Impact of Tet Offensive

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Tet Offensive essay To What extent was the Tet Offensive the turning point of the second indochinese war? The Tet Offensive was by far one of the most boldest moves made by the NVA and NLF forces to brake the stalemate of the second indochinese war. Commencing on the 31st of January, 1968, the Lunar New Year, nearly 70,000 communist soldiers launched a surprise offensive on more than 100 cities and towns throughout the south, including Saigon and the Mekong Delta. In spite of the devastating impact, the communist were eventually driven back by combined US and ARVN forces. The offensive, which had lasted for just over a month, had resulted in the death of an estimated 45,000 communist forces, evidently making the offensive a ‘military defeat’ for the north. However, the offensive was a multi-purposed plan, and where it failed to break the stalemate, it succeeded in exposing the ‘credibility gap’ between what the American public was told of the war and the reality of the conflict. Such impacts lead to the emergence of negotiations and significant changes in the military and political leadership of the US, impacting on the outcome of the war and ultimately marking the offensive as a major turning point of the second indochinese war.excellent The impact of the Tet Offensive put the North in a position of power over the US, which was key to the peace negotiations that would begin held in Paris in 1968. Progress was slow, as contradictions emerged between the demands made by each side. American negotiators demanded that the North respect the demilitarised zone and curb their attacks on the South. The North, in return, demanded that the US cease all bombing campaigns, grant the DRV political recognition, and withdraw all US troops from the South. They? sternly refused to abide by the north demands, as such actions would signal America’s defeat in the war.
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