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Gr. 12 HISTORY REVISION: THE COLD WAR

REVISION: THE COLD WAR (NOTES)

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Origins of the Cold War

The struggle between superpowers.

• Toward a new world order

What was the Cold War?

How did the cold war end, why was the cuban missile crisis such an important event in the cold war.

• What was Harry S. Truman's reaction to communist North Korea's attempt to seize noncommunist South Korea in 1950?
• Should the United States maintain the embargo enforced by John F. Kennedy against Cuba?

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• Chemistry LibreTexts - The Cold War
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• Cold War - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
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• Table Of Contents

The Cold War was an ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies that developed after World War II . This hostility between the two superpowers was first given its name by George Orwell in an article published in 1945. Orwell understood it as a nuclear stalemate between “super-states”: each possessed weapons of mass destruction and was capable of annihilating the other.

The Cold War began after the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, when the uneasy alliance between the United States and Great Britain on the one hand and the Soviet Union on the other started to fall apart. The Soviet Union began to establish left-wing governments in the countries of eastern Europe, determined to safeguard against a possible renewed threat from Germany. The Americans and the British worried that Soviet domination in eastern Europe might be permanent. The Cold War was solidified by 1947–48, when U.S. aid had brought certain Western countries under American influence and the Soviets had established openly communist regimes. Nevertheless, there was very little use of weapons on battlefields during the Cold War. It was waged mainly on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and lasted until 1991.

The Cold War came to a close gradually. The unity in the communist bloc was unraveling throughout the 1960s and ’70s as a split occurred between China and the Soviet Union . Meanwhile, Japan and certain Western countries were becoming more economically independent. Increasingly complex international relationships developed as a result, and smaller countries became more resistant to superpower cajoling.

The Cold War truly began to break down during the administration of Mikhail Gorbachev , who changed the more totalitarian aspects of the Soviet government and tried to democratize its political system. Communist regimes began to collapse in eastern Europe, and democratic governments rose in East Germany , Poland , Hungary , and Czechoslovakia , followed by the reunification of West and East Germany under NATO auspices. Gorbachev’s reforms meanwhile weakened his own communist party and allowed power to shift to the constituent governments of the Soviet bloc. The Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, giving rise to 15 newly independent nations, including a Russia with an anticommunist leader.

In the late 1950s, both the United States and the Soviet Union were developing intercontinental ballistic missiles . In 1962 the Soviet Union began to secretly install missiles in Cuba to launch attacks on U.S. cities. The confrontation that followed, known as the Cuban missile crisis , brought the two superpowers to the brink of war before an agreement was reached to withdraw the missiles.

The conflict showed that both superpowers were wary of using their nuclear weapons against each other for fear of mutual atomic annihilation. The signing of the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty followed in 1963, which banned aboveground nuclear weapons testing. Still, after the crisis, the Soviets were determined not to be humiliated by their military inferiority again, and they began a buildup of conventional and strategic forces that the United States was forced to match for the next 25 years.

News •

Cold War , the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. The Cold War was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. The term was first used by the English writer George Orwell in an article published in 1945 to refer to what he predicted would be a nuclear stalemate between “two or three monstrous super-states, each possessed of a weapon by which millions of people can be wiped out in a few seconds.” It was first used in the United States by the American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch in a speech at the State House in Columbia, South Carolina , in 1947.

A brief treatment of the Cold War follows. For full treatment, see international relations .

Following the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945 near the close of World War II , the uneasy wartime alliance between the United States and Great Britain on the one hand and the Soviet Union on the other began to unravel. By 1948 the Soviets had installed left-wing governments in the countries of eastern Europe that had been liberated by the Red Army . The Americans and the British feared the permanent Soviet domination of eastern Europe and the threat of Soviet-influenced communist parties coming to power in the democracies of western Europe. The Soviets, on the other hand, were determined to maintain control of eastern Europe in order to safeguard against any possible renewed threat from Germany, and they were intent on spreading communism worldwide, largely for ideological reasons. The Cold War had solidified by 1947–48, when U.S. aid provided under the Marshall Plan to western Europe had brought those countries under American influence and the Soviets had installed openly communist regimes in eastern Europe.

The Cold War reached its peak in 1948–53. In this period the Soviets unsuccessfully blockaded the Western-held sectors of West Berlin (1948–49); the United States and its European allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a unified military command to resist the Soviet presence in Europe (1949); the Soviets exploded their first atomic warhead (1949), thus ending the American monopoly on the atomic bomb; the Chinese communists came to power in mainland China (1949); and the Soviet-supported communist government of North Korea invaded U.S.-supported South Korea in 1950, setting off an indecisive Korean War that lasted until 1953.

From 1953 to 1957 Cold War tensions relaxed somewhat, largely owing to the death of the longtime Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1953; nevertheless, the standoff remained. A unified military organization among the Soviet-bloc countries, the Warsaw Pact , was formed in 1955; and West Germany was admitted into NATO that same year. Another intense stage of the Cold War was in 1958–62. The United States and the Soviet Union began developing intercontinental ballistic missiles , and in 1962 the Soviets began secretly installing missiles in Cuba that could be used to launch nuclear attacks on U.S. cities. This sparked the Cuban missile crisis (1962), a confrontation that brought the two superpowers to the brink of war before an agreement was reached to withdraw the missiles.

The Cuban missile crisis showed that neither the United States nor the Soviet Union were ready to use nuclear weapons for fear of the other’s retaliation (and thus of mutual atomic annihilation). The two superpowers soon signed the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty of 1963 , which banned aboveground nuclear weapons testing. But the crisis also hardened the Soviets’ determination never again to be humiliated by their military inferiority, and they began a buildup of both conventional and strategic forces that the United States was forced to match for the next 25 years.

Throughout the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union avoided direct military confrontation in Europe and engaged in actual combat operations only to keep allies from defecting to the other side or to overthrow them after they had done so. Thus, the Soviet Union sent troops to preserve communist rule in East Germany (1953), Hungary (1956) , Czechoslovakia (1968) , and Afghanistan (1979) . For its part, the United States helped overthrow a left-wing government in Guatemala (1954) , supported an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba (1961), invaded the Dominican Republic (1965) and Grenada (1983) , and undertook a long (1954–75) and unsuccessful effort to prevent communist North Vietnam from bringing South Vietnam under its rule ( see Vietnam War ).

The Cold War (1945-1989) essay

The Cold War is considered to be a significant event in Modern World History. The Cold War dominated a rather long time period: between 1945, or the end of the World War II, and 1990, the collapse of the USSR. This period involved the relationships between two superpowers: the United States and the USSR. The Cold War began in Eastern Europe and Germany, according to the researchers of the Institute of Contemporary British History (Warner 15).  Researchers state that “the USSR and the United States of America held the trump cards, nuclear bombs and missiles” (Daniel 489). In other words, during the Cold War, two nations took the fate of the world under their control. The progression of the Cold War influenced the development of society, which became aware of the threat of nuclear war. After the World War II, the world experienced technological progress, which provided “the Space Race, computer development, superhighway construction, jet airliner development, the creation of international phone system, the advent of television, enormous progress in medicine, and the creation of mass consumerism, and many other achievements” (Daniel 489). Although the larger part of the world lived in poverty and lacked technological progress, the United States and other countries of Western world succeeded in economic development. The Cold War, which began in 1945, reflected the increased role of technological progress in the establishment of economic relationships between two superpowers.   The Cold War involved internal and external conflicts between two superpowers, the United States and the USSR, leading to eventual breakdown of the USSR.

• The Cold War: background information

The Cold War consisted of several confrontations between the United States and the USSR, supported by their allies. According to researchers, the Cold War was marked by a number of events, including “the escalating arms race, a competition to conquer space, a dangerously belligerent for of diplomacy known as brinkmanship, and a series of small wars, sometimes called “police actions” by the United States and sometimes excused as defense measures by the Soviets” (Gottfried 9). The Cold War had different influences on the United States and the USSR. For the USSR, the Cold War provided massive opportunities for the spread of communism across the world, Moscow’s control over the development of other nations and the increased role of the Soviet Communist party.

In fact, the Cold War could split the wartime alliance formed to oppose the plans of Nazi Germany, leaving the USSR and the United States as two superpowers with considerable economic and political differences. The USSR was based on a single-party Marxist–Leninist system, while the United States was a capitalist state with democratic governance based on free elections.

The key figure in the Cold War was the Soviet leader Gorbachev, who was elected in 1985. He managed to change the direction of the USSR, making the economies of communist ruled states independent. The major reasons for changing in the course were poor technological development of the USSR (Gottfried 115). Gorbachev believed that radical changes in political power could improve the Communist system. At the same time, he wanted to stop the Cold War and tensions with the United States. The cost of nuclear arms race had negative impact on the economy of the USSR. The leaders of the United States accepted the proposed relationships, based on cooperation and mutual trust. The end of the Cold War was marked by signing the INF treaty in 1987 (Gottfried 115).

• The origins of the Cold War

Many American historians state that the Cold War began in 1945. However, according to Russian researchers, historians and analysts “the Cold War began with the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, for this was when the capitalist world began its systematic opposition to and effort to undermine the world’s first socialist state and society” (Warner13). For Russians, the Cold War was hot in 1918-1922, when the Allied Intervention policy implemented in Russia during the Russian Civil War. According to John W. Long, “the U.S. intervention in North Russia was a policy formulated by President Wilson during the first half of 1918 at the urgent insistence of Britain, France and Italy, the chief World War I allies” (380).

Nevertheless, there are some other opinions regarding the origins of the Cold War. For example, Geoffrey Barraclough, an outstanding English historian, states that the events in the Far East at the end of the century contributed to the origins of the Cold War. He argues that “during the previous hundred years, Russia and the United States has tended to support each other against England; but now, as England’s power passed its zenith, they came face to face across the Pacific” (Warner 13). According to Barraclough, the Cold War is associated with the conflict of interests, which involved European countries, the Middle East and South East Asia. Finally, this conflict divided the world into two camps. Thus, the Cold War origins are connected with the spread of ideological conflict caused by the emergence of the new power in the early 20-th century (Warner 14). The Cold War outbreak was associated with the spread of propaganda on the United States by the USSR. The propagandistic attacks involved the criticism of the U.S. leaders and their policies. These attacked were harmful to the interests of American nation (Whitton 151).

• The major causes of the Cold War

The United States and the USSR were regarded as two superpowers during the Cold War, each having its own sphere of influence, its power and forces. The Cold War had been the continuing conflict, caused by tensions, misunderstandings and competitions that existed between the United States and the USSR, as well as their allies from 1945 to the early 1990s (Gottfried 10). Throughout this long period, there was the so-called rivalry between the United States and the USSR, which was expressed through various transformations, including military buildup, the spread of propaganda, the growth of espionage, weapons development, considerable industrial advances, and competitive technological developments in different spheres of human activity, such as medicine, education, space exploration, etc.

There four major causes of the Cold War, which include:

• Ideological differences (communism v. capitalism);
• Mutual distrust and misperception;
• The fear of the United State regarding the spread of communism;
• The nuclear arms race (Gottfried 10).

The major causes of the Cold War point out to the fact that the USSR was focused on the spread of communist ideas worldwide. The United States followed democratic ideas and opposed the spread of communism. At the same time, the acquisition of atomic weapons by the United States caused fear in the USSR. The use of atomic weapons could become the major reason of fear of both the United States and the USSR. In other words, both countries were anxious about possible attacks from each other; therefore, they were following the production of mass destruction weapons. In addition, the USSR was focused on taking control over Eastern Europe and Central Asia. According to researchers, the USSR used various strategies to gain control over Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the years 1945-1980. Some of these strategies included “encouraging the communist takeover of governments in Eastern Europe, the setting up of Comecon, the Warsaw Pact, the presence of the Red Army in Eastern Europe, and the Brezhnev Doctrine” (Phillips 118). These actions were the major factors for the suspicions and concerns of the United States. In addition, the U.S. President had a personal dislike of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his policies. In general, the United States was concerned by the Soviet Union’s actions regarding the occupied territory of Germany, while the USSR feared that the United States would use Western Europe as the major tool for attack.

• The consequences of the Cold War

The consequences of the Cold War include both positive and negative effects for both the United States and the USSR.

• Both the United States and the USSR managed to build up huge arsenals of atomic weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
• The Cold War provided opportunities for the establishment of the military blocs, NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
• The Cold War led to the emergence of the destructive military conflicts, like the Vietnam War and the Korean War, which took the lives of millions of people (Gottfried13).
• The USSR collapsed because of considerable economic, political and social challenges.
• The Cold War led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the two German nations.
• The Cold War led to the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact (Gottfried 136).
• The Cold war provided the opportunities for achieving independence of the Baltic States and some former Soviet Republics.
• The Cold War made the United States the sole superpower of the world because of the collapse of the USSR in 1990.
• The Cold War led to the collapse of Communism and the rise of globalization worldwide (Phillips 119).

The impact of the Cold War on the development of many countries was enormous. The consequences of the Cold War were derived from numerous internal problems of the countries, which were connected with the USSR, especially developing countries (India, Africa, etc.). This fact means that foreign policies of many states were transformed (Gottfried 115).

The Cold War (1945-1989) essay part 2

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The Cold War

Cold war essay questions.

Origins of the Cold War

1. Explain the objectives of the communists who seized power in Russia in 1917. What kind of society did they hope to create? What methods did they use to capture power and rebuild Russia?

2. Research and discuss the ‘First Red Scare’ in the United States. What ideas and factors fuelled this scare? How legitimate were these fears?

3. Describe the relationship between the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union during World War II. What was the basis of their alliance?

4. Discuss the outcomes of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences regarding the post-war world. What was agreed or promised?

5. “Joseph Stalin was the leader most responsible for initiating the Cold War.” To what extent is this statement true?

6. Explain why eastern European nations ended up with socialist governments after World War II. Refer to three specific nations in your answer.

7. Summarise the ideas and views expressed by American diplomat George Kennan. How did these views shape US policy during the Cold War?

8. What was the Truman Doctrine? Referring to specific policies or statements, provide examples of how the Truman Doctrine was implemented between 1947 and 1952.

9. What conditions did the US place on aid provided by the European Recovery Program, or Marshall Plan? What did American policymakers hope to achieve?

10. Explain why the Korean peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel in 1945. What were the consequences of this division?

1. Why did Germany evolve into two separate states between 1945 and 1949? What people, policies and events contributed to this separate development?

2. Describe how the Allies responded to the Berlin Blockade in 1948. What were the outcomes and political effects of this response?

3. Investigate conditions in West Berlin between 1945 and 1949. What problems were faced by residents of the city?

4. Why was James F. Byrnes’ September 1946 address called the “Speech of Hope”? What ideas did it convey to the people of Berlin?

5. What did Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev mean when he described Berlin as the “testicles of the West”? Evaluate Khrushchev’s policies and statements with regard to Berlin.

6. Discuss the relationship between East Berlin and West Berlin, between 1946 and the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Explain how movement, communication and trade was conducted between the ‘two Berlins’.

7. Research three attempts to escape the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. Why did those concerned seek to escape to the West? What methods did they use and how successful were they?

8. Why did the East German government erect a wall in Berlin in 1961? Explain why this wall became a defining symbol of the Cold War.

9. Summarise the economic policy of East Germany between 1949 and 1989. Was the East German government able to construct a successful socialist economy? What challenges and difficulties did it face?

10. Describe the society of East Germany during the Cold War. How did socialism shape the lives of ordinary East Germans?

11. Evaluate the government, economy and society of West Germany between 1949 and 1989. Was the “economic miracle” in West Germany mostly a result of Western aid – or were there other factors?

12. What was Ostpolitik and who were its main exponents? How did Ostpolitik change the relationship between East and West Germany?

The Red Scare and McCarthyism

1. What was the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC? What was its intended purpose? In your answer, refer to three examples of individuals who appeared before HUAC.

2. Who were the “Hollywood Ten” and what was their fate? Why did HUAC seek to identify communists and communist sympathisers in the worlds of film and literature?

3. Evaluate the extent of Soviet espionage in the United States and Britain in the first decade of the Cold War. Was the paranoia of McCarthyism justified?

4. Explain how a junior Senator like Joseph McCarthy became an important Cold War figure in the early 1950s. What was the basis of McCarthy’s power and influence?

5. Research three individuals who criticised or stood against McCarthyism. What arguments did they use? How successful were they in convincing others?

6. How and why was Joseph McCarthy discredited? Summarise the developments and events that led to his downfall.

7. Referring to three specific movies or television programmes, explain how Cold War ideas and fears were represented and conveyed on the screen.

8. Locate and analyse three items of propaganda warning Western civilians about communism. What were the dangers of communism, according to this propaganda? What were the ‘warning signs’ for spotting communists or communist activity?

9. Depictions of ‘normal’ Americans, families and behaviour were an important part of Cold War propaganda. What was considered ‘normal’ in the 1950s? Discuss how ideas of normality were represented in popular culture, such as television.

10. Explain the role of J. Edgar Hoover in perpetuating Cold War ideas and values in the United States. Refer to at least three specific documents, actions or methods used by Hoover.

1. Describe the objectives of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Why did Fidel Castro want to overthrow the Batista regime? What kind of society did he seek to create?

2. Evaluate the political ideology of Fidel Castro. To what extent was Castro a communist?

3. What was the Bay of Pigs campaign and what did it seek to achieve? How did the outcomes of the Bay of Pigs shape the presidency of John F. Kennedy?

4. Summarise the Vienna summit between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in May 1961. What was discussed at this summit? What impressions did the two leaders form of each other?

5. Research the political and paramilitary activities of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. What were Guevara’s values and goals? What role did he play in Castro’s Cuba?

6. Why did Moscow agree to install ballistic missiles on the island of Cuba? Why was this move unacceptable to the United States?

7. What is brinkmanship? Why is the handling of the Cuban missile crisis referred to as an example of brinkmanship?

8. Evaluate John F. Kennedy’s leadership between January 1961 and his assassination in November 1963. Did Kennedy’s presidency escalate or ease Cold War tensions?

9. Summarise the United States’ Cuba policy after the missile crisis. Did the US really wage “undeclared war” on Cuba, as Castro has claimed?

10. Research and describe life in Cuba after 1960. Was Castro’s Cuba a communist utopia, an oppressive dictatorship or something else?

Waging the Cold War

1. Explain how nuclear weapons shaped policy and attitudes during the Cold War. What was the doctrine of “Mutually Assured Destruction” and how effective was it at avoiding conflict?

2. In October 1949 Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party emerged as the new leaders of China. How did this event influence and change the Cold War?

3. Describe and evaluate the Domino Theory. How did this idea shape Western policy in the Cold War? How valid was this theory?

4. Investigate civil defence measures of the 1950s and 1960s. What precautions did governments take to protect their civilian population during and after a nuclear strike? How were civilians trained to respond to a nuclear attack?

5. How did the death of Joseph Stalin and the rise of Nikita Khrushchev change the Cold War? Did this change of leadership improve US-Soviet relations?

6. Describe the governments and policies of both Yugoslavia and Romania during the Cold War. How did socialism in these countries compare to that in Soviet bloc nations?

7. How did propaganda shape public attitudes during the Cold War? Referring to specific sources, explain how propaganda depicted life in both capitalist and socialist nations.

8. Research two or three ‘proxy wars’ during the Cold War. Explain and evaluate the involvement of major powers in these proxy conflicts.

9. Investigate three missions or operations conducted by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Cold War. What tactics or methods did the CIA and its agents employ? Were these missions successful in advancing American interests?

10. What did the ‘Kitchen Debate’ reveal about the ideas, values and leadership of the United States and the Soviet Union?

11. What were the ramifications of the Soviet capture of Gary Powers and his U-2 spy plane in 1960?

12. Chart the course of American involvement in Vietnam. Why did the US become involved in Vietnam? How and why did this involvement increase during the 1960s?

13. How did Cold War tensions shape events in the Middle East between 1945 and 1979? Which Middle Eastern nations were influenced by the superpowers and which steered their own course?

14. Explain how sport was used for political advantage during the Cold War. Refer to at least three specific people or events in your answer.

15. Research three peace or disarmament movements that were active during the Cold War. What were the objectives of these groups? What methods and tactics did they use?

1. Describe the United States’ relationship with the People’s Republic of China between 1949 and 1972. How and why did this relationship change in 1971-72?

2. What factors contributed to the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s? How did the breakdown in Soviet-Chinese relations affect the broader Cold War?

3. What caused the US oil crisis in 1973? How did this crisis impact on the Cold War?

4. Discuss how economic factors and conditions contributed to the policy of Détente in the late 1960s and 1970s.

5. Investigate the two arms limitation treaties (SALT I and SALT II) of the 1970s. How successful were these treaties at easing Cold War tensions?

6. Why did the Soviet Union invade and occupy Afghanistan in late 1979? What were the short and long-term ramifications of this action?

7. What was the Reagan Doctrine? Referring to at least three specific examples, explain how Reagan sought to undermine and weaken communism around the world.

8. Why did Ronald Reagan order US forces to invade Grenada in 1983? Why was this operation controversial?

9. Explain the purpose of Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI). Why was this policy controversial?

10. Discuss how the Korean air disaster and the Soviet response to this disaster affected the US-Soviet relationship.

11. Why did the 1980s see a resurgence in nuclear paranoia, particularly in popular culture? How justified were these fears?

12. Evaluate the Reagan administration’s strategy during the Cold War. Did Reagan “win the Cold War”, as is often claimed? And if so, how did he achieve it?

The end of the Cold War

1. Poland was one Soviet bloc nation to experience popular opposition to the socialist government. Who initiated the reform movement in Poland? What were their grievances and objectives?

2. Evaluate the role of Pope John Paul II in undermining socialism and ending the Cold War in Europe.

3. How effective was the United Nations in minimising conflict and easing tensions during the Cold War? Identify some notable ‘successes’ and ‘failures’ of the UN.

4. Discuss how popular music contributed to the decline of the Cold War. How did music challenge or change ideas and attitudes? Refer to specific artists and performances in your answer.

5. What was the Chernobyl disaster? What impact did it have on the Soviet Union and the Cold War?

6. Evaluate the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. How was Gorbachev different to his predecessors? How did his actions and policies contribute to ending the Cold War?

7. What factors led to popular uprisings against socialism in eastern Europe in 1989? Referring to two specific countries, explain how popular movements led to political reform.

8. What brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989? Discuss the people, events and factors that contributed to this significant event.

9. Why was there an attempted coup d’etat against Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991? Why did this coup fail?

10. What factors brought about the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. What was created to replace it?

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Extension of the Cold War Case Study Vietnam Essay – Grade 12 History

Extension of the Cold War Case Study Vietnam Essay – Grade 12 History Answer Guide based on the memo.

All the military might of the United States of America’s army could not defeat a small nation of Vietnamese peasants.

Critically discuss this statement in the context of the military strategies that both the United States of America and the Vietcong used in Vietnam between 1963 and 1973.

Answer Guide:

Plan and construct an original argument based on relevant evidence using analytical and interpretative skills.

Candidates must critically discuss why the USA was unable to defeat a small nation of Vietnamese peasants during the Vietnam War between 1963 and 1973.

An outline of the tactics and strategies employed by the USA’s army and the Vietmihn/Vietcong (National Liberation Front) during the war should be highlighted.

MAIN ASPECTS

Candidates may include the following aspects in their response:

Introduction: Candidates should critically discuss the statement and develop a relevant line of argument.

ELABORATION

USA strategies:

• Reasons for the USA’s deployment of troops to Vietnam
• Villagisation/strategic hamlet programme (USA and South Vietnam government created new villages and attempted to separate villagers (farmers) from guerrillas) of which it was a failure
• Gulf of Tonkin resolution (1964) gave President Johnson wide military powers resulting in the escalation of warfare in Vietnam
• The USA’s mass aerial bombing – “Operation Rolling Thunder”
• Operation Ranch Hand (used chemicals to destroy forests (Agent Orange) and crops (Agent Blue)
• US sent young and inexperienced soldiers to Vietnam
• US used search and destroy missions (My Lai massacre) to destroy villages supported by Viet Cong (this resulted in a number of civilian deaths)
• The role of the media, students and disarmament movements in bringing pressure on the US government to withdraw from Vietnam
• President Nixon’s Vietnamisation policy/including WHAM (Winning the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese) was an attempt by the USA to withdraw from war and save face
• The USA withdraw all troops by 1973 and North Vietnam took control of Saigon in 1975
• Any other relevant response

Vietcong strategies:

• North Vietnam received military support from the USSR and China so the Vietminh and Vietcong had access to some modern weapons
• Guerrilla warfare was effectively used by the Vietcong, supported by Vietminh from the north and used tactics such as booby traps, underground tunnels, hit and run and sabotage
• Tet offensive (1968) was launched by Vietminh and Vietcong against urban centres and USA bases throughout Vietnam
• The local Vietnamese population supported the Vietcong to liberate their country
• Ho Chi Minh Trail used by Vietminh (North) to support Vietcong in the south
• The Vietcong increased its support base because of the tactics used against the USA soldiers
• Vietnamese were united in the defence of their country
• Conclusion: Candidates should tie-up their arguments with relevant conclusions.

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