How Did The US Involvement In The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was one of the most divisive and drawn-out wars in US history. The Vietnam War was fought between North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and South Vietnam, supported by the United States. The US became involved in Vietnam to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia but became even more involved after the US ship Maddox was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. The conflict was drawn-out and costly, with many casualties on both sides. During the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson, the US was heavily involved in the Vietnam War. Several significant events occurred in the 1960s, including the Tonkin Incident, the Tet Offensive, and a counterculture movement domestically in the United States.
The policies of Nixon and Johnson during this time were heavily criticized, and many people disagreed with them. Despite the policies’ supposed benefit of controlling the situation in Vietnam, I disagree with the policies set by Nixon and Johnson as they led to increased lives lost on both sides, severely damaged the US economically, and were an overall unnecessary way to control the spread of communism, all of which has affected the course of the United States. The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War was deeply rooted in the Cold War policy of containing the spread of communism into new places like Southeast Asia. After World War II, Vietnam separated into the North, which was supported by the Soviet Union, and the South, which was supported by the US. In 1950, the US gave twenty million dollars to support anti-communists in South Vietnam. After John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the US’s involvement in Vietnam greatly escalated due to the Tonkin Incident in 1964. In this incident, the US battleship, the Maddox, was attacked in the Gulf of
The North’s retreat developed a “credibility gap” between the American people and government officials as the officials told the public that victory was soon in their hands, but the news coverage of the massive offensive and its casualties shocked the American public and eroded support for the war effort. The counterculture movement of the 1960s was a period of social and cultural rebellion against the mainstream values of American society. Youth culture embraced ideals of peace, love, and freedom, rejecting traditional norms and advocating for civil rights. The counterculture movement during this time contributed to a growing opposition to the war, shifting politics greatly. During this time, the Democratic Party was very divided, Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to run for reelection in 1968, Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, and anti-war activists were beaten and gassed by Chicago police outside the Democratic Convention. Despite initial support for the war, the counterculture movement of the 1960s contributed to the growing opposition of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam