Why the US became increasingly involved in the war in Vietnam

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Why the US became increasingly involved in the war in Vietnam

America became increasingly involved in the war in Vietnam, mainly because of the domino theory, the fear of the spread of communism. If South Vietnam fell to the communist the US feared that communism would spread throughout Asia and to neighbouring countries. The influence of the previous presidents also caused another main reason for the US to become more involved in Vietnam. But there is one underlining fact; if the ‘French had not left, America would not have become involved in Vietnam at all. There are many more reasons for America to increase involvement in Vietnam, and all of these can be listed in long and short-term reasons, such as Domino theory being long term and Gulf of Tonkin being short term.  Some of the reasons have higher influence in the increase in involvement in Vietnam, while others being less important (for example the Gulf of Tonkin incident).

The most important factor for America’s involvement was the Domino Theory, conceived by President Eisenhower, which was originally President Truman’s Theory of Containment (Theory evolving into Domino Theory).The theory of containment  was the idea of not actually stopping communism but containing it within a country to stop communism from spreading. This theory was used in the Korean War( 1950-53) and had succeeded in containing communism in North Korea. Eisenhower’s theory, the Domino Theory, initially evolved from Truman’s Theory of Containment. Domino Theory was the idea of the spread of communism, which was compared with the falling of dominos, “you have a row of dominos set up you knock over the first and what happens to the last is a certainty”. A famous speech made by Eisenhower meaning if they let the first domino fall than they all would eventually fall. What Eisenhower wanted was to hit Communism at source, the domino, which was Vietnam. There was already domino’s which fell, China fell (turned communist) in 1949, and communism had also spread to the western side of the world, just 90 miles off America, in Cuba under Fidel Castro. Cuba was being supplied by the USSR, who had been communist since 1917. America had been at war with the USSR (the Cold War) in fear Communism spreading. With other countries (like Cuba) turning communist, it gave Russia more power. It was a competition of ideology, which system worked best; communism or democracy. The USSR supplied Cuba with Nuclear Missile’s; this sparked the Cuban Missile Crisis, which proved the Domino Theory and the need to “prop up” Vietnam (the domino) to stop it falling and communism spreading. The Soviet’s had already expanded through Europe,  the whole of Eastern Europe falling to communism, Churchill said, “ An Iron Curtain has drawn over Europe”. This gave a reason for America to increase involvement in Vietnam, to stop another domino falling.

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Aside from the Domino Theory, another main reason why America got involved was because of the French Exit in Vietnam. The main point for this reason is that if the French hadn’t left Vietnam America wouldn’t have to get involved at all. When the French left, it left a void in Vietnam, that USA filled, a Policeman’s role to stop the threat of communism. After the French left, Vietnam was divide in two at the 17th parallel under the Geneva Peace Treaty in 1954. The communist controlled the North and a non-Communist Government controlled the South. Diem was a catholic ...

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