The Vietnam Conflict 1945 - 75 is a modern investigation and breadth study that details the key events and people involved in the Vietnam Conflict. It covers the military conflict in Vietnam, the involvement of the USA, and the impact of global political conflicts.The course also investigates the French occupation and the impact of the conflict. You will focus on crucial events and study the different social, cultural, political and economic changes that occurred.

This study enables you to understand the complexities and challenges of democracy versus communism, of war versus peace and of protest versus nationalism. You will investigate themes such as democracy, communism, dictatorship, government, propaganda, censorship, tactics, strategies and politics. This course will enable you to develop the historical skills of causation and consequence, and encourage you to analyse and evaluate contemporary sources as well as interpretations of the time period.

The Vietnam Conflict, 1945 - 75 is split into 5 key topics:

• ❖ In Topic 1, The Vietnamese Struggle against France for independence, 1945 - 54, you will study the beginnings of the Vietnam conflict. This includes the tactics of General Giap, the search for a diplomatic solution and the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu.
• ❖ In Topic 2, US policy and intervention in the Vietnamese War, 1954 - 64, you will examine life in North and South Vietnam, as well as Ho Chi Minh's attempts to unite Vietnam and the Gulf of Tonkin incidents.
• ❖ In Topic 3, Confrontation in the Vietnam War, you will focus on the escalation in 1964 - 68, how the USA took the lead in the war, and the roles of McNamara, General Westmoreland and President Johnson.
• ❖ In Topic 4, you will focus on President Nixon and President Ford's policies with regards to the Vietnam War. This will include the failure of the peace talks, how the war extended into Cambodia and Laos, and how it linked to Vietnamisation.
• ❖ In Topic 5, the impact of the conflict on civilians in Vietnam and attitudes in the USA, you will investigate the impact on civilians in Vietnam and the USA. You will also study the tactics of guerrilla warfare, the battle for 'hearts and minds', the Phoenix Program and bombing during the Vietnam War.

Some of the key individuals studied on this course include:

• ❖ Ho Chi Minh.
• ❖ General Giap.
• ❖ Ngo Dinh Diem.
• ❖ President Truman.
• ❖ President Kennedy.
• ❖ President Eisenhower.
• ❖ President Johnson.
• ❖ President Nixon.
• ❖ President Ford.
• ❖ Henry Kissinger.

Some of the key events you will study on this course include:

• ❖ French defeat at Dien Bien Phu.
• ❖ Vietnam split at the 17th parallel.
• ❖ France leaving Vietnam.
• ❖ Gulf of Tonkin incidents.
• ❖ Tet Offensive.
• ❖ My Lai Massacre.
• ❖ Paris Peace Accords.
• ❖ The draft.
• ❖ Vietnamisation.
• ❖ US bombing of Cambodia and Laos.
• ❖ Kent State Incident.
• ❖ Pentagon Papers published.
• ❖ The Fall of Saigon.

The Vietnam Conflict 1945 - 75 forms part of paper 2 where you have a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete. You should spend 45 minutes on this section of the paper. There will be 1 exam question on The Vietnam Conflict 1945 - 75. The question will be broken down into 4 sections; a, b, c(i) and c(ii). You will answer a, b and either c(i) or c(ii).

• ❖ Question a is worth 6 marks. This question will require you to examine an extract and assesses your ability to analyse and evaluate a historical interpretation. You will need to identify the author's opinion or perspective by analysing the language the author uses and what they have chosen to comment on. You will explain how valid the overall impression is by using your own knowledge to evaluate that impression.
• ❖ Question b is worth 8 marks. This question will require you to explain two effects of an event on something else by using your contextual knowledge and looking at the consequences. You will need to identify two effects and then demonstrate how the event led to the effect you have identified.
• ❖ Question c(i) and c(ii) are worth 16 marks. This question will require you to construct an argument to support and challenge an interpretation stated in the question. You will be given two pieces of information to help jog your memory but you must use information of your own. You will have the opportunity to show your ability to explain and analyse historical events using 2nd order concepts such as causation, consequence, change, continuity, similarity and difference.