Us Involvement in the Vietnam War Up to 1965 Hsc Modern History
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- Date Submitted: 08/25/2010 12:26 AM
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Discuss US involvement in Vietnam up to 1965:
The US played a very significant role in the Vietnam War and the involvement of the US was of pivotal importance. Vietnam and many neighbouring countries had previously been under the control of the French and struggled for their independence in the First Vietnam War. At the Geneva accords Vietnam won its struggle for independence against the French and Vietnam was ‘temporarily’ divided into North and South Vietnam. It was also decided at the Geneva Accords that the French must leave Vietnam and that Vietnam would be a democracy following the elections to be held in 1956.
At the Geneva Accords, both the United States and the representatives of Bao Dai and Ngo Dinh Diem were opposed to the accords made there but were not in a strong enough position to prevent it. The Americans saw the Geneva Accords as involving not the loss of a colony by a European imperial power, but the communist takeover of a country, North Vietnam and therefore the US (with their policy of ‘containment’ became involved to prevent communism spreading further, to South Vietnam. However, historian Gabriel Kolko argues that there was another reason for the involvement of the US: ‘... A widespread leftward movement would critically affect its supply of raw materials and have profound long-term repercussions...’ – Gabriel Kolko, The United States in Vietnam 1944-66: Origins and Objectives of an Intervention.
The United States applied the ‘Domino Theory’ to Indochina and therefore one of the strategies which the Americans used to implement the policy of ‘containment’ was to create alliances involving non-communist countries. Subsequently, on the 8 September 1954 the United States set up the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). The members - the US, Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand – agreed to act together to help any member that was attacked or that experienced ‘internal subversion’....
The US played a very significant role in the Vietnam War and the involvement of the US was of pivotal importance. Vietnam and many neighbouring countries had previously been under the control of the French and struggled for their independence in the First Vietnam War. At the Geneva accords Vietnam won its struggle for independence against the French and Vietnam was ‘temporarily’ divided into North and South Vietnam. It was also decided at the Geneva Accords that the French must leave Vietnam and that Vietnam would be a democracy following the elections to be held in 1956.
At the Geneva Accords, both the United States and the representatives of Bao Dai and Ngo Dinh Diem were opposed to the accords made there but were not in a strong enough position to prevent it. The Americans saw the Geneva Accords as involving not the loss of a colony by a European imperial power, but the communist takeover of a country, North Vietnam and therefore the US (with their policy of ‘containment’ became involved to prevent communism spreading further, to South Vietnam. However, historian Gabriel Kolko argues that there was another reason for the involvement of the US: ‘... A widespread leftward movement would critically affect its supply of raw materials and have profound long-term repercussions...’ – Gabriel Kolko, The United States in Vietnam 1944-66: Origins and Objectives of an Intervention.
The United States applied the ‘Domino Theory’ to Indochina and therefore one of the strategies which the Americans used to implement the policy of ‘containment’ was to create alliances involving non-communist countries. Subsequently, on the 8 September 1954 the United States set up the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). The members - the US, Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand – agreed to act together to help any member that was attacked or that experienced ‘internal subversion’....