How Did the United States Get Involved in The Vietnam War?
The famous “Vietnam War” was a topic in the recent presidential campaign. With both former President George W. Bush and the late former Senator John McCain opposing the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, it seemed to be a simple question: What did the United States do in Vietnam? Both candidates agreed that the United States got involved in Southeast Asia in several ways, but each candidate has their unique version of how those efforts were achieved.
Below is a look at how the United States got involved in Vietnam and how each candidate can best describe its results. Then, when you’ve finished reading, you can figure out who did what. Many people are surprised to learn that America was one of the first modern nations to get involved in Southeast Asia’s conflicts.
While most people think of World War II, America joined the wars in the Southeast Asian region. The Japanese had been trying to conquer the region for years, but America saw that as an opportunity to expand its empire. After the Japanese had lost their battle with the Chinese, America declared that they would now get involved in that region to boost their presence.
First off, America was one of the first nations to set up bases in Vietnam. The French had previously done this, but America was not ready to commit to such an act just yet. As the war escalated, both countries were involved in military actions on several different occasions. The United States even had a military base in Vietnam from the early part of the war until the fall of South Vietnam.
Another way that the United States got involved in Southeast Asia was through trade. After World War II, the world started to get better and more open to trade. Japan was rebuilding itself, while the United States began to pull itself out of World War II and rebuild. Both countries needed things to support their effort and promote commerce to make the United States more powerful. Finally, many United States soldiers were stationed in areas of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
Many of these soldiers would go back home and fight wars in other areas. Some would return home and end up fighting in Vietnam again. Because of this, they brought technology with them from their home bases, and this included electronics. Americans were very eager to use this technology and help the war gets underway. One way the United States got involved in Southeast Asia was through electronics. The United States wanted to help Vietnam battle communism and defeat the Khmer Rouge. To do this, they needed electronics, and the Vietnamese people were willing to help American troops because they knew they were helping to defeat their enemies.
They were also getting money off the American soldiers who were being used as laborers. Electronics equipment was essential, and the United States was willing to help Vietnam battle communism utilizing this technology. The problem was that there was nowhere for the Americans to get this technology.
Americans were fighting the fight in Vietnam and winning, but without the electronics equipment that the US was using, they couldn’t get involved. Luckily, electronics equipment was imported to Vietnam from France in the 70s. This helped the United States get involved in Southeast Asia without fighting on the front line.
When the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, Vietnam’s military involvement decreased. America pulled out of Vietnam and didn’t return until the early to mid-90s. During that time, China became a major trading partner with Vietnam and became even more involved in trade deals. The Chinese helped the United States get involved in Vietnam without American GIs by sending them electronics equipment.
