The Domino Theory: The Effect Of The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War began in 1954 after the rise of the communist party in North Vietnam and continued throughout the 50’s and 60’s. As the Cold War intensified, America strengthened their policies against the Soviet Union and anyone who was allied with them and in 1955 President Eisenhower pledged to support South Vietnam and Diem, their leader. Diem was a dictator who found anyone who sympathized with the North Vietnamese and tortured and executed them. In 1961 President Kennedy sent a team to build up American military in South Vietnam. The “domino theory” was a major part in this decision. The idea of the domino theory was if one asian country fell to communism, many others directly surrounding it would quickly follow. By 1962 there was nearly 9,000 American troops in
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Vietnam. In 1963, three weeks before Kennedy's assassination, a group of rebels managed to kill Diem. Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy’s successor, and the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, decided to even further increase American aid in Vietnam. After 2 U.S. destroyers were destroyed by North Vietnamese torpedoes, Johnson ordered bombings on military targets in North Vietnam. Congress soon after pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave Johnson powers to make war. In March 1965, Johnson decided to send troops into battle. By June, there were 90,000 troops stationed in Vietnam. Despite his advisors concerns about escalating the situation in Vietnam and the surging anti-war movement in America, Johnson ordered 100,000 more troops be sent to Vietnam. As the war raged on, the American citizens and soldiers began to distrust the government’s reason for keeping them there and saying that they were winning the war. With the use of television, horrible images of Vietnam were broadcasting worrying the American people even further. On January 31, 1968, as the North Vietnamese began to grow impatient, wanting to deliver a devastating blow, they launched the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was a coordinated series of attacks on more than a 100 cities in South Vietnam. The U.S. and South Vietnamese forces managed to push back the offensive, though losing many soldiers in the process. Johnson, with his presidential ratings dropping, ordered the halting of bombings in North Vietnam to try to seek peace. Peace talks began in Paris and soon after a new presidential election occurred and Richard Nixon was elected. The North Vietnamese insisted that the only way there could be peace was if the U.S. fully withdrew from Vietnam, but they couldn't come to a deal and the war continued. Horrifying news reached America when U.S. soldier massacred 400 unarmed civilians in a village in 1968. This further increased the already huge anti-war movement in the U.S. On November 15, 1969 nearly 250,000 people gathered in Washington D.C. and protested the war, asking for the withdrawal of troops in Vietnam. Thousands of soldiers in Vietnam received dishonorable discharges as the tried to desert and nearly 500,000 men evaded getting drafted.
War between the North and South continued until April 30, 1975, when the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, was captured by the North. The war was finally over after 1,313,000 deaths, including 275,000 American deaths. The effects of the war would linger in the U.S. far after end of the war. $120 billion was spent between 1965-73 on the war. The loss of the war destroyed the myth that America was invincible and divided the nation. Many veterans that came home were faced with negative reactions as people saw them as losing the war and killing innocent civilians. President Richard Nixon responded to these negative reactions by saying “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” Hollywood was the source of all this negative reaction since they were the ones showing all the footage and pictures. “Hollywood never knew there was a Vietnam War until they made the movie.” Jerry Stiller said about Hollywood during the war. In all the Vietnam War didn’t solve anything and set the U.S.
back.
Vietnam. In 1963, three weeks before Kennedy's assassination, a group of rebels managed to kill Diem. Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy’s successor, and the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, decided to even further increase American aid in Vietnam. After 2 U.S. destroyers were destroyed by North Vietnamese torpedoes, Johnson ordered bombings on military targets in North Vietnam. Congress soon after pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave Johnson powers to make war. In March 1965, Johnson decided to send troops into battle. By June, there were 90,000 troops stationed in Vietnam. Despite his advisors concerns about escalating the situation in Vietnam and the surging anti-war movement in America, Johnson ordered 100,000 more troops be sent to Vietnam. As the war raged on, the American citizens and soldiers began to distrust the government’s reason for keeping them there and saying that they were winning the war. With the use of television, horrible images of Vietnam were broadcasting worrying the American people even further. On January 31, 1968, as the North Vietnamese began to grow impatient, wanting to deliver a devastating blow, they launched the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was a coordinated series of attacks on more than a 100 cities in South Vietnam. The U.S. and South Vietnamese forces managed to push back the offensive, though losing many soldiers in the process. Johnson, with his presidential ratings dropping, ordered the halting of bombings in North Vietnam to try to seek peace. Peace talks began in Paris and soon after a new presidential election occurred and Richard Nixon was elected. The North Vietnamese insisted that the only way there could be peace was if the U.S. fully withdrew from Vietnam, but they couldn't come to a deal and the war continued. Horrifying news reached America when U.S. soldier massacred 400 unarmed civilians in a village in 1968. This further increased the already huge anti-war movement in the U.S. On November 15, 1969 nearly 250,000 people gathered in Washington D.C. and protested the war, asking for the withdrawal of troops in Vietnam. Thousands of soldiers in Vietnam received dishonorable discharges as the tried to desert and nearly 500,000 men evaded getting drafted.
War between the North and South continued until April 30, 1975, when the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, was captured by the North. The war was finally over after 1,313,000 deaths, including 275,000 American deaths. The effects of the war would linger in the U.S. far after end of the war. $120 billion was spent between 1965-73 on the war. The loss of the war destroyed the myth that America was invincible and divided the nation. Many veterans that came home were faced with negative reactions as people saw them as losing the war and killing innocent civilians. President Richard Nixon responded to these negative reactions by saying “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.” Hollywood was the source of all this negative reaction since they were the ones showing all the footage and pictures. “Hollywood never knew there was a Vietnam War until they made the movie.” Jerry Stiller said about Hollywood during the war. In all the Vietnam War didn’t solve anything and set the U.S.
back.