The war was weighted towards the Viet Cong. While the U.S. had better (and more) supplies and technology, they lacked a key component: their soldiers lacked the strong, passionate motivation that the Viet Cong had. The Viet Cong had good soldiers, effective tactics, support from the Vietnamese people, and motivated and committed soldiers. These things tipped the scales in their balance.
1b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
1b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
Having motivated and committed soldiers was most important in determining who won the war. Yes, this feature was so important that other advantages/disadvantages did not matter; Tthe Viet Cong were fighting for a personal goal that they found to be incredibly and intrinsically important to them; they were willing to risk their lives for their ideals. This passion, shown through their ruthless guerilla tactics, terrified the U.S. soldiers, completely removing their morale.
2. Now write up your answer. Use this structure:
a. The U.S. weaknesses were that they lacked soldiers who truly believed in what they were fighting for; their tactics were not as effective as they had hoped they would be; they had little to no support from the Vietnamese people; their soldiers were, for the most part, not motivated or committed.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were that they had soldiers who were passionate about their cause; their guerilla tactics crushed the morale of the U.S. soldiers and allowed them to fight a large scale with a fairly small scale army; they had a great deal of support from the Vietnamese people; the Viet Cong soldiers were fighting for a personal cause, and were therefore highly motivated.
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example, their technology far surpassed that of the Viet Cong. Chemical warfare helped the U.S. to make great strides in driving the guerilla soldiers out of the jungle, not to mention removing entire villages without soldiers actually having to enter the village. Also, the U.S. had a larger budget, and was much more well equipped; their soldiers had the latest technology, and enough of it. The U.S. tended to count their successes strangely: the massacre at My Lai, for example, was counted as a victory, as was the bombing campaign.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were the Tet Offensive, in which American troops were taken completely by surprise, and many Americans were killed. Another major failure was actually on the home front: after news of the My Lai massacre got out, the American public began to actively hate and protest the war. The Vietnam War had very, very little support from U.S. citizens.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as the Tet Offensive; what can be listed as a failure for the U.S. was a victory for them. Smaller, less specific victories include the winning over of the Vietnamese people, little by little, and the development of guerilla warfare tactics. By the end of the war, Americans were terrified of every Vietnamese person they saw; even children were perceived as the enemy. This was certainly a psychological success.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example the number of deaths that occurred as a result of search-and-destroy missions like the one at My Lai. Innocent civilians died in great numbers each day; the number of women and children killed by American warfare was definitely a defeat for the Viet Cong.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be the lack of motivated soldiers, because without soldiers who truly believe in their cause, it is impossible to have effective troops. Morale was low, the U.S. could not win over the Vietnamese people, and soldiers deeply hated the war and their duties in it; all of these qualities added up to a poor army.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was their good soldiers because it was due to the passion and courage of the Viet Cong that their tactics proved so effective; it was because the Viet Cong were so impassioned about their cause that they were able to easily win over Vietnamese; it was because of the intensity of their soldiers that technology is not a valid part of the equation, because no matter how powerful the weapon, one simply cannot beat an idea with an army.
a. The U.S. weaknesses were that they lacked soldiers who truly believed in what they were fighting for; their tactics were not as effective as they had hoped they would be; they had little to no support from the Vietnamese people; their soldiers were, for the most part, not motivated or committed.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were that they had soldiers who were passionate about their cause; their guerilla tactics crushed the morale of the U.S. soldiers and allowed them to fight a large scale with a fairly small scale army; they had a great deal of support from the Vietnamese people; the Viet Cong soldiers were fighting for a personal cause, and were therefore highly motivated.
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example, their technology far surpassed that of the Viet Cong. Chemical warfare helped the U.S. to make great strides in driving the guerilla soldiers out of the jungle, not to mention removing entire villages without soldiers actually having to enter the village. Also, the U.S. had a larger budget, and was much more well equipped; their soldiers had the latest technology, and enough of it. The U.S. tended to count their successes strangely: the massacre at My Lai, for example, was counted as a victory, as was the bombing campaign.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were the Tet Offensive, in which American troops were taken completely by surprise, and many Americans were killed. Another major failure was actually on the home front: after news of the My Lai massacre got out, the American public began to actively hate and protest the war. The Vietnam War had very, very little support from U.S. citizens.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as the Tet Offensive; what can be listed as a failure for the U.S. was a victory for them. Smaller, less specific victories include the winning over of the Vietnamese people, little by little, and the development of guerilla warfare tactics. By the end of the war, Americans were terrified of every Vietnamese person they saw; even children were perceived as the enemy. This was certainly a psychological success.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example the number of deaths that occurred as a result of search-and-destroy missions like the one at My Lai. Innocent civilians died in great numbers each day; the number of women and children killed by American warfare was definitely a defeat for the Viet Cong.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be the lack of motivated soldiers, because without soldiers who truly believe in their cause, it is impossible to have effective troops. Morale was low, the U.S. could not win over the Vietnamese people, and soldiers deeply hated the war and their duties in it; all of these qualities added up to a poor army.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was their good soldiers because it was due to the passion and courage of the Viet Cong that their tactics proved so effective; it was because the Viet Cong were so impassioned about their cause that they were able to easily win over Vietnamese; it was because of the intensity of their soldiers that technology is not a valid part of the equation, because no matter how powerful the weapon, one simply cannot beat an idea with an army.
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