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The Vietnam War, 1954-1975 (AQA GCSE History) : Revision Note

Zoe Wade

Written by: Zoe Wade

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

Updated on

How did the Vietnam War impact Cold War tensions? - Summary

The Vietnam War increased Cold War tensions because it showed how far the USA was willing to go to stop the spread of communism. The USA believed in the Domino Theory, which meant that if one country in Asia became communist, others might follow. This led to a significant increase in US involvement, especially under President Johnson, who sent over 500,000 American troops to support South Vietnam. The war became another example of a proxy war, with the USSR and China supporting the communist north, and the USA backing the capitalist south.

The war also made the Cold War more tense because the USA failed to achieve its aim of Containment. Even with huge military power and spending, the USA could not defeat the Viet Cong or stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. This damaged America’s reputation and showed that military force alone could not stop communism. It made the USA more cautious in later Cold War conflicts and gave the USSR a propaganda victory, as it showed that the US could be challenged.

France & Indochina

  • Before the Second World War, France owned Vietnam

    • Vietnam was a colony in the French Empire known as Indochina

  • During the Second World War, Japan occupied Vietnam

    • In 1941, a communist armed force called the Viet Minh, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, fought the Japanese

    • In 1945, Vietnam declared independence

  • After the Second World War, France wanted to own Vietnam again

    • France fought the Viet Minh

    • Fearing communism in Vietnam, the USA funded the French involvement

  • The Viet Minh defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954

    • The Geneva Peace Accords agreed to temporarily split Vietnam

      • The Communist Viet Minh gained North Vietnam

      • South Vietnam created an anti-communist government

A map of Southeast Asia showing the division of Vietnam at the 17th Parallel. North Vietnam is shaded red and located above the 17th Parallel, with the capital area near the Gulf of Tonkin. South Vietnam is shaded blue and lies below the 17th Parallel, bordering the South China Sea. Surrounding countries are also labeled: China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, Thailand and Myanmar to the southwest. The Gulf of Tonkin lies to the northeast of Vietnam, while the Gulf of Thailand is to the southwest. The 17th Parallel is marked with a dashed horizontal line across the map.
A map showing how Vietnam was divided in 1954

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Students often need clarification on the divisions of Vietnam and Korea. There are many similarities. For example, the North of each country was communist and the division occurred as the result of war. However, the Allies divided Korea on the 38th Parallel while the Geneva Agreement split Vietnam on the 17th. Also, the split in Vietnam was temporary while the division of Korea was more permanent.

Causes of the Vietnam War

Leadership

  • After the Geneva Accords, a free election in 1956 would decide who permanently governed Vietnam

  • For a temporary measure, both North and South Vietnam selected a leader

A visual comparison of North Vietnam and South Vietnam’s leadership during the Vietnam War. On the left, North Vietnam is represented by Ho Chi Minh, labeled as "respected" and "known as 'Uncle Ho'," and is backed by the Soviet Union (flag shown). On the right, South Vietnam is represented by Ngo Dinh Diem, who is labeled as "unpopular," "corrupt, he rigged elections," and "Catholic, he persecuted Buddhists." Diem is backed by the United States (flag shown). The image uses red for communist North Vietnam and blue for capitalist South Vietnam.
An illustration showing key information about the leaders of North and South Vietnam

Diem's leadership

  • Diem treated his people poorly by:

    • introducing the Strategic Hamlets programme in 1962

      • It destroyed people’s homes and forced them to move in an attempt to reduce communist influence in the South

    • discriminating against Buddhists, the largest faith group in South Vietnam

    • taking land from peasants to give to rich landlords

    • running a corrupt government and giving key positions to his family members

  • Diem's leadership of South Vietnam:

    • caused many South Vietnamese to support Ho Chi Minh and the communist government

    • increase the amount of assistance that the US government had to provide to keep Diem in power

Domino Theory

  • Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Dulles feared that Ho Chi Minh would win the election

    • This would make Vietnam communist

  • Therefore, the US government created the concept of Domino Theory

    • This stated that, if Vietnam turned communist, other countries in Southeast Asia would fall too like dominoes

Containment

  • Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson all believed in Containment

  • They justified their actions in Vietnam as part of their mission to stop the spread of communism

Distrust of the USSR & China

  • The USA blamed the USSR and China for North Vietnam’s attempt to spread communism

Raw materials

  • Vietnam had a wealth of raw materials like tungsten, tin and rubber

    • If the USA could make Vietnam capitalist, it could access these raw materials

Increased US involvement in Vietnam

  • Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the US government increased the amount and type of support that they provided to South Vietnam

Dwight Eisenhower

Events in Vietnam

  • In 1959, Ho Chi Minh declared a full-scale war against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)

    • He stated his intention to overthrow Diem’s government

  • To support the war effort, the North created the Ho Chi Minh trail

    • This allowed weapons and supplies from North Vietnam to the South

A map showing the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War. The map displays North Vietnam (in red), South Vietnam (in blue), Laos, Cambodia, and parts of neighboring countries. Red arrows represent the Ho Chi Minh Trail—a supply route used by North Vietnam to transport troops and supplies into South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia. Several arrows point toward key cities and regions in South Vietnam, including Hue, Kontum, Pleiku, Buon Brieng, Bu Prang, and Saigon. Blue dots mark U.S. Special Forces camps throughout South Vietnam. The 17th Parallel, which divided North and South Vietnam, is also labeled. The map includes key geographical features such as the Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea, and Gulf of Thailand.
A map showing the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Eisenhower's actions towards Vietnam

  • Eisenhower created the New Look policy

  • The New Look policy aimed to:

    • avoid future conflict

    • cut military spending after the expensive Korean War

    • contain communism

  • The New Look policy meant that the US supplied South Vietnam with:

    • money

    • weapons

    • military advisors

John F. Kennedy

Events in Vietnam

  • In 1960, Ho Chi Minh created the National Liberation Front (or the Vietcong) 

    • Its members included communists from North Vietnam and peasants from South Vietnam

    • It aimed to assassinate Diem

  • In November 1963, a coup overthrew and assassinated Diem

Kennedy's actions towards Vietnam

  • Kennedy increased the support to South Vietnam in an attempt to stabilise the government

    • He sent over 16,000 military advisors to train the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN)

    • The US gave over $1 billion in aid during Kennedy’s presidency to South Vietnam

    • He supported programmes like the Strategic Hamlet Programme

  • Kennedy was assassinated on 22nd November 1963

Lyndon B. Johnson

Events in Vietnam

  • By 1964, around two-thirds of South Vietnam was under the control of the Viet Cong’s 10,000 soldiers

  • In August 1964, two US ships claimed they came under attack whilst off the coast of North Vietnam

    • Neither ship was damaged and many historians have doubted that the attacks took place

    • This is known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Johnson's actions towards Vietnam

  • Johnson did not want the conflict in Vietnam escalating into an all-out nuclear war with the USSR

    • For the first half of 1964, Johnson increased the number of US military advisors in South Vietnam

  • After the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Johnson ordered full-scale US military involvement in Vietnam

  • By the end of Johnson's presidency in 1969, there were over 500,000 American troops in Vietnam

The consequences of the Vietnam War

  • After a decade-long conflict, the USA and the North Vietnamese government signed the Paris Peace Accords

    • This officially ended US involvement in Vietnam

    • Nixon declared the US withdrawal was ‘peace with honour’

Positive consequences

  • The US public was happy to see the end of the ‘unwinnable war’

Negative consequences

  • Over 58,000 US soldiers died with millions of Vietnamese casualties

  • Containment had failed

    • Militarily, it was a defeat for the USA. The Viet Cong had better tactics

    • Politically, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia became communist by 1975

    • Economically, the Vietnam War cost the USA around $168 billion

Worked Example

Write an account of how US involvement in Vietnam affected the Cold War.

[8 marks]

Answer

One way US involvement in Vietnam affected the Cold War was by increasing tension between the superpowers. The USA supported South Vietnam to stop the spread of communism, while the USSR and China supported North Vietnam. This turned the Vietnam War into a proxy war, where the USA and USSR were backing opposite sides without directly fighting each other. It showed that the Cold War had spread to Asia and was no longer just about Europe. The war made the USA even more determined to contain communism, and both sides became more suspicious and aggressive.

Another way the Vietnam War affected the Cold War was by damaging the USA’s reputation. Despite sending hundreds of thousands of troops and spending $168 billion, the USA failed to stop communism from spreading in Vietnam. This was seen as a failure of the Containment policy, and it gave the USSR a propaganda victory. The war showed that the USA could not always use force to stop communism, which changed its approach in the later years of the Cold War.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The 'Write an account' question relies on an understanding of causes and consequences.

Causes and consequences are like falling dominos.

  • The causes are what pushes the dominos over

  • The consequences are the other dominos that fall

A diagram illustrating cause and consequence using a domino effect. On the left, a hand labeled 'Cause' points toward the first domino, labeled 'Event One.' It leans into 'Event Two,' which in turn leans into 'Event Three.' The three events are grouped together under the heading 'Consequences,' showing a chain reaction triggered by the initial cause.
An illustration showing causes and consequences in history as a set of dominos

For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 8-mark “Write an account" question.

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    Author
    Reviewer
    Zoe Wade

    Author: Zoe Wade

    Expertise: History Content Creator

    Zoe has worked in education for 10 years as a teaching assistant and a teacher. This has given her an in-depth perspective on how to support all learners to achieve to the best of their ability. She has been the Lead of Key Stage 4 History, showing her expertise in the Edexcel GCSE syllabus and how best to revise. Ever since she was a child, Zoe has been passionate about history. She believes now, more than ever, the study of history is vital to explaining the ever-changing world around us. Zoe’s focus is to create accessible content that breaks down key historical concepts and themes to achieve GCSE success.

    Bridgette Barrett

    Reviewer: Bridgette Barrett

    Expertise: Geography Lead

    After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.