The Importance of the Vietnam War and Democracy.

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The Importance of the Vietnam War and Democracy

        In 1950, President Harry S. Truman authorized $15 million to go to the French in aid to “contain” communism, thus beginning America’s involvement in a war that we had nothing to do with.  The United States once had a foreign policy of non-involvement during the early 1900’s in World War I (WWI) and the beginning of World War II (WWII).  This policy led to the involvement of the United States in WWII.  Monetary aid as it shows in history provokes strong feelings against the party that funds wars.  In 1950, the US’s foreign policy was “containment.”  This was the policy of keeping communism within certain areas of the world and not letting it spread.  There were other policies of being the police of the world and making sure that the rights of people were not infracted upon, but the main goal was to keep communism out of other countries.  There were many factors that led the United States to be involved with the Vietnam conflict.  Other than political factors, there was the fact that there were many different presidents during the thirty year conflict, and they had different goals for the United States, there was the pride that each of the presidents felt about America, and there was the history of Asian culture that both Americans and Europeans had infracted upon.  When the United States first started to go into Vietnam, they were unaware of many truths.  They were unaware that the Vietnamese were a determined, hard working people, and underestimated the strength and power they had in their own jungles.  The Vietnam War was not fought because there was a severe wrongdoing on the part of the Vietnamese; this war was fought because the United States in all her power and glory was trying in fact to make the world like them.  Being the police of the world is a big responsibility and even the United States as powerful as she is, could not defeat a small province in Southeast Asia.  

        Political commitments are what really began this thirty year embarrassment to the United States.  France, in her ignorance wanted back the colonies they had before World War II and the United States at the Potsdam conference in Germany gave it back to France.  At the Potsdam conference, the allies divided Vietnam at the 18th parallel to disarm the Japanese.  What they should have done was kick Japan out of Vietnam because they didn’t belong there in the first place.  Here is where the seeds to communism and the thirty year struggle for the Vietnamese took place.  Vietnam was not the only Asian country to receive this poor judgment in deciding the future of its country.  Ho Chi Minh, at that time took quote for quote from the American Constitution words which he used to declare the independence of Vietnam.  President Truman ignored him and created a certain amount of enmity between the United States and Vietnam.  Until the year of 1950, there is a power struggle between Ho Chi Minh, the French and Bao Dai, the puppet ruler for the French.  When China began supplying the Viet Minh with automatic weapons, howitzers, and other military equipment, the United States took up the policy of containment in that whole region.  It was at this time that the United States recognized Bao Dai as a separate identity in Vietnam.  In 1954 at the Geneva convention, Vietnam is divided in half with the intent to have elections to unify the country in two years.  As the United States was opposed to having the election, Bao Dai as he was backed by the United States refused to participate.  At this point, there was no turning back for the United States as is shown by what Eisenhower says "The cost of defending freedom, of defending America, must be paid in many forms and in many places...military as well as economic help is currently needed in Vietnam,".  All this quote shows is that Eisenhower did not have a clue about any kind of other culture than American culture.  His ignorance of letting and leaving Vietnam alone commits the United States to the cause of the South Vietnamese.  In 1959, the Viet Minh begin a killing spree that takes two American lives.  Of course Americans are appalled at the fact that the “ignorant…gooks think they could kill us invincible Americans.”   The Viet Minh begin their draft with an indefinite term and shows that they are ready for a war.  

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        In 1961, John F.  Kennedy is inaugurated as President of the United States and says"...we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to insure the survival and the success of liberty.", insuring the involvement of the United States in the Second Indochina War or better known as the Vietnam War.  “The youthful Kennedy administration is inexperienced in matters regarding Southeast Asia.  Kennedy's Secretary of Defense, 44-year-old Robert McNamara, along with civilian planners recruited from the academic community, will play a crucial role in deciding White House strategy for Vietnam over the ...

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