The war was fought between the North Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Among other weapons, the USSR provided surface-to-air missiles that the Chinese weren’t yet technologically capable of producing. China and the Soviet Union didn’t have to do as much as the Americans, Moise explains, because they were buttressing the stronger side. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001. Before long, however, Americans grew dissatisfied with America’s continued presence in Southeast Asia. Newly communist China had supported Ho Chi Minh during the war with the French, and continued to do so during the war with the U.S. by providing weapons, expertise and manpower. Nixon ended draft calls in 1972, and instituted an all-volunteer army the following year. A converted T-28 trainer aircraft is seen near 250-pound bombs used by Meo pilots of Vang Pao's "mini-Air Force" against North Vietnamese in northern Laos. Logevall, Fredrik. The Vietnam War had its origins in the broader Indochina wars of the 1940s and ’50s, when nationalist groups such as Ho Chi Minh ’s Viet Minh, inspired by Chinese and Soviet communism, fought the colonial rule first of Japan and then of France. Though the NLF claimed to be autonomous and that most of its members were not communists, many in Washington assumed it was a puppet of Hanoi. Why was Laos involved in the Vietnam War? The United States got involved to prevent South Vietnam from falling into communist hands. Instead, a communist insurgency broke out, pitting the so-called Viet Cong, who were sponsored by North Vietnam, against Diem’s forces. Elections were planned to reunite the country within two years, but Diem, with U.S. approval, never submitted to a vote that he feared losing. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. “The French had controlled Vietnam for a couple of generations,” explains Ed Moise, a professor of history at Clemson University and author of Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. South Vietnam was backed by anti-communist countries and members of the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) which included the United States, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Khmer Republic (later overthrown by Khmer Rouge), Kingdom of Laos and Republic of China (Taiwan). There are two main reasons why Australia got involved in the Vietnam War. Following its 1945 defeat in World War II, Japan withdrew its forces from Vietnam, leaving the French-educated Emperor Bao Dai in control. However, in the years following the war, a vast number of South Vietnamese were sent to re-education campswhere many endured torture, starvation, and disease while being forced to p… The subsequent treaty signed in July 1954 at a Geneva conference split Vietnam along the latitude known as the 17th Parallel (17 degrees north latitude), with Ho in control in the North and Bao in the South. Despite the concerns of some of his advisers about this escalation, and about the entire war effort amid a growing anti-war movement, Johnson authorized the immediate dispatch of 100,000 troops at the end of July 1965 and another 100,000 in 1966. Opponents of the war argued that civilians, not enemy combatants, were the primary victims and that the United States was supporting a corrupt dictatorship in Saigon. After the My Lai Masscre, anti-war protests continued to build as the conflict wore on. Cambodia, while officially neutral, tolerated communist intrusions—and was bombed by the United States for those intrusions. Sovfoto/Universal Images Group/Getty Images. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Introduction Map of Vietnam. The American people did not feel like their government was being held accountable. This blog will be looking at some of the Americans with the power to order one of the most devastating wars in recent history. The increasingly unpopular war had created deep rifts in American society. Before World War II the French controlled most of Indochina, today’s Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Thailand was the third-largest provider of ground forces to South Vietnam, following the Americans and South Koreans. The Vietnam War was the longest lasting war in the United States history before the Afghanistan War. As a result, President Nixon ended all U.S. interventions in Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia in 1973. These five presidents were Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Their involvement was originally shaped by the Cold War. Though it originally took little interest in the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union secretly ramped up its aid to North Vietnam following Nikita Khrushchev’s fall from power. Despite being in bad economic shape at the time, newly Communist China aided Ho during the war with the French, and did so again during the war with the Americans, providing weapons, expertise, and manpower. Also known as the Second Indochina War or simply the American War to the Vietnamese, the epic struggle claimed the lives of more than 2 million people, including some 60,000 U.S. personnel and more than a million civilians. Poster entitled "Support Vietnam People," circa 1969, showing China's support of the Communist cause in Vietnam. With training and equipment from American military and the CIA, Diem’s security forces cracked down on Viet Minh sympathizers in the south, whom he derisively called Viet Cong (or Vietnamese Communist), arresting some 100,000 people, many of whom were brutally tortured and executed. 7. The young Navy pilot John McCain, son of a ...read more, Vietnamization was a strategy that aimed to reduce American involvement in the Vietnam War by transferring all military responsibilities to South Vietnam. South Korea was the main U.S. and South Vietnamese partner, providing over 300,000 troops and suffering some 5,000 deaths. Did you know? The U.S. started to begin air raids on North Vietnam and then they started to do other communist areas in the South. Starting off, the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War in 1950 and the main reason they got involved was because they wanted to take action against communism and communists. America and South Korea were the biggest supporters of Saigon. Under a broad free market policy put in place in 1986, the economy began to improve, boosted by oil export revenues and an influx of foreign capital. The U.S. Coast Guard's Role in the Vietnam War Crew of the cutter Point Comfort firing a mortar, An Thoi, 1965 (USCG) By William H. Thiesen 06-22-2018 11:11:50 Tens of thousands of soldiers received dishonorable discharges for desertion, and about 500,000 American men from 1965-73 became “draft dodgers,” with many fleeing to Canada to evade conscription. READ MORE: Why Were Vietnam War Vets Treated Poorly When They Returned Home. Although there were aerial bombings of the North, President Johnson wanted the fighting to be limited to South Vietnam. Not only were the Americans engaged in large-scale military operations in a land far away from their own, but the two major Communist powers, China and the Soviet Union, were also deeply involved. The South Vietnamese then led their own invasion of Laos, which was pushed back by North Vietnam. Seeking to regain control of the region, France backed Emperor Bao and set up the state of Vietnam in July 1949, with the city of Saigon as its capital. Nixon sought to deflate the anti-war movement by appealing to a “silent majority” of Americans who he believed supported the war effort. Every war is caused by the decisions of the people involved; and the war in Vietnam was no different from the rest. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China and North Korea, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, New … But perhaps their biggest role was preemptive: They made it clear that if U.S. ground troops invaded North Vietnam, then they would respond in kind. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The bombing campaign was meant to disrupt the flow of supplies across the Ho Chi Minh trail into Vietnam and to prevent the rise of the Pathet Lao, or Lao communist forces. Important stories could be transmitted directly by satellite from Tokyo. The French loss at the battle ended almost a century of French colonial rule in Indochina. By entering the Vietnam War without a goal to win, Johnson set the stage for future public and troop disappointment when the U.S. found themselves in a stalemate with the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. Meanwhile, President Richard Nixon authorized a cross-border invasion of Laos in 1971. In addition to this Vietnamization policy, Nixon continued public peace talks in Paris, adding higher-level secret talks conducted by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger beginning in the spring of 1968. The nation spent more than $120 billion on the conflict in Vietnam from 1965-73; this massive spending led to widespread inflation, exacerbated by a worldwide oil crisis in 1973 and skyrocketing fuel prices. Four years after President John F. Kennedy sent the first American troops into Vietnam, Martin Luther King issued his first public statement on the war. Vietnamese vs. Vietnamese A North Vietnamese soldier laments how the war pitted Vietnamese against each other. Nov. 5, 1968: Nixon is elected president, promising to end the war in Vietnam. Psychologically, the effects ran even deeper. Trade and diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the U.S. resumed in the 1990s. “They were determined to go on holding it, both as a matter of national pride and because if they let one colony go loose, then the others might get ideas.”. It started after World War II and ended in 1975. The war had pierced the myth of American invincibility and had bitterly divided the nation. The United States became involved in the Vietnam War after the defeat of the French forces in 1954. The majority of the war was caused by the actions of the most powerful politicians, on both sides of the fighting. On March 31, 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, Johnson announced he would not seek reelection. Not wanting to be seen as going it alone, the Johnson administration pressured other countries to join in the Vietnam War, much as George W. Bush would later form a “coalition of the willing” to fight in the Iraq War. It wanted no part of the new conflict. On January 31, 1968, some 70,000 DRV forces under General Vo Nguyen Giap launched the Tet Offensive (named for the lunar new year), a coordinated series of fierce attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. The Canadian government did not officially participate in the war. At first, the U.S. operated behind the scenes, but after 1964, sent combat troops and became more deeply mired in the war. The later years of the war saw increased physical and psychological deterioration among American soldiers—both volunteers and draftees—including drug use, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mutinies and attacks by soldiers against officers and noncommissioned officers. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. The global context is also important because Cold War tensions between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China also shaped events related to the Vietnam War. Miller, Edward. Who Was Involved in the Vietnam War on the Side of South Vietnam. Overall, though, they pumped only about 3,000 troops into the conflict, far fewer than the Chinese. As the original communist state, the Soviet Union aided North Vietnam, with increasing support in the late 1960s. Consider changes to political, social and cultural attitudes. North Vietnam immediately broke the accord, however, moving troops and supplies through Laos rather than traversing the heavily guarded demilitarized zone that separated it from South Vietnam. ! A coup by some of his own generals succeeded in toppling and killing Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, in November 1963, three weeks before Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The treaty also called for nationwide elections for reunification to be held in 1956. By Mark Atwood Lawrence. The invasion of these countries, in violation of international law, sparked a new wave of protests on college campuses across America. “Their function is as a tripwire,” Moise says, “a warning to the Americans: ‘Don’t go too far… or you’ll be fighting us.’”. Vietnam War, (1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. By the time American forces finally withdrew in 1973, about 2.7 million U.S. soldiers had served in Vietnam, more than 58,000 had died, and the nation had racked up a staggering bill of at least $111 billion (plus billions more in non-military costs). War crimes such as the Incident on Hill 192 (dramatized in the equally harrowing Casualties of War), the My Lai Massacre, the Shelling of Highway 1, the Phoenix Program, and many more all involved the torture, rape, and mass murder of unarmed Vietnamese civilians. All told, the Chinese claimed to have spent over $20 billion in support of North Vietnam and deployed 320,000 military personnel, more than 4,000 of whom died. While the U.S.S.R. supplied some troops, their biggest contribution was in weaponry.Though it originally took little interest in the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union secretly ramped up its aid to North Vietnam following Nikita Khrushchev’s fall from power. The Soviets even allegedly shot down some U.S. planes. Causes of Vietnam War 1883-1945 - Cochin-China, southern Vietnam, and Annam and Tonkin, central and northern Vietnam, along with Cambodia and … Most Vietnamese, however, opposed colonial rule, and a rebellion broke out led by communist and pro-independence leader Ho Chi Minh. America began sending aid to the French fighting … Ho led the North, whereas the U.S.-backed Ngo Dinh Diem took charge of the South. READ MORE: Why Were Vietnam War Vets Treated Poorly When They Returned? New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War was highly controversial, sparking widespread protest at home from anti-Vietnam War movements modelled on their American counterparts. Vietnam is a country in south-east Asia. In August of 1964, after DRV torpedo boats attacked two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, Johnson ordered the retaliatory bombing of military targets in North Vietnam. The North was supported by China and the Soviet Union while the South was supported by the United States, Thailand, Australia, and South Korea. A regional approach to the Vietnam War is important because U.S.-Vietnam relations and the Vietnam War did not occur in a vacuum. In 1954, Ho’s forces won a decisive victory at Dien Bien Phu and succeeded in evicting the French once and for all. While the U.S.S.R. supplied some troops, their biggest contribution was in weaponry. It was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. “The Koreans sent more troops and much more aggressive troops [than other U.S. allies],” Moise says. The Vietnam War The USA became involved in Vietnam because it feared the spread of communism. Anti-war marches and other protests, such as the ones organized by ...read more, Of the nearly 1 million Americans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War era (1964-75), many were or went on to become famous in diverse fields such as politics, entertainment, sports and journalism. Known as the Christmas Bombings, the raids drew international condemnation. Ford was ready to end US involvement in the Vietnam War once and for all. 10 POINTS FOR THAT! The Vietnam War is also known as the Second Indochina War. By 1972, the idea that Vietnam posed a threat to Cold War America was so discredited, it sometimes sounded as if America’s only remaining war aim was to … The main countries involved in Vietnam included North Vietnam, South Vietnam, United States of America, Peoples Republic of China, South Korea and USSR. By TPT Originals July 30, 2019 Fearing the spread of communism deeper into Southeast Asia, the US Government held fast to the belief that, if Laos fell into the hands of the National Liberation Front (also known as the Viet Cong), then other nearby nations would also tumble like dominoes. In 1970, a joint U.S-South Vietnamese operation invaded Cambodia, hoping to wipe out DRV supply bases there. The main participating countries. North Vietnam wanted to reunite the country under Communism , its political and economic system. The next few years would bring even more carnage, including the horrifying revelation that U.S. soldiers had mercilessly slaughtered more than 400 unarmed civilians in the village of My Lai in March 1968. In March 1965, Johnson made the decision—with solid support from the American public—to send U.S. combat forces into battle in Vietnam. The main countries involved in Vietnam included North Vietnam, South Vietnam, United States of America, Peoples Republic of China, South Korea and USSR. Working under the “domino theory,” which held that if one Southeast Asian country fell to communism, many other countries would follow, Kennedy increased U.S. aid, though he stopped short of committing to a large-scale military intervention. All Rights Reserved. At first, the United States largely operated behind the scenes. Financial aid, along with a desire to curry favor with the United States, drew in additional countries as well. The anti-war movement, which was particularly strong on college campuses, divided Americans bitterly. In 1976, Vietnam was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, though sporadic violence continued over the next 15 years, including conflicts with neighboring China and Cambodia. Though relatively little official data exists about female Vietnam War veterans, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation estimates that approximately 11,000 military women were ...read more, The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was fought between communist North Vietnam, backed by the Soviet Union and China, and South Vietnam, supported by the United States. The Vietnam War was described as a civil war within South Vietnam, although it became a proxy war between Cold War powers. The Vietnam War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh Việt Nam), also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America (Vietnamese: Kháng chiến chống Mỹ) or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unveiled in Washington, D.C. On it were inscribed the names of 57,939 American men and women killed or missing in the war; later additions brought that total to 58,200. https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history. According to a survey by the Veterans Administration, some 500,000 of the 3 million troops who served in Vietnam suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and rates of divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction were markedly higher among veterans. U.S. soldiers searching for the Viet Cong near Tuy Hoa, 2/27/1966. In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam concluded a final peace agreement, ending open hostilities between the two nations. i dont want explinations about federal nations and immigration and stuff, just give me a simple list of the countries invlved, and if you can, please tell me who were allies and who were against eachother! 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