With the little we do know concerning the causes of the Vietnam War, it is for sure that it all began due to the works and effects of the Cold War. Before World War Two began, Vietnam was part of the French Realm. During the war, the country had been overrun by the Japanese. After the war had ended, the Allies gave South Vietnam (Viet Cong) back to the French while the North (Viet Minh) continued to be left under non-communist rule. In 1946, the French declared their plan to reclaim the North meaning that the Viet Minh would have to fight for it. There are many conflicting arguments advanced by historians to the reasons why the U.S. became involved diplomatically and militarily in the business of another country. A fight between ideologies; capitalism and communism formed an
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The Communist Party 's top members were thinkers and formulated strategies, they reacted with patience instead of haste and unlike the U.S, they waited until the time was right to attack. The Communists were part of the native population and understood the terrain and people and were able to make frequent adjustments when attacked. The North Vietnamese were not expected to last long against the American military. “To develop a sense of mastery was the objective, but the fact that the technologies and strategies for attaining it were constantly being debated produced a perpetual dilemma (Kolko, 285).” The American policymakers never managed to fit military strategy to U.S. goals in Vietnam and massive bombing had little effect against a vast economy like one of North Vietnam. Kennedy had wanted counterinsurgency warfare in the southern countryside but the effort to win the favor of the Vietnamese peasants was unsuccessful. According to Kolko the United States had no business getting involved in Vietnam. If they had chosen a different country to prove their dominance, they might have been more
The Communist Party 's top members were thinkers and formulated strategies, they reacted with patience instead of haste and unlike the U.S, they waited until the time was right to attack. The Communists were part of the native population and understood the terrain and people and were able to make frequent adjustments when attacked. The North Vietnamese were not expected to last long against the American military. “To develop a sense of mastery was the objective, but the fact that the technologies and strategies for attaining it were constantly being debated produced a perpetual dilemma (Kolko, 285).” The American policymakers never managed to fit military strategy to U.S. goals in Vietnam and massive bombing had little effect against a vast economy like one of North Vietnam. Kennedy had wanted counterinsurgency warfare in the southern countryside but the effort to win the favor of the Vietnamese peasants was unsuccessful. According to Kolko the United States had no business getting involved in Vietnam. If they had chosen a different country to prove their dominance, they might have been more