Why the US struggled to leave the war

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  • Why did the US struggle to end the war?
    • Fall of Saigon - 1975
      • Over the course of the door4 million Viet. killed, 57,000 US troops killed, 300,000+ wounded
      • Saigon fell in April, US soldiers were airlifted away, civilians escaped by boat
      • SV cities fell, and SV troops retreated and deserted towards Saigon
      • In 1975 NV attacked SV via Cambodia
    • Vietnamisation
      • ARVN greatly expanded and trained
      • 400,000 troops removed by 1971, only 150,000 left
      • Training SV army to fight alone, use US supplies, remove US troops
      • Response by Nixon to Tet, made in 1969
    • US withdrawal - 1973
      • Elections to be held to decide whether or not to unite Vietnam
      • SV govt. could stay in power, but NV could keep bits of SV they already had
      • US POW to be released
      • All US forces would leave Vietnam - by 1973
    • Tet - 1968
      • World opinion turned against USA - Nixon didn't run again
      • USA victory, but lots of civilian dead & refugees, and low morale
      • NV army took over most fighting, not VC
      • Forced to retreat - heavy losses
      • Attacked 36 cities and took over the embassy for a bit
      • VC launched a surprise attack on Tet (New Year)
    • Reasons for US defeat
      • Public opinion - Influenced Nixon, low US morale, BUT 50%+ US supported the war
      • US weakness - bad tactics, soldiers didn't care, Viet. people hated them, not used to heat/jungle, weak SV army
      • VC strengths - Viet. support, guerrilla, supplied by USSR & China, propaganda
    • US Bombing
      • 1971-2 new attacks, ports, roads, railways, cities. Slowed down NV's progress
      • HCM trail through Cambodia and Laos, bombed them too
      • USA kept bombing NV during talks
      • USA wanted SV/NV split, NV wanted a united comm. country
      • Paris talks 68-73 - slow progress

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