Cold War Study Guide - Compare/contrast the Vietnam War policies of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Name Grace Ives Cold War Study Guide #3 Directions: Please prep 3 questions with at least 3/4 page of bullet points per question. Prepare each question on a separate page. Be sure to include relevant quotations and statistics (with citations) from your readings. . Compare/contrast the Vietnam War policies of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. LYNDON JOHNSON Operation Rolling Thunder - During Lyndon Johnson's presidency, he tried to limit the US' involvement in Vietnam to please the American public, but he found that in order to win the war, he would have to increase the number of troops sent to Vietnam. - Lyndon Johnson's presidency oversaw the vietnam escalation. - Lyndon Johnson conducted a US mission called, "Operation Rolling Thunder". Operation Rolling Thunder was an air force mission led by the US army in which there was relentless bombing on North Vietnam. The objective was to essentially boost the weakening morale of Southern Vietnam, and to weaken North Vietnam in hopes to end the war. - Kennedy describes operation rolling thunder as "regular full-scale bombing attacks against North Vietnam" (Kennedy 991) - Johnson sent over hundreds and thousands of troops, but tried to keep the US' increasing involvement with Vietnam as secret. - The initial focus of the increased number of US troops was to protect the US airbases in South Vietnam. Gulf

  • Word count: 2468
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: History
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Analysis of Vietnam Renunciation Speech - Lyndon B. Johnson General: The Vietnam Renunciation Speech was a speech given by former American president Lynd

Analysis of Vietnam Renunciation Speech - Lyndon B. Johnson General: The Vietnam Renunciation Speech was a speech given by former American president Lyndon B. Johnson on the 31st of March 1968. It was a rather long speech of in total 4158 words. For this reason I have chosen a shorter passage of only 608 words, which I will analyse into more detail. The passage consists of 10 paragraphs varying in length - the shortest being the first statement of only 5 words, and the longest comprising of 101 words. Short sentences were used - often subsequent a longer explanatory paragraph - when necessary to emphasize an important point. The content of the speech clearly points out its political intent. Almost no poetic or figurative language is used. However emphasis is put on informing and motivating the Americans, in order for them to regain their lost support for the war and reunite for the "survival and success of liberty". Repetition is scarcely used. Only in a few cases does Lyndon Johnson use repetitive statements to emphasize his point. He more often uses short precise informative and motivational sentences as compared to Martin Luther King Jr.'s more emotional and figurative sentence structure in "I Have a Dream." Chronological Commentary: The first sentence of this particular passage informs the citizens of America that "there will be peace in Southeast Asia." This is a

  • Word count: 1889
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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To what extent was President Lyndon B. Johnson responsible for the escalation of the war in Vietnam? (1963-1969)

Historical Investigation To what extent was President Lyndon B. Johnson responsible for the escalation of the war in Vietnam? (1963-1969) A. Plan of investigation The particular question this investigation will be addressing is: "To what extent was Johnson solely responsible for escalating the was in Vietnam?" The focus of the sources used in answering this question looks at the policies and documents passed regarding American involvement in the war as well as evidence regarding military strategies and who was responsible for their creation and application. To analyze the true scale of the escalation of the war I will be looking at statistics and reports. Finally, I will address the assumption that the escalation of the war in Vietnam to the extent that it happened was intentional - therefore I will analyze at personal diary entries and memoirs of President Johnson, as well as letters and recorded conversations between him and his advisors, also taking into consideration social and political pressures that may have affected the situation. B. Summary of Evidence - Kennedy's decision to commit in Southeast Asia was rooted in the American pledge to battle and contain communism: and "Vietnam", Kennedy concluded, "is the place to make [America's] power credible"1. - "If freedom is to be saved, we need a whole new kind of strategy, a wholly different kind of force, and a

  • Word count: 2980
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: History
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The importance of Lyndon Johnson in bringing about Civil Rights.

Lyndon Baines Johnson- how important was he in bringing about civil rights? Rory Sheridan Lyndon Baines Johnson (27th August 1908- 22nd January 1973), was the 36th president of the United States of America. Historians have mixed opinions on Johnson. Although he is generally blamed for getting America into Vietnam, Johnson also passed some landmark legislation- more than any other president in the history of the United States. In order to judge the importance of Johnson in bringing about civil rights, I will compare him to President Kennedy, President Nixon, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the grassroots movement, and Black Power, and then use my own judgement to make a balanced conclusion about his effectiveness in bringing about civil rights. Many people argue that Lyndon Baines Johnson was very effective in bringing about Civil Rights during his time as president. He passed a huge amount of landmark legislation, most notably the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Medicare and Medicaid, all of which advanced the civil rights of all Americans, not just African-Americans. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was introduced by President Kennedy before his assassination, but was never pushed through Congress until Johnson was sworn in. In his infamous first speech as president, Johnson said, “no memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honour President

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Comparison of Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson

Three presidents, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, through combined efforts, were able to make a major impact on the advancement of civil rights in the United States. Although they all contributed on various levels and in various ways, the influence each of them had on the nation eventually led to the creation of the civil rights all American's have today. Harry S. Truman After the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman took over the presidency in 1945, and was eventually elected to a second term in 1948. Although he is not particularly famous for his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, Truman actually had a major impact on civil rights in the sense that he proposed many laws promoting desegregation and raised national awareness of the problems with discrimination due to race, gender and religion. Through his speeches directed U.S. citizens, addresses to Congress, and actions through executive orders, Harry S. Truman made a great effort towards improving the Civil Rights of American citizens. Truman's greatest impacts on civil rights came as a result of his domestic program, the Fair Deal. This program, which was influenced by Roosevelt's New Deal, was made to "guarantee economic opportunity and social stability"1 for the citizens of the United States, including minority groups. In a 1947, Truman made a speech regarding

  • Word count: 3608
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Potentialproblems president Johnson could face by sending troops to Vietnam.

Potential problems president Johnson could face by sending troops to Vietnam. The Vietnam War began in 1955 and ended in 1975. American involvement in Vietnam was limited, and training the South Vietnamese army was important. Kennedy increased the number of "military advisors" from about 800 to 16,000; however, this was done primarily as a show of strength to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Tensions eased between the two superpowers in the spring, summer, and autumn of 1963, Kennedy announced plans to withdraw forces from South Vietnam, starting with around a thousand men by the end of 1963. Within a few weeks of Kennedy's death, newly appointed President Johnson almost ignored the withdrawal plan and began sending more troops to Vietnam. On August 2, 1964, North Vietnamese patrol boats fired on the U.S. destroyer Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, and, after President Johnson alleged that there had been a second attack on August 4 (a claim later shown to be false) the U.S. Congress endorsed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, permitting LBJ to take "all necessary measures to repel attacks and prevent further aggression." The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in effect gave the president carte blanche to wage war in Southeast Asia without Congressional approval. This marked the beginning of full-scale American involvement in the Vietnam War. When Johnson left office in January 1969,

  • Word count: 1112
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Compare the contributions of Martin Luther King and Lyndon B Johnson to the gaining of black civil rights in 1964/5.

Compare the contributions of Martin Luther King and Lyndon B Johnson to the gaining of black civil rights in 1964/5 Both Martin Luther King and President Johnson played significant roles in the coming about of civil rights for African Americans. The two men in different ways were pivotal in the signing of civil rights legislation in 1964 and 65. Martin Luther king grew to prominence in 1955 are grew to be a great black leader. He was an effective organiser, exemplary speaker and a highly skilled motivator. He was able to articulate the feelings and frustrations of the black community in a clear, intellectual and persuasive manner. Through his work King was able to highlight the plight of black people in America, and led many to see the need for full civil rights for African Americans. One person to see this need was Lyndon Johnson who passed the civil rights acts of 1964; he effectively destroyed his political career to aid the lives of Black people. Martin Luther king evidently contributed a great deal to the civil rights movement and ultimately to the federal legislation signed in 1964. King was of great importance to the civil rights movement, he stepped in at a time where it is arguable the movement had lost a sense of direction. He provided the vital link between the black civil rights leadership and the less educated African American member of society, something that

  • Word count: 1445
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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'Johnson alone bears the responsibility for the escalation of war in Vietnam in the years 1965-68.' Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Amrit Singh Thabal 16MB History Johnson alone bears the responsibility for the escalation of war in Vietnam in the years 1965-68. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Only a few years of becoming president, Lyndon B Johnson had to do something about Vietnam, to get a victory; and fairly quickly. This escalation was set in the cold war, where the USSR and the USA were up against each other, and mutual destruction was only one bad move away. This escalation is where LBJ upped the ante in Vietnam and increase troop numbers vastly. From the start of 1965 23,000 US advisors were in Vietnam and by the end of the year 184,000 US soldiers were in Vietnam. This still increases over the years and by 1968, there are nearly 525,000 US troops in Vietnam. Not only troops, but spending and logistical support increased, therefore escalating the war. For this escalation, stalemate theorists blame a weak president (LBJ) for not backing out of Vietnam and for not being strong enough to stand up against the people and the military. But post-revisionists say that it’s a lot more complicated than one person and his weaknesses, it goes back 30 years. The war could have been escalated solely by Johnson. This may have been down to his personality; that he was the wrong man, in the wrong point of time in Vietnam. LBJ was very patriot and thought that the USA was the best

  • Word count: 2287
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War How the US got involved During the Second World War, South-East Asia had been under Japanese control, but, in 1945, the French re-occupied Indo-China, which had been a French colony before the war. During the war the Japanese had been opposed by a Vietnamese nationalist group called the Vietminh, led by Ho Chi Minh. The Vietminh, however, had been fighting for their independence, and not to reinstate the French Empire, so now they tried to drive out the French. In 1954, the Vietminh surrounded and wiped out the French army at Dien Bien Phu. The French realized they would have to leave, and over the next 20 years, America was dragged into fighting a costly and disastrous war in Vietnam. Why did the US get involved? . Containment China had fallen to communism in 1949, and America had fought in Korea in 1950-53 to contain the spread of communism. The US president, Lyndon B. Johnson, said: "I am not going to be the president who saw South-East Asia go the way China went." 2. Domino theory Americans believed that, if South Vietnam fell, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand - and then Burma and India - would follow. President Johnson said: "If you let a bully come into your garden, the next day he'll be in your porch, and the day after that he'll rape your wife." 3. ARVN's weakness It was obvious the South Vietnamese could not resist communist

  • Word count: 1230
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Vietnam War.

VIETNAM WAR For much of Vietnam's history it has been under foreign rule, primarily by the Chinese. In 1860, France began its domination of the area and had, by the late 19th century, implemented its colonization in a number of regions around the Gulf of Tonkin. During WWII, the Japanese government took control of much of the area and set up a puppet regime that was eventually forced out by the Vietnamese at the end of that war in 1945. After WWII and until 1955, France fought hard to regain their former territories in the region, but with a poorly organized army and little determination among the troops, their efforts soon collapsed. The French were finally defeated at Dien Bien Phu on the 8th of May 1954 by the communist general Vo Nguyen Giap. The French troops withdrew, leaving a buffer zone separating the North and South and set up elections in order to form a government in the South. The communist regime set up its headquarters in Hanoi under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. Many North Vietnamese left the country and fled south where the self-proclaimed president, Ngo Dinh Diem had formed the Republic of Vietnam. Between 1955 and 1960, the North Vietnamese with the assistance of the southern communist Vietcong, tried to take over the government in South Vietnam, and in November 1963 President Diem was overthrown and executed. The following year, the North Vietnamese

  • Word count: 908
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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