Key facts to remember:
- $110 billionwasspentwhichover10
yearsworksout at $2000 persecond.
- 5,000 helicopterswere destroyedand
3,500 fixedwingaircraft.
- 2/3 of Americanbombsdroppedwere
on SouthVietnam,the countrythey
were meanttobe protecting!
- About10,000 shellswere firedevery
day.
Key Dates:
1964 – Gulf of TonkinResolution
1965 (Feb) – OperationRolling
Thunderbegins
1965 (March) – FirstUS Combat
troopsarrive
1968 (January) – Tet Offensive.
1968 (Oct) – OperationRolling
Thunderends
1969 – Americanpolicyof
Vietnamisationbegins.
1973 – CeasefiresignedinParis
29th
March 1973 – all US troops
are removedfromSouthVietnam.
1975 – Saigonfallsto
Communists,USevacuate last
officialsbyhelicopter.
American Tactics:
Bombing (Operation Rolling Thunder)
The idea behind this was to bomb the Viet Cong
into submission. They thought that if they
bombedthe suspectedtunnels(HoChi Minh trail)
that the Viet Cong would no longer be able to
carry theirsuppliesintoSouthVietnam.Evenafter
the air raids the Viet Cong could launch the Tet
Offensive. 14,000 US and South Vietnamese
planes were shot down. It was estimated that it
took $400,000 to kill one Viet Cong fighter
(including 75 bombs and 400 artillery shells)
Chemical Weapons
The US found it difficult to see where the Viet
Cong were working since much of Vietnam was
jungle. As a result they developed Agent Orange
to destroy the jungle where the Viet Cong hid.
They sprayed thousands of square km of jungle
whichdestroyedthe foliage. It also burnt through
cloths and skin however and killed many soldiers
and civilians.
Search and Destroy
Bombing wasn’t working so the US commander
General Westmoreland developed this policy.
These raids did kill Viet Cong soldiers but there
were problems. For every one Viet Cong weapon
capturedthere were 6 bodies.Mai Lai is the worst
example of these failings.

13. Vietcong tactics:
- Ho Chi Minh onlyhad 170,000 VietCongand NorthVietnamese Army(NVA) soldiersin1965, this
was far lessthanthe AmericansandSouthVietnamese.
- Openwarfare wouldonlyresultinanAmericanvictorydue tosuperiorUSfirepowereg.LaDreng
Valley(2000 VietConglost,300 US)
- Guerrillawarfare wasthe orderof the dayeg. boobytraps:bouncingBettylandmine,tripwiresetc.
These caused11% of US causalities.
- Ambusheswere akeypartof the Guerrillawarand these accountedfor51% of US losses.These
were foughttokeephe Americansatclose quartersand to stopthemfromusingtheir superiorair
support.It wasnicknamed‘hangingontoAmericanbelts’.
- The VietCongmaintainedthe supportof the peasantsbybeingpolite tothemandhelpingthemat
busytimes.TheyalsoruthlesslykilledSouthVietnamese governmentofficials(estimates are as
highas 27,000)
- Theyusedthe Ho Chi Minhtrail to move troopsand suppliesaround.Althoughthe USrelentlessly
bombedthisover40,000 VietCongfightersworkedtokeepthiscrucial supplylineopen.
American Problems:
1. Low Morale and inexperience –manyAmericantroopsweren’tentirelysure whytheywere in
Vietnamandthisbecame muchmore of a problemafterthe introductionof the draft(compulsory
militaryservice)wasintroducedin1967. Many of those draftedwere inexperienced and60% of US
soldierskilledinVietnamwere aged17-21. The majorityof those draftedwere poorAmericans
(those richenoughcoulduse universitytodelaythe draft).Some unitseventurnedagainsttheir
officersandevidencesuggeststhatasmanyas 3% of officerswere ‘fragged’(killedbytheirown
men.18% of US causalitieswere causedbyfactorsotherthancombat (egillness) andthere were
over500,000 incidencesof desertion.
2. Vietnam’sneighbours –these countrieswere sympathetictothe Vietcong.Americanforceswere
not at war withthese countriesandcouldnotenterthem.The factthat the Ho Chi Minh trail went
throughthese countriesmeantthatthe US couldneverdeal withitfully.
3. Hearts andMinds – The US knewthe importance of winningthe supportof the Vietnamesepeople,
but theirtacticsfailedtoallowthemtodo this.Americantacticsalsocausedciviliandeaths,and
these turnedthe people of SouthVietnamagainstthe Americans.Lookatthe nextexample…

14. My Lai Massacre
Date: March 1968
Task:Search and DestroymissioninSouthVietnam
Background:Intelligence toldthemthatMyLai was a Viet
CongHQ and home to200 guerrillafighters.
Events:Orderswere to destroyall the housesand
livestock.Theyhadbeentoldthatthe villagerswould
have leftfora Saturday market.Most believedthatthey
were tokill all theyfoundthere.
300-400 civilianswere killed,mostlywomen,childrenand
oldmen.Only3 weaponswere recovered.
Aftermath:Ittook12 monthsfor thisto come out but
whenphotographsof the eventappearedinLife
magazine andsome US papers,Congresswasaskedto
investigate.
Trial: LieutenantWilliamCalleywastriedformass
murderinSeptember1696. The Armypinnedthe blame
on Calley(saidhe hadn’tbeenactingunderorders) who
was foundguiltyof 22 counts inMarch 1971.
The Media and public protest
- To start withthe mediasupportedthe warand the military.The militarycreatedthe MACV (Military
Assistance Command,Vietnam) toliaise withjournalists.
- 1967-8 saw a change inattitude however.
- Televisionbegantotake overfromnewspapersandthe footage of the streetexecutionof aVietCong
suspect(see photobelow) byColonelNguyenNocLoanhorrifiedAmerica.
- Doubtsabout the war were increasing,ithadbeengoingonfora while now afterall.One of the most
famousreportersWalterCronkite declared(asaresultof the Tet Offensive –see nextbox!) thathe
thoughtthe war was unwinnable.AtthispointJohnsonknew thathe hadlostthe supportof ‘middle
America’.
- Johnsonhadpromiseda‘Great Society’athiselectionbutthe costof the VietnamWarunderminedthis
promise.30%of blackAmericanswere draftedcomparedto19% of whites!
- Studentstookupthe protestand the chant ‘Hey,Hey,LBJ, how manykidsdidyou kill today’became
well known.Manystartedto‘draft dodge’andinNovember1969 there were 700,000 anti-war
protestersdemonstratinginWashingtonDC.
- The KentState universityprotestsaw the National Guardopen fire andkill 4studentsandinjure 11. The
presswere horrifiedandupto2 millionstudentswentonstrike.

15. Thiswas reallyimportantbecause ittookthe Americanscompletelybysurprise.Ittookplace at a point
whenthe Americanpublicwere beingledtobelievethattheywere winningthe war.The American
reporterswere generallytobe foundinSaigon(the capital of SouthVietnam).Fromthere theywouldbe
escortedtocarefullyselectedcombatzoneswheretheywould(hopefully) see the effectsof superiorUS
equipmentandfirepower.However,the TetOffensive broughtthe realityof the warhome and was
broadcast intomillionsof homesacrossAmerica.Here are some keyfactsto remember:
1. It was a NorthVietnameseArmy(NVA) andVietCongattackonSouthVietnam(andthe
Americansoldiersthere).
2. It was a complete surprise tothe Americans –ittookplace duringthe religiousfestivaland
traditional truce whichsurroundedthe TetHolidayperiod.
3. The attack wasa complete change of tactics,it wasno longera guerrillawar,butone inwhich
the NVA targetedover100 citiesandothermilitarytargetsinSouthVietnam.
4. EvenSaigon,the capital of SouthVietnamwasattacked.Thiswaswhere manyUS supporters
got to see the fightingfirsthand.
5. The Americanembassywasbreached,althoughthiswasdescribedassome ‘piddlingplatoon
action’by an Americangeneral,this shockedthe Americanpublic– how couldthishappenwhen
the US were meanttobe winning??!!!
6. It was duringthisoffensivethatAmericanviewerssothe photofromthe previouspage –the
summaryexecutionof aVietCongsuspectbySouthVietnamese police chiefColonel Nguyen
Ngoc Loan – where Americaevensupportingthe rightside,if stuff like thiswashappening?
7. The VietConglostaround 10,000 experiencedfightersandwere badlyweakenedbythe
offensive –the US had wonthe militaryengagement,theyhadlostfarfewertroopsand
regainedall of theirpreviouslyoccupiedlandrelativelyeasily –thiswasthe kindof war they
knewhowto fight…
8. The NVA and VietCongwonthe propagandabattle,the US had nearly500,000 troopsin
Vietnambythisstage and were spending$20 billionperyearonthe war – how couldtheybe
caught bysurprise bythis.
9. WalterCronkite summedupthe view of the Americanmediawhenhe said“whatthe hell is
goingon? I thoughtwe were winningthiswar.”
10. Afterthe Tet Offensive PresidentJohnsonconcludedthatthe warcouldnot be wonmilitarily.
He reducedthe bombingcampaignagainstNorthVietnamandinstructedhisofficialstobegin
peace negotiations(althoughthese wouldbe concludedunderPresidentNixonunder
‘Vietnamisation’).
However:
Don’toverestimate the impactof the media,forexample:from1965-70 only76 outof 2,300 TV reports
showedheavyfightingandlessthan25% of TV reportsshowedthe deador woundedandusuallynotin
detail.Infactin a sample of 800 broadcasts on16% of criticismsof governmentpolicycame from
journalists,the majoritycame fromofficialsorthe general public.Infact,warwearinessandcasualty
figureswere the keyreasonforthe dropinsupportfor the war, the publichadmade up theirmindby
1967, notafter it….

16. Stage 1: Nixonand Vietnamisation
- November1968 saw he electionof
RichardNixonasPresidentof the United
States.
- From 1969 to 1973 he and hisNational
SecurityAdvisorHenryKissingerworked
to endUS involvementinVietnam.
- 1972 saw anotherbigoffensive from
NorthVietnam,buttheywere unable to
conquerthe South(rememberthatitwas
the Souththat the US supported).
- January1973 saw Le Duc Theo(North
Vietnamese official),Nixonandthe South
Vietnamese PresidentThieusignapeace
agreement
- Nixoncalled this‘Peace withhonour’
- By 29th
March 1973 the last American
troopshad leftVietnam.
Stage 2: Afterthe US had left
- Nixonhadpromisedtocontinue to
provide financialaid(andmilitary
support,justnottroops) to South
Vietnam, butCongressrefusedtoallow
it.
- 1974 – Nixonwasforcedtoresignover
the Watergate scandal.
- WithoutUS air power,or militaryback
up and lackingthe supportof the
majorityof the population,the South
Vietnamese governmentwasintrouble.
- December1974 saw anotherNorth
Vietnamese offensive (attack).
- April 1975 saw the capital of South
Vietnamfall tothe Communists.
- Once again,the mediawere there to
show the last Americanofficialsfleeing
(see picture left)
Refugeestryingtoboarda transportplane,April 1975. An
Americanofficial ispunchingamanin the face to make him
letgo.
CV (CartoonistsViewpoint) –The Cartoonistis
tellingusthatVietnamisationwasafailure.He is
criticisingthe policy.Thisisshownbythe crowsall
peckingatthe scarecrow labelledVietnamistaion.
They’re notscaredof the scarecrow,justas the
NVA weren’tscaredof SouthVietnamonce the US
pulledout.

17. Key Questions to get you thinking!
1. Which theory encouraged the USA to get involved in Vietnam?
2. Which key battle did the French loseto causeincreased American involvement in 1954?
3. What was meant to happen within 2 years of the 1954 Geneva Peace Treaty? Why didn’t it?
4. Who was the leader of North Vietnam?
5. Who was the leader of South Vietnam?
6. Why was the leader of South Vietnam unpopular?
7. What did the USA put into Vietnam before ground troops (can you give specific numbers)?
8. What was (and when) the Gulf of Tonkin incident? Why was it important?
9. Who was the president of America in 1964>
10. What was Operation RollingThunder?
11. What’s the difference between Napalmand Agent Orange?
12. What proportion of US bombs were dropped on South Vietnam?
13. What was the Vietnam tactic that helped them to avoid the superior US air power?
14. What was the other key American tactic?
15. What percentage of US casualities were caused by Viet Cong ambushes?
16. Give an example of a Viet Cong Booby trap?
17. What percentage of US casualities were caused by booby traps?
18. What was the most feared position in a US patrol? Why?
19. How longwas the average tour of duty for a US soldier in Vietnam? Why was this a problem?
20. How much did it costthe USA to kill oneViet Cong Soldier?
21. How much did the US spend on the Vietnam War (could go for costper second)?
22. How old was the average combat veteran duringthe Vietnam War (think Paul Hardcastle) – there’s
another fact you could use if you don’t know this!
23. What was the worst example of a US ‘Search and Destroy’ mission (additional detailsneeded)?
24. What was the name of the bigNVA and Viet Cong offensive in 1969?
25. Which buildingdid this assultbriefly reach in Saigon thatshook the US public to the core?
26. Who won the military victory of the Tet Offensive?
27. Why did the Viet Cong win the publicity battle?
28. What did Walter Cronkite say that worried PresidentJohnson so much (why did it worry him)?
29. How many protesters turned up to the Washington protest?
30. When was this protest?
31. What happened at Kent State (and when)?
32. Why should we not overestimate the importance of the media in causingtheUS withdrawal from
Vietnam?
33. What was Nixon’s policy to withdraw US troops called?
34. When did US troops leave Vietnam?
35. Who blocked further US fundingfor South Vietnam?
36. When did Saigon fall?
37. What were the final images of the US withdrawl?