CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA: 1954-79

Study guide
2013

You must write ONE essay on the Vietnam War. There will be a choice of two questions.
You should spend no longer than 45 minutes on this part of the exam.

The bolded topics have NOT been asked in the HSC exam in the past four years.

Key features and issues:
nature and role of nationalism (2006, 2011)
nature and role of communism (2004)
nature and consequences of US involvement (2012)
strategies and tactics (2002, 2004, 2010)
impact of the war on civilians in Indochina (2005)
attempts at peacemaking
reasons for US failure and communist victory (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012)

Topics:

Indochina after the French
consequences of the Vietnamese victory against the French (2007)
consequences of the Geneva Peace Agreement for the Vietnamese people to 1964 (2009)
political, social, economic and military developments within North and South Vietnam
(2004, 2012)

The USA and Indochina
political and social issues in Indochina by 1960 (2011)
reasons for US intervention in Vietnam (2002, 2003, 2006, 2009)
impact of direct US military intervention and the consequences for Vietnam and
Cambodia (2005, 2011)

The Second Indochina War
nature and effectiveness of the strategy and tactics employed by the North Vietnamese
Army and the National Liberation Front (NLF), and by the South Vietnamese and the
USA (2002, 2004, 2010)
impact of the 1968 Tet Offensive (2006)
impact of the war on civilians in Indochina (2005, 2008)
impact of the spread of the Vietnam War to Cambodia (2003, 2007)
nature and significance of anti-war movements in the USA (2005, 2009)
the reasons for US failure and communist victory in Vietnam (2012)
the defeat of the South Vietnamese forces

Pol Pots Regime
rise to power of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (2007, 2010)
nature, aims and methods of Pol Pot

What to study

In this part of the exam paper, you must answer one of the two questions provided.
You should spend no longer than 45 minutes on this particular essay.
Put your study emphasis on the topics listed below. However, you really should study all
topics in the syllabus, as you cannot be sure what will be asked.

Topics to put as a high priority in 2013:
reasons for US intervention in Vietnam. This topic is examined regularly, but has not been
asked since 2009. It should be your top priority.
nature and effectiveness of the strategy and tactics employed by the North Vietnamese
Army and the National Liberation Front (NLF), and by the South Vietnamese and the
USA. Although this question was asked three years ago (2010), it is still asked very
regularly.
impact of the war on civilians in Indochina (2005, 2008)
impact of the spread of the Vietnam War to Cambodia, and the rise to power of the Khmer
Rouge. This question is very likely, as Cambodia tends to be examined once every three
years.
nature, aims and methods of Pol Pot. This topic has never been examined.