aurora_05 said:
My teacher has given our class a couple of practise HSC questions to do over the holidays and I've done my others, I'm just stuck on this last one. I have so much information I just don't know how to put it together for this.
"Assess the extent to which the United States was successful in achieving the aims of its involvement in Indochina in the period from 1954-1975"
Basically the United States wasn't all that successful in achieving their aims going on the outcome of the Paris Peace Agreement, but how should I be putting that together as an answer?
You need to begin from the domino theory doctrine and how that determined U.S involvement after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu 1954. You would also discuss how the U.S support of Diem's failure to hold free Genenal elections in 1956 ultimatley led to it's primary diversion from success in Indo China as this invited retaliation from Ho Chi Minh and the north to cross boundaries, form the N.L.F and ultimatley begin a Second Vietnam War.
Discuss the effectivness of indirect military involvement( under J.F.K), 'Green Berets' program, then to Johnson's escalation of the war for more direct involvement..
U would also need to look at the different governements of South Vietnam and the U.S motives behind their support and evaluate the impact!
Outline strategies and how they had an adverse effect on winning peasant support. E.G the peasant MAJORITY or civilian population was supposedly who the U.S were trying to protect. Effects of bombing, napalm, agent orange would prove otherwise.
TET offensive: Failure of propoganda!!! Loss of Public morale further worsened soldier morale. Discuss extensive Drug Use, Mai Lai massacre by William Calley as effects of a war of attrition
Nixon's "Peace with Honour" program, Operation Menu actually had the effect of spreading the war to Cambodia ( double check me here: I'm pretty sure Operation Menu was under Nixon but may have been Johnson, I'm going off the top of my head here!)
End of the War, re-unification of Vietnam in 1975 under Viet Cong nationalists confirmed that the U.S was not successful in achieving it's aims of involvement.
HOPE THAT HELPS! kinda gives u a framework and has knocked off some revision for me! YAY
