Why did the U.S.A. Become Involved in the Vietnam War in the 1950s and 1960?
The Vietnam War was one of the biggest humiliations in American history. The small forces of North Vietnam and the threat of world communism humbled the most power full country in the world.
The reason for U.S.A.'s involvement stemmed back to the end of world war two.
Throughout the Second World War the forces of the communist Russians and the western democratic powers united to fight against the great common enemy, Nazi Germany. Shortly after, world war two ended the two allies broke apart and the world was divided in to two completely appositive group, these groups were the western capitalist democracies and the eastern communists. When the Russian's red army (communists) advanced over Eastern Europe and onto East Berlin all the countries that they had liberated from the nazi oppression, were forced in to a communist regime. This meant that almost the whole of Eastern Europe had been forced in to communism. This then created great concern among the western democracies especially America, which saw Communism as a plague which needed to be stopped by whatever needs necessary before it contaminated and took over the world. These feelings from the western democracies towards the eastern communist created a rivalry and cold atmosphere between the two Super powers (Russia and USA), which led these two very different ideas. This was now a new era called the Cold War, which would be at its peak in the 1940s and 1950s and would last for almost 50 years.
However, these serious of events were only a part of the build of what would come in the near future for the USA. For this reason the Truman doctrine was published which stated that: " It must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation, by armed minorities or by outside pressures". This meant that America would help any country that is trying to resist a hostile political take over (specifically communist). The US also stated that they would contain the communist threat. They then described how they would do this, in the Truman doctrine," our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid. Then advising the country and if necessary by military aid." But they were going to make sure that they did not start another war. The doctrine also included the domino theory; the domino theory was the belief that if one country fell to communism its neighbour would follow just like a row of dominos. This shown already in such countries as Korea where war had just ended and had resulted in the country being split in to a communist north and democratic south. It was also obvious in china a direct neighbour of Russia, which had recently fallen to a communist regime. These comparisons are similar to the ones made by the US state department in 1956 where it was said "North Vietnams commitment to seize control of the south is no less total than was the commitment of North Korea to take the south in 1950" This was one of reasons for US involvement, as the fear that South Vietnam would fall to the communist north would lead to the rest of south East Asia and eventually the whole continent. This belief was expressed in a book written by US senator and the President to be John F Kennedy in 1956 where he said, "If the red tide of communism overflows into Vietnam, then Burma, Thailand, India, Japan, the Philippines and obviously y Laos and Cambodia would be threatened".
The Vietnam War was one of the biggest humiliations in American history. The small forces of North Vietnam and the threat of world communism humbled the most power full country in the world.
The reason for U.S.A.'s involvement stemmed back to the end of world war two.
Throughout the Second World War the forces of the communist Russians and the western democratic powers united to fight against the great common enemy, Nazi Germany. Shortly after, world war two ended the two allies broke apart and the world was divided in to two completely appositive group, these groups were the western capitalist democracies and the eastern communists. When the Russian's red army (communists) advanced over Eastern Europe and onto East Berlin all the countries that they had liberated from the nazi oppression, were forced in to a communist regime. This meant that almost the whole of Eastern Europe had been forced in to communism. This then created great concern among the western democracies especially America, which saw Communism as a plague which needed to be stopped by whatever needs necessary before it contaminated and took over the world. These feelings from the western democracies towards the eastern communist created a rivalry and cold atmosphere between the two Super powers (Russia and USA), which led these two very different ideas. This was now a new era called the Cold War, which would be at its peak in the 1940s and 1950s and would last for almost 50 years.
However, these serious of events were only a part of the build of what would come in the near future for the USA. For this reason the Truman doctrine was published which stated that: " It must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation, by armed minorities or by outside pressures". This meant that America would help any country that is trying to resist a hostile political take over (specifically communist). The US also stated that they would contain the communist threat. They then described how they would do this, in the Truman doctrine," our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid. Then advising the country and if necessary by military aid." But they were going to make sure that they did not start another war. The doctrine also included the domino theory; the domino theory was the belief that if one country fell to communism its neighbour would follow just like a row of dominos. This shown already in such countries as Korea where war had just ended and had resulted in the country being split in to a communist north and democratic south. It was also obvious in china a direct neighbour of Russia, which had recently fallen to a communist regime. These comparisons are similar to the ones made by the US state department in 1956 where it was said "North Vietnams commitment to seize control of the south is no less total than was the commitment of North Korea to take the south in 1950" This was one of reasons for US involvement, as the fear that South Vietnam would fall to the communist north would lead to the rest of south East Asia and eventually the whole continent. This belief was expressed in a book written by US senator and the President to be John F Kennedy in 1956 where he said, "If the red tide of communism overflows into Vietnam, then Burma, Thailand, India, Japan, the Philippines and obviously y Laos and Cambodia would be threatened".
