American Involvement in The Vietnam War
Uploaded by spootyhead on Mar 04, 2007
American Involvement in The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War is without a doubt one of the most memorable wars yet to date. Because of the time period the war took place there are many survivors that are still living. The basic reason I chose to do my individual project on the war was basically because it took place while I was a child. However, another reason I chose this topic was because I actually know a person who was in the war.
The Vietnam War was basically a military struggle fought in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975. The war involved the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front in conflict with United States forces and the South Vietnamese army. From 1946 until 1954, the Vietnamese had struggled for their independence from France during the First Indochina War. At the end of this war, the country was temporarily divided into North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam came under the control of the Vietnamese Communists who had opposed France and who aimed for a unified Vietnam under Communist rule. Vietnamese who had collaborated with the French controlled the South.
Now what you might be asking yourself is “Why did the United States get involved in the war.” Well the truth is that The United States became involved because it believed that if all of the country fell under a Communist government, Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. This belief was known as the "domino theory." The U.S. government, therefore, supported the South Vietnamese government. This government’s repressive policies led to rebellion in the South, and the NLF was formed as an opposition group with close ties to North Vietnam.
In 1965 the United States sent in troops to prevent the South Vietnamese government from collapsing. Ultimately, however, the United States failed to achieve its goal, and in 1975 Vietnam was reunified under Communist control; in 1976 it officially became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. During the conflict, approximately 3 to 4 million Vietnamese on both sides were killed, in addition to another 1.5 to 2 million Laotians and Cambodians who were drawn into the war. More than 58,000 Americans lost their lives.
In 1955, the United States picked a man by the name of Ngo Dinh Diem to head the anti-Communist regime in South Vietnam. With U.S. encouragement, Diem...