Identify who, what, where, when, and/or why the following are important:
1. Ngo Dinh Diem
2. strategy of attrition
3. free fire zones
4. Senator William J. Fulbright
5. Great Cultural Revolution
6. My Lai massacre
7. détente
8. Ho Chi Minh City
9. Southern Strategy
10. Roe v. Wade

1. **Ngo Dinh Diem**: He was the first President of South Vietnam, serving from 1955 until his assassination in 1963. Diem's leadership was controversial; he was a staunch anti-communist and had the support of the United States, but his government was accused of corruption and repression of political opposition. His assassination led to increased instability in South Vietnam and greater US involvement in the Vietnam War.
2. **Strategy of attrition**: This military strategy aims to wear down an opponent to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and material. The United States employed a strategy of attrition during the Vietnam War, attempting to inflict enough casualties on North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces that they would be unable to continue fighting.
3. **Free fire zones**: In the context of the Vietnam War, these were areas where any person found could be considered an enemy combatant and were thus subject to attack by military forces. The establishment of free fire zones was controversial as it often led to civilian casualties and contributed to the anti-war sentiment.
4. **Senator William J. Fulbright**: He was a prominent and influential US Senator who served from 1945 to 1974. Fulbright was a significant critic of the Vietnam War and chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He held hearings that challenged US policy in Vietnam, which became known as the "Fulbright Hearings."
5. **Great Cultural Revolution**: Also known as the Cultural Revolution, this was a sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 until 1976. Led by Mao Zedong, the goal was to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society and to impose Maoist orthodoxy within the Communist Party of China. It led to widespread chaos, the destruction of cultural heritage, and the persecution of millions of people.
6. **My Lai massacre**: This was a mass murder of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops in March 1968 during the Vietnam War. The incident further fueled anti-war sentiment and outrage both within the United States and around the world when it became public knowledge.
7. **Détente**: This refers to the easing of geopolitical tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing period during the Cold War. It led to several arms control agreements, such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), and improved diplomatic relations.
8. **Ho Chi Minh City**: Formerly known as Saigon, it is the largest city in Vietnam and was the capital of South Vietnam until the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, when it was captured by North Vietnamese forces. The city was then renamed after the North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh.
9. **Southern Strategy**: This was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. It was employed by various Republican candidates during the late 20th century, including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
10. **Roe v. Wade**: This landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1973 ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. It was a foundational case for abortion rights in the U.S. and has been a focal point of the abortion debate ever since.