Could someone please mark this 8 marker History Edexcel GCSE?

This is a good answer as it refers to both sources and looks at both positives and negatives of the sources. To get the highest marks you could try to compare the two sources to give your judgement as to which is more useful, but it is a good 6/7 mark answer.

This may not be an entirely useful marking as I did AQA history but the two courses are quite similar in terms of skills needed to answer each question.

Thanks so much for your advice!
Would this be then the ideal conclusion?:
"Source B overall could be proven to be more useful as it extracts the experience of a soldier in the Saigon region. The photograph in Source C could have been posed and taken to portray the US' desires to portray themselves as having the upper-hand against the Vietcong"

Yes that is a good conclusion as it comes to a clear and concise judgement. It is good on length as summarises your earlier points and does not repeat itself. The overall judgement does not need to be long as it is just need to show your view but still be able to be written in the limited time available in an exam.

Do either of you have timelines for the use and Vietnam please? I can't find timelines online and I just need to see the dates and events in order x

No, sorry I don't. My memory is scrambled with that as well. You shouldn't be too bothered, it's likely Edexcel will screw us over and Vietnam won't even come up.

All you have to know is this:
- French colonised, North and South divided. North is communist, South isn't. USA likes South for obvious reasons. South is ruled by Diem, he's unpopular - especially to the Buddhists. Vietcong was formed.
USA's like "naw m8, chill." But still proceeded with the Strategic Hamlet programme.
Nobody liked the programme.
He got assassinated. USA doesn't care.
USA doesn't like Vietcong. You know, policy of containment and everything.
Kennedy sent advisors to South Vietnam to train ARVN, but soldiers weren't really in the war.
Many South Vietnamese supported the VC.
The South Vietnamese received support from the North via The Ho Chi Minh Trail.
2 US naval ships were just hanging around the North coast in the Gulf of Tonkin, but the North Vietnamese were like "nuh uh" and they attacked them.
Operation Rolling Thunder - In 1965 there were still no US soldiers on the ground in Vietnam. Johnson started a bombing campaign in February 1965 - heavy bombing over North Vietnam. Also started to bomb Ho Chi Minh Trial.
Then we go slam in to the tactics.
Tactics used by the US:
Heavy bombing as in Operation Rolling Thunder
Chemical weapons – Agent Orange and Napalm
Search and Destroy
Tactics used by the VC:
Guerilla tactics
Then the two most important events ya need to know:
1968 The Tet Offensive
Tet is the Vietnam new year.
VC carried out surprise attacks on over 100 cities and US bases, even attacked the US embassy in Saigon.
Eventually the US and ARVN recaptured cities and bases, but US was shocked by this.
1968 My Lai Massacre
US troops were sent to a village in South Vietnam called My Lai.
They killed between 350 and 500 people. They had been told to expect an attack by the VC – but they were only women, children and old men.
The US government had withheld information about it.
Lt Calley had led the military action on My Lai. He claimed that he was following orders. He was put on trial and found guilty of 22 murders. He was given a life sentence, but only served 3 years. 18 other soldiers were found not guilty.
Then president change:
Changes in the war under Nixon 1969-73
Nixon introduced what was called the Nixon Doctrine. The US would support allies, but would not provide soldiers.
This policy became known as Vietnamisation.
He planned to withdraw US soldiers and replace them with members of the AVRN (South Vietnamese Army). The US would provide advisors instead.

Attacks on Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam
In 1970 Nixon sent soldiers into Cambodia to stop the North Vietnamese from helping the Cambodians to set up a Communist government there. Congress was furious and reduced money for the war and called for more troops to pulled from Vietnam.

In 1971 The USA provided support for a South Vietnamese army to invade Laos to stop a communist government there. The north and south Vietnamese fought each other in Laos, and south did not fight well.

In April 1972 US carried out heavy bombing raids on North Vietnam. North Vietnamese war industry was badly damaged. The USSR and China called for North Vietnam to sign a peace agreement.
Basically just remember this: CAMBODIA, LAOS, NORTH VIETNAM BOMBING.
1st & 2nd went bad. 3rd went good.

There's also support & no support for USA:
Support in the US for the War.

Many Americans did support the war as they felt threatened by communism. This was particularly true in the early part of the war.
Many Americans saw it as their patriotic duty to support the US in Vietnam. They believed that it was their patriotic duty to support the defeat of communism in Vietnam.

‘Hard hats’ – this was the nickname given to a group of construction workers who bet up anti-war protesters at a demonstration in May 1970 – they were wearing their hard hats as they beat up the protestors and the police did little to stop them.

The Silent Majority – In a speech on TV in November 1969, Nixon talked about the ‘great silent majority’ of Americans who supported the war in Vietnam. A survey showed that 77% of Americans did support US action in Vietnam.

Why did the US lose the Vietnam War?
The US tactics
Operation Rolling Thunder bombed many villages and towns
Use of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange and Napalm
‘Search and Destroy’
‘Hearts and Minds’ – the tactics failed to win over the South Vietnamese – often encouraged them to support the Vietcong
The Vietnamese saw the US as occupying force and the Americans failed to understand the Vietnamese – they often held racist views about the Vietnamese and saw Vietnam as an alien place.

The tactics of the Vietcong
Guerilla tactics made it hard for the US to win – they did not know where the enemy was and VC often stayed close to the US forces to make it hard to bomb them.
The Ho Chi Minh trail helped them as it was a vital supply route via Cambodia and Laos.

Support from the South Vietnamese
The US were seen as an occupying force. The North and South Vietnamese spoke the same language and many people wanted the country to be reunited.

Support from other countries
The Vietcong has support from neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia. Also military support and financial from China and USSR.

Low Morale and lack of experience in the US army
As the war went on young men in the US were drafted into the army.

Opposition to the War in the US
The war divided the US.
This was a time of unrest across the US – Black Power Movement and student movements across the country
Many young people rejected the views of their parents and were against authority
At Kent State University May 1970 students protested against the war, the National Guard were called out, opened fire on the protestors and four were killed and 9 injured. Images were shown worldwide and both US and foreign countries were shocked by this.

The role of the media
This was the first war fought in people’s homes – via TV – they saw uncensored images of the war. Many people began to believe that the reporters were being more honest than the government and this reduced support for the war.

Vietnamisation
this was Nixon’s policy to handover fighting to the AVRN. This failed to win the war against the VC.

The peace process and the end of the War

Talks began in Paris in 1968 and continued through to 1972, they broke down in 1972.
So why now??
US – realised could no longer win, there was growing opposition to the war in US, Congress did not want to continue to pay for the war, Nixon saw it as an opportunity for him to be a peacemaker

Vietnam – China and USSR wanted North Vietnam to make peace, North Vietnam was badly bombed.

Both sides – had high numbers of wounded and dead, the war was costly and could carry on for year.
(btw it broke down because South Vietnam was like "no", in 1973 they were forced whether they liked it or not.)

The Paris Peace Agreement
Talks started again in 1973 and a peace agreement was signed in January 1973 by North and South Vietnam and The USA.
All fighting would stop immediately – a ceasefire was agreed
US troops, advisors and bases would be removed immediately
The US would not interfere in politics in Vietnam.

The ceasefire ends
In 1974 North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam and took control of South Vietnam in 1975. In July 1976 the countries were reunited as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

That's all.

Hello, I'm doing paper 3 USA conflicts at home & abroad, and I would be so thankful if someone could give me some criticism on my answer?

How useful are Sources B and C for an enquiry into the effects of the Tet Offensive on American attempts to win the Vietnam War? Explain your answer, using Sources B and C and your knowledge of the historical context.

Source B is a newspaper article written by a British journalist in 1998. This source is comprehensive as it shows us the Vietnamese's ability to attack whilst the American's guard was down through: "local police looked terrified". It shows us the many people that have been killed in this time with "dead body" and "almost every other town" had been attacked. This proves as useful as we could see how the events unravelled and how American attempts were futile in that precise moment, confirming my knowledge that the Vietnamese had the upper-hand due to their guerrilla tactics. The purpose of this source could be to highlight the damaging effects of the Tet Offensive, and since it was written by a man working in Saigon proves to be useful even more as it was drawn from his own experience. However this could prove to be limiting as we are only able to enquire from one source, meaning that this could be biased as it is a subjective experience. This source however is also typical as it confirms the many soldiers that have been killed during the Tet Offensive.

Source C is a photograph taken by an American photographer. This source shows us US troops taking in the last soldier, inevitably showing that the US took control over the Vietcong soldiers. However this automatically proves to be a limiting source as from my own knowledge I can confirm that America used the media as a means of propaganda and that they exaggerated their successes in the war. Therefore, the purpose of this source was to illustrate the USA's power against the Vietnamese. This source could be proven useful into the enquires of the Tet Offensive as this source is typical; Americans consistently tried to cover up the losses of their sides as it would be proven humiliating.

No, sorry I don't. My memory is scrambled with that as well. You shouldn't be too bothered, it's likely Edexcel will screw us over and Vietnam won't even come up.

All you have to know is this:
- French colonised, North and South divided. North is communist, South isn't. USA likes South for obvious reasons. South is ruled by Diem, he's unpopular - especially to the Buddhists. Vietcong was formed.
USA's like "naw m8, chill." But still proceeded with the Strategic Hamlet programme.
Nobody liked the programme.
He got assassinated. USA doesn't care.
USA doesn't like Vietcong. You know, policy of containment and everything.
Kennedy sent advisors to South Vietnam to train ARVN, but soldiers weren't really in the war.
Many South Vietnamese supported the VC.
The South Vietnamese received support from the North via The Ho Chi Minh Trail.
2 US naval ships were just hanging around the North coast in the Gulf of Tonkin, but the North Vietnamese were like "nuh uh" and they attacked them.
Operation Rolling Thunder - In 1965 there were still no US soldiers on the ground in Vietnam. Johnson started a bombing campaign in February 1965 - heavy bombing over North Vietnam. Also started to bomb Ho Chi Minh Trial.
Then we go slam in to the tactics.
Tactics used by the US:
Heavy bombing as in Operation Rolling Thunder
Chemical weapons – Agent Orange and Napalm
Search and Destroy
Tactics used by the VC:
Guerilla tactics
Then the two most important events ya need to know:
1968 The Tet Offensive
Tet is the Vietnam new year.
VC carried out surprise attacks on over 100 cities and US bases, even attacked the US embassy in Saigon.
Eventually the US and ARVN recaptured cities and bases, but US was shocked by this.
1968 My Lai Massacre
US troops were sent to a village in South Vietnam called My Lai.
They killed between 350 and 500 people. They had been told to expect an attack by the VC – but they were only women, children and old men.
The US government had withheld information about it.
Lt Calley had led the military action on My Lai. He claimed that he was following orders. He was put on trial and found guilty of 22 murders. He was given a life sentence, but only served 3 years. 18 other soldiers were found not guilty.
Then president change:
Changes in the war under Nixon 1969-73
Nixon introduced what was called the Nixon Doctrine. The US would support allies, but would not provide soldiers.
This policy became known as Vietnamisation.
He planned to withdraw US soldiers and replace them with members of the AVRN (South Vietnamese Army). The US would provide advisors instead.

Attacks on Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam
In 1970 Nixon sent soldiers into Cambodia to stop the North Vietnamese from helping the Cambodians to set up a Communist government there. Congress was furious and reduced money for the war and called for more troops to pulled from Vietnam.

In 1971 The USA provided support for a South Vietnamese army to invade Laos to stop a communist government there. The north and south Vietnamese fought each other in Laos, and south did not fight well.

In April 1972 US carried out heavy bombing raids on North Vietnam. North Vietnamese war industry was badly damaged. The USSR and China called for North Vietnam to sign a peace agreement.
Basically just remember this: CAMBODIA, LAOS, NORTH VIETNAM BOMBING.
1st & 2nd went bad. 3rd went good.

There's also support & no support for USA:
Support in the US for the War.

Many Americans did support the war as they felt threatened by communism. This was particularly true in the early part of the war.
Many Americans saw it as their patriotic duty to support the US in Vietnam. They believed that it was their patriotic duty to support the defeat of communism in Vietnam.

‘Hard hats’ – this was the nickname given to a group of construction workers who bet up anti-war protesters at a demonstration in May 1970 – they were wearing their hard hats as they beat up the protestors and the police did little to stop them.

The Silent Majority – In a speech on TV in November 1969, Nixon talked about the ‘great silent majority’ of Americans who supported the war in Vietnam. A survey showed that 77% of Americans did support US action in Vietnam.

Why did the US lose the Vietnam War?
The US tactics
Operation Rolling Thunder bombed many villages and towns
Use of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange and Napalm
‘Search and Destroy’
‘Hearts and Minds’ – the tactics failed to win over the South Vietnamese – often encouraged them to support the Vietcong
The Vietnamese saw the US as occupying force and the Americans failed to understand the Vietnamese – they often held racist views about the Vietnamese and saw Vietnam as an alien place.

The tactics of the Vietcong
Guerilla tactics made it hard for the US to win – they did not know where the enemy was and VC often stayed close to the US forces to make it hard to bomb them.
The Ho Chi Minh trail helped them as it was a vital supply route via Cambodia and Laos.

Support from the South Vietnamese
The US were seen as an occupying force. The North and South Vietnamese spoke the same language and many people wanted the country to be reunited.

Support from other countries
The Vietcong has support from neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia. Also military support and financial from China and USSR.

Low Morale and lack of experience in the US army
As the war went on young men in the US were drafted into the army.

Opposition to the War in the US
The war divided the US.
This was a time of unrest across the US – Black Power Movement and student movements across the country
Many young people rejected the views of their parents and were against authority
At Kent State University May 1970 students protested against the war, the National Guard were called out, opened fire on the protestors and four were killed and 9 injured. Images were shown worldwide and both US and foreign countries were shocked by this.

The role of the media
This was the first war fought in people’s homes – via TV – they saw uncensored images of the war. Many people began to believe that the reporters were being more honest than the government and this reduced support for the war.

Vietnamisation
this was Nixon’s policy to handover fighting to the AVRN. This failed to win the war against the VC.

The peace process and the end of the War

Talks began in Paris in 1968 and continued through to 1972, they broke down in 1972.
So why now??
US – realised could no longer win, there was growing opposition to the war in US, Congress did not want to continue to pay for the war, Nixon saw it as an opportunity for him to be a peacemaker

Vietnam – China and USSR wanted North Vietnam to make peace, North Vietnam was badly bombed.

Both sides – had high numbers of wounded and dead, the war was costly and could carry on for year.
(btw it broke down because South Vietnam was like "no", in 1973 they were forced whether they liked it or not.)

The Paris Peace Agreement
Talks started again in 1973 and a peace agreement was signed in January 1973 by North and South Vietnam and The USA.
All fighting would stop immediately – a ceasefire was agreed
US troops, advisors and bases would be removed immediately
The US would not interfere in politics in Vietnam.

The ceasefire ends
In 1974 North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam and took control of South Vietnam in 1975. In July 1976 the countries were reunited as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

That's all.

WOW YOU ARE AMAZING!! Thank you so so much for taking your time to right that, I really appreciate it. I have just read through it all and I now understand it and have an idea of the timelines, you are a lifesaver. Good luck tomorrow! x

Very good answer, but probably 7 marks
Remember that a source being biased is not necessarily a bad thing
But other than that you did everything the question asks for, just need to back it up with a bit more of your own knowledge to secure the top mark

'that's all' haha
Vietnam has to come up because half the paper is Vietnam and the other is Civil Rights. They can't not include one of them

'that's all' haha
Vietnam has to come up because half the paper is Vietnam and the other is Civil Rights. They can't not include one of them

Lol XD, yeah I hope they include it - I'd rather it was the 16 mark question because I know more about it than Civil rights, I just find the overall topic of USA boring tbh.

Is it? I didn't even know that thank you x