Extended Essay History
Abstract
My interest in this topic was first piqued by guerrilla warfare because of how it affected the American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam war. Also, this war was the first where a military tactic such as guerrilla warfare was ever seen causing a great influence on the battlefield. Seeing this strategy work against a world superpower really caught my eye especially because the United States was seen as being so superior. How was it that they lost a war to such a small nation on the power grid was a question that I harbored during our lessons. Also as we learned about the Vietnam War, I was really interested in a war where the underdogs prevailed through innovative tactical strikes as well as the ability to overcome the disadvantage of cheaper weapons and less militia. I saw strikingly similar events during our own American Revolution and so thought that further research of this topic might be interesting, which brought me to my research question to what extent did guerrilla warfare affect the outcome of the Vietnam War?
In order to determine the influence of guerrilla warfare on the Vietnam War, I researched the effects of guerrilla warfare on soldiers physically as well as psychologically. Furthermore, I also researched the types of ways the Viet Congs used guerrilla warfare such as tactics, booby traps, and the element of surprise. The effects of guerrilla warfare were seen in different battles where the Viet Congs prevailed and won with the use of those techniques.
In conclusion, guerrilla warfare was not the only cause for the win in the Vietnam War but it was a large contributing factor. Because guerrilla warfare put such stress on American soldiers, they're morale and spirits were broken long before the war ended causing a downward spiral in the result of the Vienam War.
My interest in this topic was first piqued by guerrilla warfare because of how it affected the American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam war. Also, this war was the first where a military tactic such as guerrilla warfare was ever seen causing a great influence on the battlefield. Seeing this strategy work against a world superpower really caught my eye especially because the United States was seen as being so superior. How was it that they lost a war to such a small nation on the power grid was a question that I harbored during our lessons. Also as we learned about the Vietnam War, I was really interested in a war where the underdogs prevailed through innovative tactical strikes as well as the ability to overcome the disadvantage of cheaper weapons and less militia. I saw strikingly similar events during our own American Revolution and so thought that further research of this topic might be interesting, which brought me to my research question to what extent did guerrilla warfare affect the outcome of the Vietnam War?
In order to determine the influence of guerrilla warfare on the Vietnam War, I researched the effects of guerrilla warfare on soldiers physically as well as psychologically. Furthermore, I also researched the types of ways the Viet Congs used guerrilla warfare such as tactics, booby traps, and the element of surprise. The effects of guerrilla warfare were seen in different battles where the Viet Congs prevailed and won with the use of those techniques.
In conclusion, guerrilla warfare was not the only cause for the win in the Vietnam War but it was a large contributing factor. Because guerrilla warfare put such stress on American soldiers, they're morale and spirits were broken long before the war ended causing a downward spiral in the result of the Vienam War.