The Vietnam War, The Differences And Reasons Behind The War

My report is on a book by Michael H. Hunt called Lyndon Johnson’s War written in 1996. Michael Hunt is a historian who works for the University of North Colorado and was also there during the Vietnam War. Hunt’s book was written to talk about former President Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam war. The book’s purpose is to show us some of the causes and consequences of the Vietnam war on America and the Vietnamese people. It also shows us how resilient the natives were against the U.S. and their reasons for wanting to be a communist nation. The book is arranged chronologically from the 1945-1968, telling us how events like the Cold War brought to existence the Vietnam War.

In her book The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990, author Marilyn Young examines the series of political and military struggles between the United States and Vietnam, a nation that has been distinctively separated as the South and the North. Young chooses to express the daily, weekly, monthly progresses of the affairs collectively called the Vietnam Wars, focusing on the American interventions in the foreign soil. She seeks to provide an answer to a question that has haunted the world for years: What was the reason behind the United States interfering in the internal affairs of a foreign country in which it had no claims at all? Young discloses the overt as well as covert actions undertaken by the U.S. government officials regarding the foreign affairs with Vietnam and the true nature of the multifaceted objectives of each and every person that’s involved had.

On the 7th of April 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave one historic press conference [1]. In that conference, he announced his so called “Domino Theory”. It was a substantial aspect of the US involvement in the Vietnam War, involvement in terms of its military support and methods used in Vietnam. Even though it was greatly enhanced by other factors, such as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, it was the trigger, and therefore the source of all US involvement in the Vietnam War. The main rationale of the theory was that if one country fell down to communism, all the surrounding countries would do the same, hence why it was called the ‘Domino’ Theory. Eisenhower thought that Vietnam’s fall to communism would lead to consequential communist uprisings in neighboring countries, such as Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. He also that that it could possibly extend as far as India, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia and New Zealand -[1]. This gave The US enough motivation, and more importantly, justification as to why they greatly increased military presence in Vietnam. Eisenhower said, “The possible consequences of the loss [of Indochina] are just incalculable to the free world.” [2]. Even though the theory was imprecise, and only Laos and Cambodia joined communism after the US lost the war, it was significant as the foundation of the US involvement in the conflict.

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.

The United States foreign policy had embraced the idea that the fall of Indochina would result in other countries falling to communism in Southeast Asia (“The Domino Theory” pg.2). The United States believed that most of the Asian countries had weak governments. Although these countries were largely populated, the citizens were depressed, starving, and desperate. In addition, their weak

What could have prevented such carnage during the Vietnam War? Ironically, it would have been the past presidents. Prior to the Vietnam War, France wanted to use its land and people to help restore and

France was giving Vietnam the independence and self-determination that they were seeking, but the U.S would not agree to that because they could not risk having Vietnam turn communist. Consequently, Eisenhower chose to invent a government in South Vietnam, taking control over the French; thus more evidence that supports French Colonialism. By 1954, the U.S had invested nearly $3 billion dollars in funding France’s effort against the Viet Minh, who rapidly became U.S enemy. Once the Viet Minh became a direct U.S enemy, U.S efforts increased and their involvement grew more. After France’s withdrawal, concern about the stability of the region grew, and the U.S became directly committed to the war in

Since World War II, Conflicts in Asia have played a major role in the Cold War and American foreign policy. One conflict was the Vietnam War, the effects of this conflict were not only felt within the region of Southeast Asia, for example Norman Morrison was a Baltimore Quaker and performed the act of self-immolation at the age of 31 to protest the US’s involvement in Vietnam, this is an example of how it was felt even in the United States and not just in Vietnam. These repercussions had a great impact on American society and even our foreign policy.

The Vietnam War was one of U.S. history’s darkest times. It lasted roughly 20 years, from the autumn of 1955 until the spring of 1975. Because it recently became a new country, the North Vietnamese wanted Vietnam to have a social order that was based on Marxist ideas. The South Vietnamese disliked this dreadful idea, and enlisted the U.S.’s help to fight the North. As the years passed by, however, the U.S. slowly withdrew their soldiers due

The United States intervention in Vietnam is seen by the world as America’s greatest loss and longest war. Before the start of the war in Vietnam, the thought of the United States losing this war was unheard of because America was technologically superior, no country in south East Asia could contend with them. Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not be the president to allow South East Asia to go Communist . Why the United States lost the war has been a huge debate since the end of the war, because there were so many factors affecting why they lost; the war was a loss politically, after losing support from not only the American public but also the South Vietnamese and losing a political mandate for the war by 1973, when the last

The conflict concerning Vietnam can be dated back to the Cold War and the fight against widespread communism. The fear of a domino theory in Southeast Asia lies at the heart of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Starting with president Truman and ending with Nixon, the Vietnam conflict continued to become progressively worse with time. Unlike previous wars, the Vietnam War tarnished America’s image as it was the first time in history the U.S. came out defeated while being far more advanced. However whether or not this conflict can be referred to as “Johnson’s War” is controversial. While Johnson is responsible for the escalation of the war, one man can not fully be at fault as this conflict was inherited by his predecessors and Johnson was within reach of acquiring a peace treaty until being interfered.

Vietnam, arguably the most controversial war America started, the war that generated some of the largest opposition movements in American history and the war ended with America losing. The Vietnam War has become the subject of ongoing discussion and debate because it had so many aspects about it that shocked and confused the world. Some areas of debate regarding the war include the assumptions that caused its escalation and the argument about whether the war could have ended on different terms. According to historians George Herring and Loren Baritz, Americas limited war theory and their arrogant beliefs about themselves were the main assumptions that guided the escalation of the Vietnam war and are also the reason why the historians did not believe the war would have a different outcome.

The Vietnam War was one of the bloodiest wars in the history of Vietnam. Vietnam use to be a peaceful country until the idea of communism started spreading across Vietnam. Many wanted to stay democratic but saw what happened to the Germans and started to lean towards communism. Many also wanted to stay democratic and still had it hopes high that it will soon get their lives and economy back on track.

“Involvement in two world wars and the Cold War transformed America into a “crusader state” convinced of the superiority of its institutions and way of life and intent on imposing them on the outside world. ” Whether fought at home or abroad every war is to impact all parties involved. Such example of staggering influence on one country’s culture is no more evident then in America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Upon entering the war the USA’s government was convinced and assured the public of its confidence in very quick and consequences free resolution to their problem on the other side of the world. However, what it failed to predict which later was to prove

Vietnam was part of a French colony known as French Indochina. Before 1954, the U.S. government financially supported French