' 'Just like the Alamo, somebody damn well needed to go to their aid. Well, by God, I 'm going to Vietnam 's aid! ' ' Lyndon B. Johnson, a United States’ president from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969, delivered this powerful quote presumably to garner support from the American people to execute his plan to export more American troops to aid Southern Vietnam. Although initially reluctant to station troops in Vietnam, Johnson changed his mind after the attack of the Southern Vietnamese garrison by the Viet Cong that killed eight Americans. His fear of communists pushing the war into dangerous territory, drove him to send the first U.S. ground combat troops to Vietnam. Fear is a state of mind that can consume anyone and everyone. It
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United States involvement was further present in Vietnam because of America’s belief in the domino theory of communism. The domino theory was a phrase used by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954 to express the possibility that, if one country turned to communism, adjacent states would follow. The United States feared that South Vietnam 's collapse and the rise of a Communist Vietnam would lead to the fall of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and India, and that the same conditions would apply to the vulnerable states of Central America. In 1956, South Vietnam, with American backing, refused to hold the unitary elections. To unify Vietnam and combat United States troops the Viet Cong, a communist-led guerillas in Southern Vietnam, partnered with the communist North to achieve their mutual goal. The public support of U.S. fought wars took a major decline as the Vietnam War proved to be the most unpopular American war of the 20th century. The controversial events of the war even sparked many protests by United States’ …show more content…
However, the Vietnam War and the Cold War go hand in hand. Immediately after World War II, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United Sates were beginning to boil over. Decisions regarding the future structure of Eastern Europe required collaboration, however mistrust between both powers could not bring forth unanimous affirmation. The Atlantic Charter, signed in 1941 by the United States and the United Kingdom, promoted self-determination. The USSR stood unflinching, insisting on keeping their territory obtained from Hitler and Stalin’s pact in 1939. Feeling threatened, the USSR saw Eastern Europe as its own sphere of influence. The USSR was also afraid of being attacked by its former allies. Throughout the Cold War, it became increasingly apparent that none of the fighting would occur between the US and USSR. Instead, “actual war was displaced to the periphery and carried out by proxies or by independent actors whose interests, projects, and associations became entangled within the larger conflict.” Eventually, the conflict was nullified by emphasis on the need for peaceful coexistence. The “war” ended with both powers agreeing to never use their nuclear power against each
United States involvement was further present in Vietnam because of America’s belief in the domino theory of communism. The domino theory was a phrase used by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954 to express the possibility that, if one country turned to communism, adjacent states would follow. The United States feared that South Vietnam 's collapse and the rise of a Communist Vietnam would lead to the fall of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and India, and that the same conditions would apply to the vulnerable states of Central America. In 1956, South Vietnam, with American backing, refused to hold the unitary elections. To unify Vietnam and combat United States troops the Viet Cong, a communist-led guerillas in Southern Vietnam, partnered with the communist North to achieve their mutual goal. The public support of U.S. fought wars took a major decline as the Vietnam War proved to be the most unpopular American war of the 20th century. The controversial events of the war even sparked many protests by United States’ …show more content…
However, the Vietnam War and the Cold War go hand in hand. Immediately after World War II, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United Sates were beginning to boil over. Decisions regarding the future structure of Eastern Europe required collaboration, however mistrust between both powers could not bring forth unanimous affirmation. The Atlantic Charter, signed in 1941 by the United States and the United Kingdom, promoted self-determination. The USSR stood unflinching, insisting on keeping their territory obtained from Hitler and Stalin’s pact in 1939. Feeling threatened, the USSR saw Eastern Europe as its own sphere of influence. The USSR was also afraid of being attacked by its former allies. Throughout the Cold War, it became increasingly apparent that none of the fighting would occur between the US and USSR. Instead, “actual war was displaced to the periphery and carried out by proxies or by independent actors whose interests, projects, and associations became entangled within the larger conflict.” Eventually, the conflict was nullified by emphasis on the need for peaceful coexistence. The “war” ended with both powers agreeing to never use their nuclear power against each