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Year 11
Edexcel

Peace negotiations to end the Vietnam War, 1968-1972

I can describe features of the peace negotiations and give reasons for their failure.

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Year 11
Edexcel

Peace negotiations to end the Vietnam War, 1968-1972

I can describe features of the peace negotiations and give reasons for their failure.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Johnson began negotiations in 1968, but little to no progress was made.
  2. Nixon began secret negotiations with North Vietnam when he became president in 1969.
  3. A breakthrough in the secret negotiations happened in 1972, but South Vietnam refused to accept the draft peace treaty.
  4. War continued whilst negotiations were ongoing, through actions like the Easter Offensive and Operation Linebacker II.

Keywords

  • Delegate - a delegate is a person sent to a meeting or conference to represent others

  • Negotiation - a negotiation is a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement

Common misconception

Allies are open and honest with each other, as friends should be.

Countries break alliances frequently and regularly act against the interests of long-time allies.


To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Peace negotiations to end the Vietnam War, 1968-1972, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Task B can be adapted to include a class discussion. Ask students to argue whether they think engaging in secret talks was the correct move in the situation or not.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the sentence: the US policy of withdrawing troops and transferring responsibility for the war to the government of South Vietnam was known as .
Correct Answer: Vietnamisation, vietnamisation
Q2.
What was the name of the route that enabled North Vietnam to send troops and supplies to South Vietnam?
Emperor Bao Dai Path
Correct answer: Ho Chi Minh Trail
Le Duc Tho Road
Ngo Dinh Diem Way
Q3.
Match the country to the action taken by the US.
Correct Answer:Cambodia,invaded in Mar 1970, ground troops travelled 19 miles inside territory
tick

invaded in Mar 1970, ground troops travelled 19 miles inside territory

Correct Answer:Laos,air support provided for ARVN invasion in Feb 1971
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air support provided for ARVN invasion in Feb 1971

Q4.
Choose the groups who opposed American involvement in Vietnam.
Correct answer: some Vietnam veterans
Correct answer: civil rights activists
conservatives in the South and Midwest
Hard Hats
Correct answer: student groups
Q5.
Choose groups who supported US involvement in Vietnam. The names of some groups will give you clues about their views on the war.
Correct answer: Nixon's 'silent majority'
the Indochina Peace Campaign
Another Mother for Peace
Correct answer: the Hard Hats
American Deserters Committee
Q6.
What did Nixon mean when he referred to the 'silent majority'?
People are quiet when they are in a group.
Correct answer: Most people agreed with his efforts to end the war without saying so publicly.
Most people don't like speaking in public.
There were more capitalists around the world than communists.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which president first began peace negotiations with North and South Vietnam?
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Correct answer: Johnson
Nixon
Q2.
Which president began secret peace negotiations with North Vietnam?
Correct Answer: Nixon, President Nixon, Richard Nixon
Q3.
Match the person to their role in the peace negotiations.
Correct Answer:Henry Kissinger,main US negotiator
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main US negotiator

Correct Answer:Le Duc Tho,main North Vietnamese negotiator
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main North Vietnamese negotiator

Correct Answer:Nguyen Van Thieu,South Vietnamese president
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South Vietnamese president

Q4.
What name was given to the massive North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam in late March 1972?
Correct Answer: Easter Offensive, The Easter Offensive
Q5.
How did Nixon respond to the North Vietnamese attack of late March 1972?
He pulled out of the peace negotiations.
He sulked about it privately but said nothing in public.
Correct answer: He launched a massive bombing campaign on North Vietnam.
He was not particularly concerned about it.
Q6.
Why did the South Vietnamese president refuse to sign the draft peace treaty in October 1972?
He disagreed with some of the wording of the treaty.
Correct answer: He was furious that he had been excluded from the secret negotiations.
He felt that South Vietnam could still win the war.
He wanted more support from the US before signing.

Additional material

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