Ronald Reagan's Role In The Vietnam War

The Reagan Doctrine was the foreign policy in the United States, legislated by President Ronald Reagan. This doctrine was design to eliminate the communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that were indorsed and validated by the Soviet Union. This assignment will summarize how the United States provided open and private support to guerrilla and resistance movements during the Regan years. In addition, explicate the diplomatic doctrine specific events that occurred in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded. Finally, this assignment will describe the advantages and disadvantages based on the Regan Doctrine. Summarize The Situation of U.S. Diplomatic of The Regan Doctrine Throughout the opening years of the Cold War, Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter all sanctioned policies against communism in order to contain it. Ronald Regan rejected their détente policy in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. This alone proved that policies that only contain communism were ineffective. Regan disapproved in the compromise policy when it came to any communist government. Instead, Reagan proposed the Rollback strategy. The making of the Reagan Doctrine shifted from containment and spreading to eliminating all current communist governments. Furthermore, the United States wanted to increase and encourage democracy and capitalism in replacement of ousted communistregimes (Conservapedia, 2012).Implementation of the Regan Doctrine was to provide

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 1979, the goal was to help Afghan communist forces set up a communist government. The Soviet Union felt Afghanistan had key resources and a foothold in the Middle East to spread communist ideas. The result would be a war that the Soviet Union wishes it never got involved in and likened to their “Vietnam War”, meaning winning a number of battles but not the war like what happened to the U.S. in Vietnam. The background of the war, outcome of the war, and impact on the United States are key to understanding the Soviet-Afghan War.

1. Alfred Smith was attacked/smeared in the 1928 election because of religious differences (Catholic) and the prosperity of the ‘20s the Republicans took credit of.

January 1969, Richard Nixon entered the executive office picking up the pieces Lyndon Johnson who had left while the Vietnam War was still in effect. Many Americans had the expectation that Nixon would be the “peaceful president”, visualizing he would put an end to this war in Southeast Asian and bring back home our troops. A policy Nixon redefined was the American role in the world by suggesting to limit the U.S resources and commitments. Therefore, Nixon’s set his efforts to end the war since the withdrawal from Vietnam was not an immediate option. Also, Nixon had his radar on Moscow and China because according to George C. Herring, they felt that they must release the United States from the war in a way that would uphold United States credibility with their friends and foes alike. During Nixon’s term in office, he tries a number of different strategies in his effort to end the war, but to this day, one can see that Nixon only prolonged the war when it could have ended earlier.

President Eisenhower sent US advisors into Vietnam shortly after the French pulled out after the unsuccessful First Indochina War. He entered Vietnam under the pretense of protecting Vietnam from falling into the hands of those godless communists. A noble endeavour? Maybe. A wanton disregard for a nation’s sovereignty and right to self determination? Absolutely. President Eisenhower pulled the United states into a two-and-a-half decade long conflict that would claim the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. You had the chance to support Vietnamese independence and self-determination, didn’t you Ike? You had the chance to make the transfer peaceful, oh but of course, if the people choose a communist government then they lose those peaceful possibilities, don’t they?

Harvey Dent once said, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” Lyndon B. Johnson has shown to be a very disputable figure in American history. He is seen as a “villain” by many for his involvement in the Gulf of Tonkin, resulting in the damage of three Northern Vietnamese boats, as well as killing four Northern Vietnamese sailors and wounding six, all the while the USS Maddox exited with only one bullet. Many see this as the ultimate reason for the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. Johnson was also labeled negatively for his high expectations for the American citizens and frivolous planning, such as in his “Great Society” speech, in which he set up high standards for the people in his image of a perfect society, where he

The history of the Vietnam War had a violent beginning. Before the assassination of President Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson had little to no involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Beforehand the United States had mainly sent supplies and aid to South Vietnam against North Vietnam. After the assassination of both president Kennedy and the President of South Vietnam, the war became inevitable.

Widespread disaster, extreme mobilization, heightened fears and are all characteristics of war. The Vietnam War was a war that spanned almost twenty years, with over a decade of those years involving the United States military forces. During the war, elections so if things aren’t going your country’s way on the battlefront you are going to be on the hot seat. This is exactly what happened for Lyndon B Johnson amidst the Vietnam War. The year was 1968, with the incumbent President, not running for office anymore. The President of the United States was up for grabs and between the Vice President, Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon, in order to gain the upper hand in this election, would sabotage peace talks in Vietnam and end

President Lyndon Johnson asked U.S Congress for permission to increase the U.S military in Indochina, because two U.S destroyers called in that they had been fired on by North Vietnamese forces. President Johnson received authorization to proceed any actions that is necessary to get revenge and to encourage the repairs of security and worldwide peace, he was granted approval when Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The Johnson Administration believed that increasing the U.S military presence in Vietnam was the only answer, the South Vietnamese troops stayed generally ineffective. In supporting South Vietnamese raids and applying a U.S program for the Lao border to disturb supply lines, U.S military started supporting South Vietnamese raids of the North Vietnamese coast. In the Gulf of Tonkin two destroyers by the name of the Maddox and the Turner Joy, were stationed to strengthen these action by The United States Navy. The commander on the Turner Joy reported being attacked by North Vietnamese Patrol boats twice, once on August 2 and the second on August 4. However, doubts later occurred as to whether or not the Turner Joy was attacked. Under those circumstances, Johnson instantly asked permission from Congress to defend U.S militaries in Southeast Asia. The Senate passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution with just two restricting votes, and the House of Representatives passed it collectively. Congress upheld the determination with the supposition that the president

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan- In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan to support the communist government in Afghanistan against noncommunist guerillas supported by the Americans and West. The war began when the USSR began land reforms that were resented by many people, which The war dragged on, costing thousands of Soviet lives despite the fact that the Soviet troops were not able to achieve their objectives, hence the reason why the war was called “Russia’s Vietnam.” Osama bin Laden was among the anti-Communist guerillas and would later lead the terrorist organization that orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.

Before Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States, he pursued a career in Hollywood as an actor. After that, Reagan served two terms as Governor of California. Reagan was also originally known to be a democrat, but ran for President as a Republican. Reagan enrolled into college on an athletic scholarship playing football, running track, and was a swim team captain. At school, he also majored in economics and sociology, he served as his student council president, and performed in the school plays. Once Reagan beat out former president Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election, Reagan became the oldest president elected into office at the age of 69 (until President Trump was elected at age 70).

Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in the town of Tampico, Illinois. He grew up in Dixon, Illinois where he graduated from Dixon High School. Already he was a leader, as he had become the president of Dixon’s student body. He then enrolled in Eureka College in Illinois, majored in economics and sociology, and served as the president of the student council. After college he pursued an acting career, during which he landed a job hosting a show called The General Electric Theater where he was given the opportunity to explore his interest in politics. Reagan became politically relevant for the first time when he gave a popular televised speech for the Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Two years later, Reagan ran for California

The Vietnam War was one of the most infamous conflicts in American history. The conflict resulted in the cost of 3 million lives, including the lives of young, American boys averaging the ages of 17 and 25 (Hochgesang). The opposition to communism, the actions taken during the preceding Cold War, and the imperialistic attitude adopted through its history, lead the United States in the struggle with the expansion of communist ideas infiltrating the governing bodies of North and South Vietnam (History.com Staff).

The worst case scenario for the United States in the late 70s and early 80s was the threat of the Soviet invasion of Iran and subsequent control of the Saudi Oil fields. The best that could be done to counter a possible Soviet invasion would have been the deployment of parts of the 82nd Airborne Division to the Zagros Mountains of Iran, which would take at least a week with reinforcements arriving much later. This was not acceptable to the Carter Administration, which decided on another course of action - to actively support the anti-Soviet Mujahideen “freedom - fighters” in Afghanistan and help protect the Middle Eastern oil fields. This American involvement in the Soviet Afghan war has

The Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan on December 27, 1979. This posed a threat on the United States because of their oil ties in