Summary ‘Nixon’s policies towards Vietnam, in the years 1968 to 1972, were a total failure.’ (plan essay)
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Course
Cold War
Institution
AQA
A plan for the essay title ‘Nixon’s policies towards Vietnam, in the years 1968 to 1972, were a total failure.’ This document is valuable to any student wanting to expand their knowledge of Nixon's policies as well as Vietnam due to it's usage of statistics as well as profiles.
‘Nixon’s policies towards Vietnam, in the years 1968 to 1972, were a total failure.’
Assess the validity of this point
Vietnamization
LBJ’s Americanization policy in Vietnam was both a failure and
immensely unpopular, to which Nixon knew he wanted to
correct. A crucial element of Nixon’s planning was
Vietnamization which amounted to the withdrawal of US troops
being replaced with South Vietnamese forces. Nixon believed
that this was create greater security for his position as President
as well as moderate the domestic opposition which was
occurring in the states. He also hoped it would strengthen the
US’s negotiation position with the North. This benign strategy
aimed at encouraging the North to negotiate whilst putting
further pressure on the country through Nixon’s bombing of both
Laos and Cambodia. In a national broadcast given in November
1969, Nixon described Vietnamization as “the defence of
freedom” as well as stating that he was searching “for peace.”
Vietnamization was not the process of abandoning South
Vietnam but instead part of a wider strategy to remove the US from foreign conflict which victory was unlikely.
Nixon’s policy of Vietnamization did to some extent improve life in Vietnam as soldiers received greater pay,
greater military career structure as well as service stricture conditions modernised. The equipment of the ARVN
was updated with the introduction of the M-16 Armalite rifle as well as military vehicles, planes and helicopters.
The ARVN increased its size from 82,000 in 1968 to one million by 1972.
The impact of Vietnamization
Vietnamization appeared to transform the South Vietnamese military into an effective fighting force which
seemed to enable it to preserve stability in the South and ressit the aggression from the North. In 1972, North
Vietnam launched its Spring Offensive and this served as a critical test of Vietnamization. The ARVN resisted
this offence and although endured the loss of 3000 casualties, the North witnessed a greater loss of nearly five
times the amount of the South. The ARVN waas supported by the US bombing campaign and during May to
October, Operation Linebacker I saw 150,000 tons of bombs fropped on the North, in additon to the troops who
were opperating in the South. These actions by the US served to boost morale amongst the ARVN and to
indicate to the North that Vietnamization had not in any sense reduced the effort on the South and its allies.
However, despite these apparent successes, the chronic problems facing South Vietnam continued. The morale
of the ARVN remained low and the relatively high casualties only reinforced this problem. It can be suggested
Nixon rushed vietnamization as since 1965, the ARVN had been solely dependant on the US, and there removal
as well as the fact that troops were given weaponary they did not know how to use was political suicide.
Furthermore, soldiers were hired based on their loyalty to the Thieu regime, not their capability as soldiers.
Good
- Nixon stated upon his acceptance of the presidency in January 1969, “that I am not going to end up like
LBJ. I’m going to stop the war fast.” Nixon’s policy of vietnamisation successfully removed US troops
from Vietnam as the American public demanded by replacing their presence with South Vietnamese
Forces. In June 1969, there were 543,000 US troops in Vietnam whilst by June 1972, there were merely
47,000; the response of which earnt Nixon his highest approval rate of 67% during the entirety of his
presidency.
Bad
- It can be suggested Nixon rushed vietnamization as since 1965, the ARVN had been solely dependant
on the US, and there removal as well as the fact that troops were given weaponary they did not know
how to use was political suicide. Furthermore, soldiers were hired based on their loyalty to the Thieu
regime, not their capability as soldiers. In 1972, the ARVN reported the death of 39,587, so although
Vietnamisation benefitted the US’s interest, it allowed the South to suffer due to Nixon’s need to
achieve peace with honour.
Good
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