Path+to+Vietnam


 * =**VIETNAM - THE PATH TO WAR **=

You all know that the United States was involved in a major military conflict during the Cold War ... but why? What was America's "path to war"? Using the resources below and Creating America, your task this evening is to write a description in YOUR OWN WORDS of the causes of American involvement in Southeast Asia. Pretend you are writing it as a summary for on online encyclopedia or textbook. Your description should ...
 * be between two and four paragraphs
 * continue the following terms - France, Ho Chi Minh, communism, Ngo Dinh Diem, military advisors, Gulf of Tonkin
 * be IN YOUR OWN WORDS (remember, it's easy to check this online)
 * contain two images THAT RELATE TO YOUR WRITING
 * Should end with the first Marines landing in Vietnam in 1965

Vietnam was a fairly unstable country for many years leading up to the war. Until World War II Vietnam was actually a French colony, but by the end of 1945 the small country had rebelled and gained independence. Ho Chi Minh, who had led the revolutionary army, set up a communist government in the northern part of the country. Ngo Dinh Diem, who was originally supported by the United States, became prime minister in the South. Come time for an election Diem refuses to give up his spot for fear that a communist leader would take his place. Upon canceling the election the peace accord keeping the country together was broken. The Viet Minh, in the North, decided to start a civil war to spread their government across the entire country. Between radical rules and broken treaties the country had no hope of remaining peaceful.

The United States then got involved in Vietnam, changing the game. President Eisenhower sent 900 "military advisors" to the country in 1960, and President Kennedy increased the number to over 10,000. When the advisors heard that Diem was going to be killed they didn't prevent it, as they no longer thought that he was a suitable leader for the country. Once Diem had died the advisors feared that the communists above the 17th parallel would begin to spread their power, starting with the rest of their country then spreading through Asia in the Domino Effect. The tension in the are grew worse as these problems escalated.

The USS Maddox was torpedoed in the Gulf of Tonkin as was another U.S. ship within two days of each other. President Johnson took the "attacks" as a sign that it was time to change positions in the struggle. He sent planes to air-raid the country, leading to the start of the Vietnam war. ||