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REASONS FOR CIVIL WAR IN VIETNAM - Coggle Diagram
REASONS FOR CIVIL WAR IN VIETNAM
NORTH VIETNAM
INTERNAL
no elections in 1956 led to HCM consolidating Communist rule in NV
land reforms - HCM redistributed private land to peasants - 1m refugees fled to SV
EXTERNAL
HCM aimed to overthrow DIem government by force - NLF 1960
SOUTH VIETNAM
GOVERNANCE
Diem = unpopular Catholic in majority Buddhist population
Diem = nepotistic and corrupt, met opposition with force and refused to implement reforms that US asked
Assassination of Diem (encouraged by Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge) led to instability and increased US involvement
John Foster Dulles admitted US supported Diem because they 'knew no one better'
NLF
Nationalist movement set up by NV leadership to increase SV peasant opposition to Diem and US 'imperialism'
USA
Domino Theory - Laos and Cambodia
JFK sent increasing 'military advisers' to SV, despite opposing increased troop numbers
JFK and Eisenhower opposed free elections agreed at Geneva as they feared US loss
STRATEGIC HAMLET PROGRAM
1962 - Diem advised by US to move peasants into constructed villages to root out VC
led to increased VC recruitment and caused animosity towards Diem and US
VC still impossible to identify
CONCLUSIONS
the combination of opposition to US and Diem's rule in South Vietnam, North Vietnamese support of resistance movements and US involvement due to fears of Domino Theory led to civil war in Vietnam
whilst the Strategic Hamlet program and the assassination of Diem sought to fix the issues of internal opposition to the SV government, it created more resentment for US and destabilised SV, meaning that NV saw a chance to capitalise and US were obliged to increase their involvement