Vietnam revision guide w/ mindmap No.Core B5 IGCSE HISTORY 2019
VIETNAM
1.BACKGROUND
1. Vietnam was ruled by the French till 1954.
2. Vietnam was invaded by the Japanese during WWII. The USA and the USSR
both gave weapons and training to a guerrilla force that fought against the
Japanese and aimed to remove them from Vietnam
3. Then it was divided into two countries.
North Vietnam Ho Chi Minh - Wanted to unite the North and South under
his control/
- He supported the Vietcong in South
Vietnam./
South Vietnam President Diem - strongly anti-communist/corrupt and brutal
leader/
- a Catholic ruling a mainly Buddhist country/
Vietcong-
- Set up December 1960
- South Vietnamese opponents of the Government
- North Vietnamese Communists
- taking orders from Ho Chi Minh
- Communist guerrilla soldiers
- Fighting to overthrow President Diem and his government.
- By 1964, there were over 100,000 Vietcong in the South
- They were killing thousands of South Vietnamese of cials every year
- Diem’s army could not get rid of them
1
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, Vietnam revision guide w/ mindmap No.Core B5 IGCSE HISTORY 2019
The Geneva Peace Conference
In April 1954 the foreign ministers of the USA, USSR, Great Britain and France had
begun meetings in Geneva to see if they could bring a peaceful solution.
Terms:
• Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel.
• North Vietnam would be governed by the Vietminh and Ho Chi Minh.
• The South would be governed by Ngo Dinh Diem, a strong opponent of
communism.
• The Vietminh would withdraw to the North.
• Anyone could choose to live in either the North or the South.
• A general election was to be held in 1956 to decide the fate of the entire
country.
Afterwards:
• Ho Chi Minh accepted these terms- he was convinced that he would win the
elections (America predicted he would get 80% of the vote )
• No elections- USA think holding elections would be too risky, so they never
did.(America had criticised Stalin for not holding free elections in Poland )
• Diem was proclaimed the head of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1955
• Diem was overthrown by the army in 1963
2) Tactics/strategy
Why did the Americans get involved?
CONTAINMENT
2
VIETNAM
1.BACKGROUND
1. Vietnam was ruled by the French till 1954.
2. Vietnam was invaded by the Japanese during WWII. The USA and the USSR
both gave weapons and training to a guerrilla force that fought against the
Japanese and aimed to remove them from Vietnam
3. Then it was divided into two countries.
North Vietnam Ho Chi Minh - Wanted to unite the North and South under
his control/
- He supported the Vietcong in South
Vietnam./
South Vietnam President Diem - strongly anti-communist/corrupt and brutal
leader/
- a Catholic ruling a mainly Buddhist country/
Vietcong-
- Set up December 1960
- South Vietnamese opponents of the Government
- North Vietnamese Communists
- taking orders from Ho Chi Minh
- Communist guerrilla soldiers
- Fighting to overthrow President Diem and his government.
- By 1964, there were over 100,000 Vietcong in the South
- They were killing thousands of South Vietnamese of cials every year
- Diem’s army could not get rid of them
1
fi
, Vietnam revision guide w/ mindmap No.Core B5 IGCSE HISTORY 2019
The Geneva Peace Conference
In April 1954 the foreign ministers of the USA, USSR, Great Britain and France had
begun meetings in Geneva to see if they could bring a peaceful solution.
Terms:
• Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel.
• North Vietnam would be governed by the Vietminh and Ho Chi Minh.
• The South would be governed by Ngo Dinh Diem, a strong opponent of
communism.
• The Vietminh would withdraw to the North.
• Anyone could choose to live in either the North or the South.
• A general election was to be held in 1956 to decide the fate of the entire
country.
Afterwards:
• Ho Chi Minh accepted these terms- he was convinced that he would win the
elections (America predicted he would get 80% of the vote )
• No elections- USA think holding elections would be too risky, so they never
did.(America had criticised Stalin for not holding free elections in Poland )
• Diem was proclaimed the head of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1955
• Diem was overthrown by the army in 1963
2) Tactics/strategy
Why did the Americans get involved?
CONTAINMENT
2
