The war in Vietnam was a conflict that started in the 1950s and ended in the early 1970s. During this time period, the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnamese political, economic and military affairs. There were a combination of reasons as to why the United States became more involved, the most important of which in my opinion were the Domino Theory and the growing influence of the National Liberation Front (NFL).…
The French had occupied the region for centuries and was strongly militarily involved through most of the 19th century. The French started to feel a strong push from communist party in the north during the Eisenhower’s first term, and asked the United States to become more involved. The French military strategy was becoming flawed because they dramatically under-estimated the strength and desire of the communist nation to secure South Vietnam; coupling this with the fact French moral and leadership were very low the cause was diminishing. The French felt strongly that if the United States became more involved they could win the conflict within month following the military involvement.…
For much of its history, Vietnam has been ruled by other numerous nations. In 1858, as France invaded Vietnam in order to gain more imperial power, they soon felt it difficult to maintain order within Vietnamese territories. The U.S. soon got involved in part because of their involvement of the Cold War as they view Communism as the sole antithesis of Democracy. In May, 1950 President Harry S. Truman sent financial aid to the French for their war. As a result of the Unite States’ belief and ideals, they entered into one of its longest and bloodiest wars, with many conflicts and controversies, consequentially losing many lives and ultimately considered an unnecessary war.…
The Vietnam War was a very long war fought by the United States. Actually, the time span was the longest of wars fought. The Vietnam War, itself, spanned for about 15 years with in the time frame from 1955-1975, however, there was conflict leading up to the war for many years before hand. This war was between North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam had allies or support from China, the Soviet Union, and a few other communist allies, whereas South Vietnam was supported or had the allies of the United States, Australia, South Korea, and other anti-communist allies.…
The United States entered the war to stop the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia. American leaders feared that Communist forces would gain control of Vietnam. After that, nation after nation might fall to Communism. Communism is a political and economic system that the United States strongly opposed. Vietnam had been split in half in 1954, after fighting a war to gain independence from France. When French forces withdrew, Vietnamese Communists gained control of North Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the North Vietnamese Communists. South Vietnam had a non-Communist government. This government was believed to be weak but the United States supported it in order to keep the Communists from taking control of all of Vietnam thus preventing the alleged domino effect.…
The Vietnam war's causes began years before the United States was involved. Before the Vietnam war Vietnam was under French rule. Time passed and the Viet Minh, a communist based rebellion, formed in order to fight the french rule and fight for freedom, and they were successful. Soon after an agreement was formed at the Geneva Conference in…
The Vietnam War was a consequence of the cold war. Since neither the United States nor the Soviet Union could risk fighting each other directly they did it in other countries indirectly like in Vietnam. One of the main causes of the Vietnam War was the Gulf of Tonkin. In the Gulf of Tonkin the USS Maddox was attacked by torpedoes from the Vietnamese. They confirmed it was Vietnamese by the markings on the shells found. Then later on a second attack happened. When the second attack happened the United States decided to bomb the North Vietnamese. Later on they confirmed that the second attack never happened and it was a misread because there was a storm and it messed with the ship. Another cause of the Vietnam War was the United States domino theory. The united states thought that if Vietnam would become communist so would other countries around it and communism would be everywhere. Since the United States policy of containment was to prevent the spread of communism they felt they needed to step in and save the South Vietnamese from the North Vietnamese attacks. This was a major factor in the United States joining the Vietnam War.…
The area of Indochina, present-day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, was taken away from France during the World War II and afterwards, they tried to get it back. France lured the U.S. into paying 80% of the costs used to fight Ho Chi Minh and Communist North Vietnam by the end of the French-Indochina War. Author Gini Holland said, "This paying the costs ' committed the United States financially, although not yet militarily, to the region" (Holland 41). So, when Vietnam was into their civil war, the U.S. felt the need to help South Vietnam. In addition to fighting Communism, the American soldiers faced the very devoted and hostile Vietcong, the pro-Communist guerilla force of South Vietnam.…
In the course of the Vietnam War, there have been many different factors why the USA became increasingly involved. One reason included how they believed it would be a ‘simple’ war to fight and for that reason, they would have the ability to easily win plus the war would not continue on for too long. Additionally they desired to contain communism as they believed they might be capable to stop the growth of communism within Asia. In order to help retain communism, they believed in the ‘domino theory’.…
The Vietnam War persisted for decades and outlasted many American administrations. The protracted conflict, which lasted from 1955 to 1975, was ostensibly a civil war between the communists in the north of Vietnam and the capitalist regime in the south; however it escalated into a proxy war between foreign powers. The United States’ level of engagement in the war was a direct result of the U.S. presidents’ foreign policy: American leaders who were passionately anti-communist such as Kennedy and Eisenhower believed it was their duty to be more involved in the war as an integral part of foreign policy such as Containment, fueled by the fear of the Domino Theory. However other administrations, such as those of Johnson and Nixon, were more attentive…
The United States entered the Vietnam War for a number of reasons. Some reasons were good, others were not. One of the biggest reasons for the U.S. involvement in the War was to stop the spread of Communism. However, the U.S. lost a lot because of it. They underestimated the North, and ultimately paid for it.…
Unlike with other wars preceding it whom often brought together the citizens of the United States, the Vietnam War took on a role of destabilizing American society. Internal problems like racism and rising poverty that were once put on the backburner would appear as main topics of discussion that helped to further increase the already growing division in the nation. U.S. involvement and occasional interference in Indochina began with the French’s instance and desire to keep control of the region. The failing European superpower wanting to reconsolidate its power in South East Asia and the world after the end of the Second World War fought to take back what they believed was rightfully theirs after the Japanese had made their exit. As with a majority of colonies, the mistreatment and sometimes inhuman conditions that citizens of Indochina endured especially those in Vietnam led to protests and uprising against the few French men who controlled everything in their country and French…
The Vietnam War is referred to as the “longest and most unpopular American War of the 20th century”(Overview), that lasted from 1955 to 1975. In the US, the war began as a result of the U.S. policy of Containment. This policy’s goal was to prevent the spread of communism throughout the world. The Viet Minh is a communist led…
War is always a controversial topic whenever it is discussed in a political setting, or even a private conversation between friends. No War has ever been a more controversial than the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was the longest War the nation has ever engaged in. The United States entered the war in 1961 and pulled out in 1975. Although the death toll did not reach as high as the civil war, or either World War One, or World War two. The Nation still lost over fifty thousand soldiers in the deadly conflict.…
“Following World War II country after country in Eastern Europe had fallen under Communist rule, as had China, and the trend was spreading to other nations in Latin America, Africa and Asia as well. The US felt that it was losing the Cold War, and needed to "contain" Communism” Goldfield (2010). “It was against this backdrop, then, that the first military advisors were sent to help the French battle the Communists of Northern Vietnam in 1950. (That same year the Korean War began, pitting Communist North Korean and Chinese forces against the US and its U.N. allies)” Goldfield (2010). The France was fighting in Vietnam to keep control of their colonial power. They were not worried about communism.…