Overivew of Vietnam War

Blood, gore, intense combat, little sleep, death. These are some words that describe the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War had 240 days of combat in one year. World War II had forty days of combat in four years(Interesting Facts). That statistic shows how rough the Vietnam War was. The fighting was constant between the two sides. This war was fought over politics and had many gruesome battles.

Much of Vietnam’s success against the French occupants can be attributed to the resources they gained from the Chinese Communist Party, who were close allies with the Viet Minh during the Indochina War (Hunt, 125). These successes come in spite of the fact that the United States assisted the French during these years of war (Hunt, 125). Without this additional assistance from American forces, the French would have most likely retreated even earlier, given that “the war was eating up 10 percent of France’s national budget” (Hunt, 125). On a similar note, without the French receiving American forces, the Viet Minh may not have necessarily turned towards the Chinese Communist Party in an effort to defeat the French. America intervened on the side of colonialism in an effort to deter communism manifesting itself in the Vietnamese revolution, but it almost encouraged it. Without joining the fight out of a larger fear, America may have been happier with the overall outcome of the Indochina War had they not chosen sides. However, they did choose to play a part in this conflict, and made more chaotic and severe than it may have been

Hopes were high for France to independently settle its issues in Indochina, which it never truly did. Initially, America was committed to supporting the conflict only financially and materially. But this too escalated as time progressed. One-third of the French effort in Vietnam was being covered by the U.S. in 1952; this percentage increased to eighty percent by 1954. No amount was too high to pay in the war against communism. “Sharply escalating East-West tensions during the Korean War left U.S. officials more determined than ever to fight communism globally, no matter what the cost” (Lawrence 42). This approach would not change with the presidential transition in 1953. “Viet Minh gains and French war weariness stoked deep anxiety in Washington, where a new president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was no less determined than his predecessor to prevent a communist victory” (Lawrence

The political instability in Vietnam from 1950 to 1975 between the communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam during the Cold War era has led to the United States’ inevitable intervention in Vietnam. The main motivators for the United States’ incremental decision to intervene and commitment in Vietnam can be viewed as an accumulation of socio-political, political and economic catalysts. In recognition that there were many other factors that may have contributed to the U.S’s involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, this essay will largely focus on these three factors. As the cold war resonates, the American’s crusade was propelled by the fears of the domino theory and perception of Communist threat and expansion affected the

As Eisenhower took office he and his Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, chose to agree with the assessment of Ho Chi Minh as an “instrument of international communism”. This view would lock the United States once more in a policy driven by fear of communism. The administration set about bolstering a war-weary France with promises of additional aid, but also with demands on access to French battle plans. In March of 1954 the Vietminh’s successful assault on French Garrisons left the U.S. even more in doubt concerning France’s success.

In terms of the reasons for America to join the fight in Vietnam the movement was “right but for the wrong reasons.” (p.346) “The war’s sources had nothing to do with the sinister face of corporate capitalism, but the war was a mistake.” They had been a constant argument that “...the anti war movement saved American lives but did not sacrifice Asians because the war was unwinnable.” (p.346) And that whatever was going to happen would have taken place regardless.

The Vietnam War truly began when France attempted to control Vietnam. The leader at the time was Ho Chi Minh, a well known communist, but a nationalist first. Minh fought for independence for his country, and eventually reached out to the United States for help resolving the conflict. He sent Truman eight letters asking for support; instead of helping the Vietnamese, Truman instead sent military support, in the form of money, to France. In this instance, Truman was being irrational, because he openly stated he did not support colonization. Yet, he supported the French in their conquest to colonize Vietnam? “Between 1950 and 1954, the United States contributed $2.6 billion to France’s war efforts,” simply because Truman was scared of the spread of communism. Truman believed that Vietnam becoming a communist power would trigger the transformation of other nations too. Although, he did not spend enough time thinking about Minh. Minh was a nationalist first and a communist second. Vietnam was not really a threat and neither was the form of communism Minh was enforcing. Instead of analyzing his options, Truman rushed into a war that fought against what the United States believed in, because he allowed his fear of communism to guide his decision making, rather than his logical rational. The Vietnamese ended up winning their war for independence after France surrendered. Only a day after an international peace conference was held in

The years that the United States participated in the Vietnam war were some of the most

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The Vietnam War was a war against communist Russia more than it was a war against the North Vietnamese. Before the start of this War the United states established a policy where any country seeking help in a fight against communism would be aided by the United States. Any such bold statement, would eventually put the United States in a difficult situation. The war started off establishing a presence in South Vietnam attempting to push back the North Vietnamese who were attempting to conquer the South and create a united communistic Vietnam. This war was also aided by the politician who saw the war as an opportunity to prove the US superiority over Russia. Slowly, it became clear that the war was not as easy as originally planned. The slow progress and eventual realization the war could not be won began to wage war on the minds of people. This in addition to the loss of thousands of innocent lives began to affect popular opinion. The war beginning to develop into a political nightmare and politicians were forced to make a decision on what was the best policy for the country. Was it fair to continue to protect a group of people to possibly offer a better way of life while at the same time american soldiers continue to lose their life?

became directly involved. Indochina, which includes Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, was under French colonial rule. The Vietnam communist-nationalist, also known as the Vietminh, fought for their freedom from the French. The French were being murdered, torchered, and were doing little to keep the communist.North Vietnamese out of South Vietnam. The U.S. sent financial aid to France to help them eliminate the communist threat, At the Geneva Conference in 1953.

Some proxy wars that occurred because of tensions in the Cold War are the Greek civil war, Korean War, Cuban Revolution, Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs, Afghan Soviet war, Angolan Civil War and more. The cost these proxy wars were overwhelming in both money and manpower. In Korea, Afghanistan, and Vietnam, millions of civilians and soldiers perished, and billions of dollars from the government budget was transferred into these conflicts. These disasters at Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam not only cost the Americans billions of dollars but also weakened the public’s faith in the government. Their inability to subdue communist revolutions in these countries initiated other comparable communist uprisings, described in the “domino theory.” For the Soviet Union,

After the World War II there was still some tension left between two of greatest superpowers in the world, United States and Russia. Even though this tension did not created a direct war, there were proxy battles fought between these two countries. The wars were indirectly fought using the land of third countries as a battlefield and with the control of the world’s economy. USA and Russia used civil wars from smaller countries such as Vietnam, Afghanistan and Angola to fight by supporting different sides of the wars that agreed to the ideals of communism and capitalism. The United States supported the anti communist organizations of the war and the USSR supported the pro-communist organizations, each aiming to spread their ideals all over the world.

The Vietnam War began November 1st, 1955 and ended April 30th, 1975. It was a long costly war that involved North Vietnam and their Southern allies, known as Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its main ally the United States. This war was very unpopular at home and would end with the withdrawal of the United States and the unification of Vietnam under communist control. Many think of war as something that just men are involved in but very rarely do people think of the role of women in the war. “Like many of the men going over to Vietnam to serve their country, young women from all over the nation volunteered to serve as nurses in the hospitals and medical facilities in South Vietnam. These women volunteered for a variety of reasons: to serve their country, to help the service men who were wounded, to receive training and an education, to further their military careers, to prove themselves or just to have an adventure” (Texas Tech University).

The war in Vietnam was heavily opposed in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Most Americans, including those on the front lines, did not know what the United States was fighting for. American foreign policy during the cold war revolved around Eisenhower’s “Domino Theory” speech. This stated that if a country were to fall to communism, its neighboring countries are more likely to give in to communism as well. Because of this, when Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh announced himself as a communist, the United States took action.

The United States even aided the nationalist group, led by communist Ho Chi Minh. After World War II, the French returned to take over its colony, but in December 1946, found itself battling the Vietminh. France requested aid from the United States, so that it could win the battle against the Vietminh. The United States was not too sure at first, until Intelligence proved that the Communist Ho Chi Minh was becoming very popular. The United States immediately increased its aid to France to try to prevent the communist from spreading. The French were to set up a regime with Bao Dei, from the Vietnamese royal family. The United States sided with Bao Dei's claim as the regime, especially after the fall of China. Around 1954, the United States was paying 80% of the French military cost in Vietnam. The French decided to use a fortress to try and get the communist to use a large number of it's troops to attack the fortress, but it was easily over come by the communist and the French surrendered. May 1954 was the end of the French role in Indochina. May-June 1954 was the Geneva Accords where the major powers were to come to an agreement on Indochina. The agreement was a temporary one that divided Vietnam at the seventeenth parallel with a demilitarized zone between the two areas. The North would be the Vietminh or the communist and the South would be the Bao Dei regime. No side could come to agreements involving foreign policy nor accept foreign