Download The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War
In March of 1959, a North Vietnamese political leader, named Ho
Chi Minh, announced a People’s War to unite all of Vietnam under
a communist government. At the time, Vietnam was divided north
and south. From 1959 to 1975, North Vietnam and South Vietnam
fought a difficult war.
Even before the war started, American “advisers”
were sent to Vietnam under President Eisenhower.
These advisers turned out to be military specialists
sent to help train the South Vietnamese armed forces.
Eisenhower believed that if South Vietnam fell to
communism, then others would fall too. This became
the Domino Theory. Communism must be stopped at
the first country under threat. If one falls, they all might fall. Troop strength would continue to grow
under President Kennedy, max out under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and begin to shrink under
President Richard Nixon.
Believing it was their responsibility to stop the spread of communism, the U.S. and its allies sent large
numbers of troops to South Vietnam between 1954 and 1973. Although American involvement started
off small, by the height of the war U.S. forces numbered 500,000. President Lyndon Johnson believed
that an escalation of U.S. forces would help in the war. However, the more troops that were sent to
fight, the worse the war became and the more the American protestors at home argued against.
North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, communist China, and the Viet Cong (South
Vietnamese who sided with North Vietnam). South Vietnam was supported by the United States and its
allies.
At various stages, the conflict involved clashes between small
units patrolling the mountains and jungles, guerrilla attacks on the
villages and cities, and large-scale battles. U.S. aircraft also
conducted massive bombing, targeting North Vietnam's cities and
industries. Although American forces suffered fewer casualties
than their enemies, it became obvious they were losing the war.
This added to the protests in American states as the war’s
popularity decreased at home. The
U.S. left Vietnam in 1973, finally
admitting defeat.
The Vietnam War was finally concluded in April of 1975 when South
Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam. The war claimed more than 58,000
Americans and the lives of millions of Vietnamese, a large number of
whom were civilians.
The Vietnam War played an important role in the Cold War as it showed American Presidents were
willing to fight the spread of communism wherever it happened. But it also showed that America was
not invincible. The victory of a small country versus a world superpower like the United States gave
courage to other small countries in future conflicts.