The U.S. Struggles Against the Communists in Vietnam

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.



Stage 2: Thinking it through

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 US had an advantage as far as armies go because they outnumbered and outgunned the Viet Cong. However, the Viet Cong army was more devoted to the the war, and o Chi Minh continued to sacrifice soldiers to the war.

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 believe that the one determining quality in who won the war was effective tactics. Although US tactics were able to kill Viet Kong, they were also very expensive and, witch chemical weapons, extremely gruesome. The US tactics were not only inefficient but in some cases, but when the press got a old of them they shocked the American public. The Veit COng on the other hand used guerilla warfare to terrorize the US.The Tet offensive, although it was in some ways a disaster, was a turning point in the war.

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

2. Now write up your answer. Use this structure:
a. The U.S. weaknesses were: A lack of soldier's and public moral, inefficient and costly tactics.

b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were: Highly motivated (refused to give in) and had better tactics like guerilla warfare.

c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example: Operation Rolling thunder.

d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were: The My Lai Massacre (this is not so much a defeat as bad press for the US), Operation Rolling thunder did work but could not defeat communists, search and destroy was not a good tactic.

e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as:the Tet offensive (was a turning point in the war),

f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example:
The US of chemical weapons by the US, keeping the Ho Chi MInh trail open cost many soldiers' lives

g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be [Insert weakness here] because:
American tactics because the Americans were not prepared to deal with the guerilla war tactics of the Viet Cong. Their tactics such as bombing were unable to defeat a guerilla army.

h. The key Viet Cong strength was [their use of guerilla warfare] because: guerilla warfare made them impossible to defeat with bombing raids and traditional battles, both of which the US would have won. Even though the US troops outnumbered and outgunned them, they were not able to defeat them because guerilla warfare made the Viet congs so difficult to find and often caught US soliders off guard with attacks.

The U.S. Enters te Vietnam War

Title: The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War Labels: Vietnam_War, JFK, Cold_War, LBJ, Ho_Chi_Mihn, Gulf_of_Tonkin, Diem

The answers are due on Friday prior to class
1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.

Much of the US policy in Vietnam was based of off ignorance and the fear that if Vietnam became Communist, all of South East Asia would follow. There were also many incidents where civilians, women, children and the elderly were massacred. The most famous incident was My Lai Massacre.


2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.
They would have defended their policies by citing the defeat of communism as the goal. Calley, when on trial for the My Lai massacre said that they went to Vietnam to kill Communism not people. US politicians would have taken a similar stance to defend their policies, claiming that all actions taken were necessary to contain communism.

3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). 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.


Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president (1963)-political/military involvement
Formation of South Vietnam (1955)-political involvement/financial involvement
Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)-political involvement
Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500 (end of 1962)-military involvement
JFK sends military advisers (1962)-military involvement
U.S. Marines land at Da Nang (1965)-military involvement
U.S. stops elections in Vietnam (1954)-political involvement
U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem (1963)-political involvement/financial involvement
Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases (1960)-military involvement
Viet Cong formed (1960)-no direct involvement here

4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain
your choice.

Two events that were critical in getting et US involved in a war in Vietnam were, when the Viet conga attacked South Vietnam bases and the assassination of JFK. When JFK was assassination LBJ took his place. LBJ was much more ready and willing to become involved in the Vietnam War that JFK had been and after the Gulf go Tonkin incident, congress passed et gulf of tontine resolution giving him ugh amounts of power. When the Viet Cong first began to attack South Vietnamese bases, JFK began sending many military advisers over to help fight them.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

Tues., April 27 Homework

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


Answer the following questions and post them to your blog.
Title: The Cuban Missile Crisis Labels: Cuban_Missile_Crisis, Bay_of_Pigs, Khrushchev, JFK, McNamara, Cold_War


The answers are due on Wednesday prior to class.


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 October 24, and October 27

ON october 24 missile carrying ships and a soviet submarine approached the US blockade. On the 27 Kennedy recieves a letter from Krushchev saying that he will on remove the missiels from Cuba if Kennedy removes the missiles from Turkey. kennedy cannot accept these conditions.

2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?
I think it was a small possibility becasue if any of the each countries actions were percived as threatening to the other country, it could have begun conventional war that escalated into nuclear war. However I think both countries wanted to avoid nuclear war, decreasing the chance.

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

It is an American cartoon. Kennedy is arm wrestling Krushchev. Kennedy looks serious while Krushev seems to be struggling and is sweating heavily.

4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.
I think that it is possible that they wanted to bargain with the US becaue Krushchev does say in his second letter to Kennedy that he would remove the missile from CUba if the US removed their missiles fromTurkey.
I think that it is also possible that they wanted to test the US because both countries were not really sure of where the other xcountry stood in the arms race and testing the US would show if they really had the power to back themselves up.
I think it is also possible that they wanted to get the upper hands in the arms race becasue the US had missiles in Turkey and that would make it easy for them to attack the USSR. However if the USSR has missiles in CUba, this is less likely.
I do not think it is likely that they wanted to trap the Us becasue a nuclear war would cause unreparable damages to both sides.

Why did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?
To bargain with the USA


To test the USA


To trap the USA


To get the upper hand in the arms race


To defend Cuba


5. Choose the explanation(s) that you think best fit what you have found out about the crisis. Explain your choice.
I think the best explanations are that teh USSR wanted to bargain with the US and defend Cuba. In his fisrt lette rto Kennedy, Krushchev says that he would not need the missiles if he did not feel Cuba was threatened. This is a legitimate threat because with the US's policy of containment it would seems possible they would attack Cuba to get rid of the Communists there. I think it is also likely that the USSr was trying to bargain in the US becaus in Krushchev's second letter to the US he says he will remove the missiles in Cuba if the US removes their missiles in Turkey. Wothout missiles in Turkey there would be a lesser likelyhood of the US attacking the USSR.

The U.S. Attemps to Contain Cuba

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

Answer the following questions and post them to your blog. Your answers are due Tuesday prior to class.
Title: The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba Labels: Cuban_Missile_Crisis, Bay_of_Pigs, Khrushchev, JFK, McNamara, Cold_War

1. Why was Cuba so important to the United States?
Americans owned most of the businesses there and had a huge naval base there.

2. Why do you think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves?
This would have prevented any American lives from being lost and would have prevented a war between the US and Cuba.

3. Why did the invasion fail?
At the Bay of Pigs the exiles were met with 20,000 Cuban troops who were armed with tanks and modern weapons.
The invasion failed because

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.
Soviet missiles on Cuba gave the Soviets a prescence closer to the US. before, the US would have been able to launch missiles at the Soviets from close proximity, however the Soviets would not had been able to do the same. But with Soviet Missiles on Cuba, they could now easily launch missiles on the US from Cuba.