america in Vietnam: the war at home
America in Vietnam: The War at Home
There were several administrations and policies leading up to the war in Vietnam. Under President Truman the United States developed a policy of containment during the Cold War in an attempt to contain communism in the Soviet Union. During President Eisenhower’s administration the foreign policy of containment was expanded to a military strategy of deterrence. The United States believed in what they called the Domino Theory, wherein if Vietnam was to fall entirely to communism so would the neighboring countries of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, etc. In the time of President Kennedy, his administration allowed Vietnamese generals to assassinate Ngo Dinh Diem which only led South Vietnam to have even less stability than it had previously. The Tonklin Gulf Resolution during Johnson’s administration led to the escalation in Vietnam. It was reported that in the Tonkin Gulf two American destroyers were attacked by the North Vietnamese. This spurred the US to enter into war to contain communism and prevent a Domino Effect. If the US had been involved in the foreign affairs of Vietnam they may not have turned to communism.
The area of Vietnam before the war didn’t have any one strong nationalist movement. If the area of Vietnam had a strong nationalist movement already in place, Senator J. William Fulbright believed, they would have been less susceptible to a communist movement. Fulbright who was in favor of the US becoming more involved after the Tonkin Resolution in 1964, by 1966 was no longer in favor of the role of the US in Vietnam. Fulbright states, “Nationalism is the strongest single political force in the world today.” The US had to choose between their strong opposition to communist movements or to support what has become a nationalist movement in Vietnam. For the US it was too late to give an alternative movement since they already had adopted communism. Fulbright was urging the US to support their strong nationalist movement
There were several administrations and policies leading up to the war in Vietnam. Under President Truman the United States developed a policy of containment during the Cold War in an attempt to contain communism in the Soviet Union. During President Eisenhower’s administration the foreign policy of containment was expanded to a military strategy of deterrence. The United States believed in what they called the Domino Theory, wherein if Vietnam was to fall entirely to communism so would the neighboring countries of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, etc. In the time of President Kennedy, his administration allowed Vietnamese generals to assassinate Ngo Dinh Diem which only led South Vietnam to have even less stability than it had previously. The Tonklin Gulf Resolution during Johnson’s administration led to the escalation in Vietnam. It was reported that in the Tonkin Gulf two American destroyers were attacked by the North Vietnamese. This spurred the US to enter into war to contain communism and prevent a Domino Effect. If the US had been involved in the foreign affairs of Vietnam they may not have turned to communism.
The area of Vietnam before the war didn’t have any one strong nationalist movement. If the area of Vietnam had a strong nationalist movement already in place, Senator J. William Fulbright believed, they would have been less susceptible to a communist movement. Fulbright who was in favor of the US becoming more involved after the Tonkin Resolution in 1964, by 1966 was no longer in favor of the role of the US in Vietnam. Fulbright states, “Nationalism is the strongest single political force in the world today.” The US had to choose between their strong opposition to communist movements or to support what has become a nationalist movement in Vietnam. For the US it was too late to give an alternative movement since they already had adopted communism. Fulbright was urging the US to support their strong nationalist movement