5.1.1

Settlements

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Northern Victory in the Vietnam War

By 1975 Vietnam was a unified, socialist country.

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Attacks from the North intensified

  • US military forces were withdrawn by April 1973 and by the end of 1973 only a small group of diplomatic personnel and a small air force remained in Saigon.
    • As soon as the US withdrew, the North intensified its attacks on the South.
    • By August 1974 President Nixon was forced to resign and General Ford took over.
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The unification of Vietnam

  • In March 1975, Nguyen Van Tieu asked for aid from America to assist him in fighting the communists. The American Congress refused.
  • In April 1975, Nguyen Van Tieu resigned and South Vietnam surrendered.
  • The city of Saigon fell to the communists on 30 April 1975 which led to a unified, socialist Vietnam.

Continuing Problems in Cambodia

In March 1970, Lon Nol successfully overthrew Prince Nordom Sihanouk, forming a pro-American government. In response, the communist forces in Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge, formed an alliance with North Vietnam and fought back.

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The Cambodian Civil War

  • During the Cambodian Civil War, America supported Lon Nol and sent 119 military advisers to Cambodia as well as carrying out bombing raids.
  • In total, the USA dropped 430,000 tons of bombs on Cambodia.
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Lon Nol and the Khmer Rouge

  • Lon Nol had much public support but his forces were badly trained and poorly paid.
    • Lon Nol was a poor leader and did not take notice of US military advice.
    • By bombing Cambodia, the Americans lost Lon Nol much support.
  • On the other side, Khmer Rouge received assistance from North Vietnam.
    • It's forced were determined, well organised and used guerrilla tactics.
    • Unfortunately, for the Khmer Rouge, they had nearly 100,000 men less than Lon Nol and limited technology.
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The Battle of Phnom Penh

  • When the Paris Peace Agreement was signed in January 1973, the USA stopped bombing Cambodia.
  • Following this, the Khmer Rouge intensified their attacks on the government which led to the Battle of Phnom Penh in 1975.
  • This battle caused the US forces to be evacuated.
  • It took a week for the Khmer Rouge to defeat the government.
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The Khmer Rouge Revolution

  • The Khmer Rouge Revolution which followed was based on ideological cleansing with the goal of creating a new agricultural country by ridding Cambodia of its existing society.
  • Approximately one million people were killed in the revolution.
    • This was equal to 10% of the whole population of Cambodia.
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Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia

  • Vietnam invaded Cambodia on 25th December 1978 as the two countries battled over borders.
  • The USSR backed the Vietnamese and eventually the Vietnamese were victorious in January 1979.
  • The Khmer Rouge fled and the Vietnamese installed Heng Samrin as the new leader of Cambodia.
    • For the USA, losing Cambodia was a large blow; another country in Asia had succumbed to communism proving that the domino theory was a reality.

The Cost of the Vietnam War

The USA had failed to contain communism in Indochina. The costs for the US and Vietnam were high.

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The failure of the policy of containment

  • For the USA, the policy of containment had failed.
    • The Domino Theory became a reality.
    • SEATO disbanded in 1976 as a direct result of the failure to contain communism in Indochina.
  • The actions of the USA in the neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia had helped to bring communist governments to power there too.
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Loss of American prestige

  • The USA lost much prestige due to the war and spent one hundred billion dollars.
  • Despite the USA’s superior military strength, it could not stop the spread of communism.
  • Around 100,000 Americans left the USA to avoid conscription, 2.7 million served in the war and 58,000 Americans died during the war.
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Loss of Vietnamese life

  • For Vietnam, around 1.1 million Vietcong were killed.
  • About 100,000 to 330,000 Southern Vietnamese were killed.
  • Estimates for civilian casualties could be as high as 9 million.
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Economic and environmental impact

  • Vietnam found it difficult to recover from the war economically.
    • The USA placed a trade embargo on Vietnam.
    • Much of the Vietnamese land had been ruined due to heavy bombing and chemical weapons.
    • 6 million acres of Vietnamese land was poisoned.

Jump to other topics

1Origins of the Cold War, 1945-9

2Widening of the Cold War

3The Global War

4Confrontation & Cooperation

5Brezhnev Era

6Ending of the Cold War

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