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.
After that, nation after nation might fall to Communism. Communism is a political and economic system that the United States strongly opposed. Vietnam had been split in half in 1954, after fighting a war to gain independence from France. When French forces withdrew the US felt they needed to take matters into their own hands but the Vietnamese Communists gained control of North Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the North Vietnamese Communists.
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").
One key reason why the US became progressively involved in Vietnam was the fear of the Domino theory. The Domino theory was arguably the most significant cause for the escalation of US support in the Vietnam War. The Americans feared that if they left the corrupt South Vietnamese government alone, the whole country would collapse to communism and ultimately spread to neighboring countries such as Laos and Cambodia. The most important reason as to why the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnam was the long-term effect of the Domino Theory. The Domino Theory was the belief that once one country had fallen to communism, its neighbors would do the same.
Fearing a communist overtake in Southeast Asia, the United States began to send troops to Vietnam in the 1950’s. The US avoided a direct attack on Vietnam or the Soviet Union as to evade the possible outbreak of WWIII. South Vietnam was supported by the United States; Northern Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union. The Viet Cong, the political organization/army of the Northern Vietnamese in favor of communist rule and domination, issued many attacks against the anticommunist Southern Vietnamese territory, majority of which resulted in copious amounts of death and damages. Upon seeing the underestimated strength of the rivaling powers, the United States had to rethink their strategies and tactics used when dealing with the USSR and Vietnamese powers.
Another event that impacted the public’s view of government dishonesty during this time was President Nixon’s involvement with the infamous Watergate scandal which eventually led to his resignation on August 9, 1974. Furthermore, when President Nixon began his presidency, people believed he would work to bring an end to America’s involvement in the Vietnam. Yet, this was not the case as Nixon increased bombing raids and authorized the invasion of Cambodia. When the war started, the American people were led to believe that the war was a necessity to ensure the protection of the nation as a whole.
The U.S provided military advisors and support and the first U.S troops entered Vietnam in March 1965. They sent in 2,000 military advisors, a number that grew to 16,300 in 1963. The military condition started to deteriorate and by 1963 South Vietnam had lost the fertile Mekong Delta to the Viet Cong. Convinced that the communists where escalating the War, Johnson began the bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Air strikes commenced and he sent the first U.S ground combat troops to
In spite if the colossal military assist provided by america military for the French forces, France was eventually beaten by the Vietminh in 1954. In 1954, Vietnam was divided into 2 separate zones – Ho Chi Minh’s federal government would eat control in the Democratic Republic of North Vietnam, which was supported by China and also the Soviet Union; over a other hand, Bao Dai would head the Nation of Vietnam in South Vietnam, which was strongly supported by the US. However, from the
The Agreement was the war ending in Vietnam and had established independence in Vietnam. Secondly, after the resignation of President Nixon due to the Watergate scandal in August 1974, American aid for the South Vietnamese Government decreased dramatically. This was President Ford, who was the successor to Richard Nixon, didn’t persuade the American parliament to spending more for the war in Vietnam. Understanding this difficult situation of the South Vietnamese Government, the North Vietnamese government launched a general offensive in the South. With supported by artilleries and armors from Chinese and SS, the North Vietnamese troops won in almost all the South and Saigon city was the final battle.
Richard Nixon’s election to Presidency of the United States in 1968, marked a turning point in American foreign policy and a new strategic approach to the war in Vietnam. It was a war he had inherited from his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson. Domestic support for the war had diminished significantly, with national outpourings of opposition. This prompted Nixon to make his famous ‘silent majority’ speech, where he outlined his position on Vietnam, “After all, we became involved in the war while my predecessor was in office. I could blame the defeat which would have been the result of my action on him and come out as Peacemaker…But I had a greater obligation than to think only of the years of my administration and of the next election.