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The Causes Of The Vietnam War

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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War spanned from 1954 to 1973 and had the name, the Second Indochina War, prior to the United States involvement. The initial cause for the war was a battle between communist North Vietnam and its southern allies, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its allies, the key ally being the United States. Ho Chi Minh, the leader of North Vietnam, was one goal, to unseat the French hold on South Vietnam to reunite the entire country. The resulting war would end up spanning across nearly two decades and would be costly both financially and in the number of lives lost.
United States Intervenes
The War that raged between North and South Vietnam was one with minimal participation from the United States. In 1961, a report sent to President John F. Kennedy regarding the conditions of the war urged the President to increase the U.S. military presence to help with the war. The rationale behind U.S. involvement was a simple one, if the communist North Vietnam suffered a defeat the “domino theory” would go into effect. The belief was if one communist country in Asia fell, others would follow. With that in mind, the number of U.S. troops in South Vietnam went from less than 800 to roughly 9,000 by 1962. That number would continue to climb.
The War Escalates
The War in Vietnam continued to escalate with no end in sight. In 1963, following the assassination of President Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson became President of the United States. President Johnson played a key

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