However, the USA in the 1950s believed that if South Vietnam (which was not controlled by Ho) fell to Ho, this would mean communist expansion. This was because the American administration believed in the domino theory, i.e. once a country falls to communism, this will mean that Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, etc will start to fall to communism. In turn, the USA under Eisenhower drew a line in Vietnam to stop Ho reunification attempt. At the same time they tried to create a strong non-communist South Vietnam under the leadership of Diem.
The USA entered the war to stop the spread of Communism in South East Asia. Americans fear of Communism meant that American governments in the 1950s and 1960s used their economic and military strength to support anti-Communists around the world. In South-East Asia, the USA became heavily involved in the defence of South Vietnam. In the early stages of the Vietnam War, many Americans supported US government policy. By 1968, however, over half a million US soldiers and marines were fighting in the jungles of South Vietnam and there had been thousands of US casualties.
During 1957 and 1965 they have some problems with the government and North Vietnam send their troops to fight against the government. After this the war started. The North Vietnam has the support of other communist countries for example the USSR and the South Vietnam have the support of the US, this because the US was anti-communist. The US sent equipment and troops to South Vietnam, because they were going to help them win this war against the communism. When the war started many American people was against it and want this to end son as possible.
To help counter that threat Truman started secretly sending money as well as supplies to help back the French forces against Ho Chi Minh's forces (Schomp The Vietnam War 5). This led Ho to seek help from China and the Soviet Union, which made Ho favorable towards communism (Schomp The Vietnam War 5). Although the United States was not directly involved in the war until 1955, they did still indirectly play a role in the move against Ho Chi Minh's forces. In an attempt to regain control, France left the French educated, strongly anti-communist Bao Dai in control of the region ("Vietnam War"). This enraged Ho Chi Minh, and his forces immediately rose up seizing the northern city of Hanoi, creating the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ("Vietnam War").
This compelled a sense of unity, which in turn helped groups organize to change how the nation viewed the war. Country Joe McDonald’s song emphasizes a misunderstanding between the young radicals of society and their leaders, “And it’s 1,2,3, what’re we fighting for? / Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn” (14-15). An increasingly noticeable ‘generation gap’ started to widen as U.S. News & World Report “assured its readers that Vietnam was a “local war... Big war is not threatened” (Lynskey 89). However, when President Johnson and other military advisors mixed-up events, possibly deliberately, to claim that North Vietnam had just attacked the US naval force in the Gulf of Tonkin- an incident which later proved to be a minor naval clash (Prados 1) and used this conflict as a premise to launch a full scale invasion of the communist state, the antiwar movement consolidated with great speed.
How far do you agree that the ‘Domino Theory’ explains US intervention in South East Asia in the 1950’s? The Domino theory is a significant motive in explaining US intervention in Vietnam, as not only the government accepted it, but the wider American Public did as well. However, there are other factors that influenced the US at the time, such as the Power vacuum in Vietnam after Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva accords and the loss of China to communism. The Domino theory is the theory that if one country ‘falls’ to communism then that communism would spread until all the countries have ‘fallen’ to it. The US intervened because of this as there was a great fear of communism around at the time.
Lyndon B Johnson served as the president of the United States after the killing of John F Kennedy in 1963. Some analysts remember Johnson for the role he played during the Vietnam War. Johnson was determined to assist general Khanh, the leader of the South Vietnamese army, to overcome the threat of the NLF. After winning the 1964 election, Johnson increased the number of the United States troops in Vietnam. Nevertheless, this move did not get the support of some Americans.
The Anti-Vietnam war moment in the untied states prove that there were people who cared about peace not war, with protesting, sit ins, and the communication to boycott drafting of soldiers so they wouldn’t go to war. The struggle of the Vietnamese workers, student, and peasants against the U.S. were the worse times. Long lasting moments happen especially the impact it had the growth of anti-imperlism, anti-racism, communism and the PLP. Ho Chi Minh, struggled to drive the French out of Vietnam but when they did leave the U.S. took over or tried to like if they needed to protect something. The untied states where being self-fish and not understanding at all.
One government was led by a communist leader, Ho Chi Minh, who wanted to unite the country and help spread communism. His military forces were referred to as the Viet Minh. The second government was led by Ho Chi Minh's democratic rival, Bao Dai. He was placed there by the French, who at the time occupied Vietnam, to help stop communism. Public support was gained by the Viet Minh when they fought off the French.
Jozeph Kaddissi EN 102 Composition 2 (1:15-2:30) 21 February 2011 Vietnam War: The Fight against Social Injustice The war in Vietnam occurred at a period when the United States perceived communism as a serious threat to democracy, capitalism, American peace of society, and the civilized world. During this period, the USSR and the United States were deeply engrossed in the cold war. The war in Vietnam is only one among the many proxy wars between the communist countries led by the USSR and the capitalistic countries led by the United States. The communist North Vietnam had embarked on a war campaign against the south. Motivated by the need to deter the spread of communist ideology, America felt obligated to intervene to preserve the sovereignty of South Vietnam and possibly to end any further communist incursions in the north.