Vietnam War:
Background Information
Background Information
There were many events and causes of the Vietnam War, many were based off of political differences and misunderstandings. After World War II, the United States and Russia became world powers and wanted to spread their political systems and ways of living throughout the world. Russia wanted to “protect” itself from any future attacks made by Germany like World War II. In doing this, Russia started to press its communistic ideas and government on neighboring countries. The United States did not like this and claimed Russia was violating the treaties made after World War II. The United States then issued the Truman Doctrine which stated that the United States would defend, using military, any free countries from being forced to convert to communistic styles of government.
The causes leading up to the actual war in Vietnam, were the fact that the North Vietnamese were following the Russians and the “Iron Curtain”, while the South Vietnamese were following the United States “Free World” ideas. The French were fighting in Vietnam against communist followers. The United States came into Vietnam in order to help the French drive out communism, but when the French left, the United States was fighting alone (Trueman). China and Russia supplied the North Viet Cong with military weapons and training in order to spread communism in the South and take over weaker areas in the South. The South was being lead by Ngo Dinh Diem, who was a Catholic and hated communism, so this is why the Americans backed him in the war. Ho Chi Minh was the communist leader of the North Vietnamese and was backed by Russia and China (Trueman). The dispute between the two parts of Vietnam were being fought over by the two world powers of the world. This aggression and tension was the major cause of the Vietnam War and lead to even more conflict between Russia and the United States during the Cold War.
There were many events and causes of the Vietnam War, many were based off of political differences and misunderstandings. After World War II, the United States and Russia became world powers and wanted to spread their political systems and ways of living throughout the world. Russia wanted to “protect” itself from any future attacks made by Germany like World War II. In doing this, Russia started to press its communistic ideas and government on neighboring countries. The United States did not like this and claimed Russia was violating the treaties made after World War II. The United States then issued the Truman Doctrine which stated that the United States would defend, using military, any free countries from being forced to convert to communistic styles of government.
The causes leading up to the actual war in Vietnam, were the fact that the North Vietnamese were following the Russians and the “Iron Curtain”, while the South Vietnamese were following the United States “Free World” ideas. The French were fighting in Vietnam against communist followers. The United States came into Vietnam in order to help the French drive out communism, but when the French left, the United States was fighting alone (Trueman). China and Russia supplied the North Viet Cong with military weapons and training in order to spread communism in the South and take over weaker areas in the South. The South was being lead by Ngo Dinh Diem, who was a Catholic and hated communism, so this is why the Americans backed him in the war. Ho Chi Minh was the communist leader of the North Vietnamese and was backed by Russia and China (Trueman). The dispute between the two parts of Vietnam were being fought over by the two world powers of the world. This aggression and tension was the major cause of the Vietnam War and lead to even more conflict between Russia and the United States during the Cold War.
Vietnam War: Statistics
- U.S. troops engaged: 8,744,000
- American battle deaths: 47,410
- 1954-North Vietnamese began helping South Vietnamese rebels fight South Vietnamese troops, thus BEGINS the Vietnam conflict.
- North Vietnamese torpedo boats reportedly attack U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2, 1964. President Johnson ordered retaliatory air strikes and Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave permission for U.S. retaliation.
- A cease-fire was signed in Paris, 1973. War broke out again in the region, but North Vietnam's victory in 1975 ended the longest war in which the U.S. had ever been involved
- 1975-South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam as North Vietnamese troops enter Saigon, ENDING the Vietnam conflict
- The Vietnam War caused approximately 200 billion dollars.