US weaknesses in the Vietnam War

History

In this unit, pupils saw how the Vietnam War affected the USA during the period of the Cold War. In ‘The origins of the Cold War, 1941-58’ students will start their broader study on the events that led to the beginning of the Cold War in geographical areas beyond the USA.

In ‘USA: how did US policy towards Vietnam change?’ pupils studied how and why US involvement in Vietnam changed. In this unit, pupils will study how this changing involvement ultimately ended in failure for the US forces.

In this unit, pupils learn about the events that led to the Paris Peace agreement of 1973 which ended US involvement in Vietnam. They analyse why the USA had been unable to defeat the North Vietnamese and evaluate the impact of the war on the American people.

USA: what impact did the Vietnam War have on Americans?

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Complete the sentence: the US initially tried to win over the {{ }} of the South Vietnamese people in order to stop them from joining or helping the Vietcong.

There was nowhere to build the new hamlets.

People were forced to move away from the graves of their ancestors.

The South Vietnamese people did not know how to build the new hamlets.

South Vietnamese peasants attacked US soldiers who tried to force them to move.

Lack of resources in the hamlets led to hunger.

Which are two of the reasons why the Strategic Hamlets Programme failed?

the relocation of peasants away from Vietcong control

the bombing campaign against North Vietnam

the use of chemical weapons to clear jungle terrain and destroy crops

the airlifting of US troops into Vietcong hotspots

How many civilians are estimated to have been killed by US bombs in South Vietnam?

What was the average age of a drafted US soldier?

Complete the sentence: towards the end of the war, the US Army saw an alarming increase in {{ }}, which is the deliberate wounding or killing of commanding officers.

Complete the sentence: Operation {{ }} II saw the US fly nearly 2000 missions and drop nearly 35 000 tonnes of bombs on North Vietnam over the course of 12 days in December 1972.

When was the Paris Peace Agreement signed?

through elections overseen by independent people to make sure it was fair

the government of the North would assume control over all of Vietnam

the government of the South would assume control over all of Vietnam

unification was not agreed upon by those involved

Under the terms of the treaty, how would Vietnam be unified?

What award were the main negotiators of the treaty - Henry Kissinger of the US and Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam - presented with in 1973?

How long did the ceasefire between North and South Vietnam last until it was broken?

The US Army was already engaged in a different war.

There were huge anti-war demonstrations again.

The new US president was a pacifist who did not believe in fighting.

The US Congress refused to grant permission to re-enter the war.

Why did the US not keep its promise to re-enter the war if North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam after the peace treaty was signed?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Adult supervision required

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

US weaknesses in the Vietnam War

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.