Starter quiz
- Match the words with their definitions.
- strategy⇔a plan for directing overall military operations and movements. ✓
- tactics⇔actions employed by armed forces during contact with the enemy. ✓
- occupier⇔a member of a group that takes possession of a country by force. ✓
- The use of napalm and Agent Orange to remove the jungle vegetation and crops used by the Vietcong are both examples of which operation?
- Operation Rolling Thunder
- Operation Linebacker
- Operation Ranch Hand ✓
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- How were the US troops portrayed in communist propaganda?
- as unwelcome occupiers ✓
- as useful advisors
- as welcome allies
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- Which of the following statements explain why the US strategy and tactics failed?
- Operation Rolling Thunder did relatively little damage to the North’s military ✓
- Chemical agents caused terrible injuries to civilians and destroyed crops ✓
- Communist propaganda emphasised Americans as occupiers to increase their support ✓
- US bombing in South Vietnam killed an estimated two million civilians ✓
- The US tried to win over the ‘hearts and minds’ of the South Vietnamese people
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- 500 unarmed villagers were murdered by US soldiers at the...
- 'My Lai Massacre' ✓
- The deliberate wounding or killing of commanding officers is known as...
- 'fragging' ✓
Exit quiz
- The keyword that refers to features of an area of land, for example, its hills or forest is the...
- 'terrain' ✓
- Starting with the first, order the countries with which the North Vietnamese had fought since 1940.
- 1⇔Japan
- 2⇔France
- 3⇔South Vietnam
- 4⇔United States
- Which of the following statements explain why the North Vietnamese were so strong?
- The North Vietnamese previously faced the military forces of Japan and France ✓
- They knew how to use jungle cover to hide 12 000 miles of the Ho Chi Minh Trail ✓
- They were motivated by Ho Chi Minh's support of land reforms ✓
- They were the largest fighting force
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- Which of the following statements describes the support of the South for North Vietnam?
- Many Southern Vietnamese were active members of the Vietcong ✓
- Many Southern Vietnamese supported the Vietcong by feeding or hiding them ✓
- The Southern Vietnamese fought against the Vietcong
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- Which of these communist countries provided the most economic and military support for North Vietnam?
- China ✓
- Cuba
- North Korea
- USSR ✓
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- By the late 1960s, how much of the military and technical equipment supplied to North Vietnam came from the USSR?
- more than three quarters ✓
- more than half
- more than a quarter
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- North Vietnam had a great many strengths that enabled it to win the war.
- The North Vietnamese Army was highly experienced and fought to unify and liberate their country.
- North Vietnam received a great deal of support from sympathisers in the South.
- North Vietnam also received a great deal of support from the powerful communist countries of China and the USSR.
Common misconception
The US lost the Vietnam War: the North had little agency or impact on events.
North Vietnam was a formidable fighting force who had fought several wars over many years. Their strength was a major reason why they won.
Keywords
Terrain - the features of an area of land, for example, its hills or forest, are known as the terrain of that area
Experience - experience refers to the development of knowledge or skills in a particular activity due to sustained involvement
Support - support means to provide assistance or encouragement in order to help someone succeed
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