Explain why america left vietnam Essay - 1319 Words

Explain why the United States left Vietnam A culmination of problems within Vietnam, domestically and internationally forced the United States to leave the nation. The key reasons for withdrawal were bulging economic costs, an increasingly impatient home front, an underestimation of North Vietnamese ideology, events which turned the war and ineffective strategies. The United States was left in an unpleasant situation. The French President, Charles de Gaulle, had warned the US against its Vietnam involvement, saying the only way out would be the removal of its troops, â€Å"†¦you will sink step by step into a bottomless military and political quagmire†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . To give a global context to the US occupation of Vietnam: there was cut-throat tension†¦show more content†¦Search and Destroy missions, as well as the Strategic Hamlet Programme were flawed. Robert McNamera condemned Operation Rolling Thunder for which, â€Å"†¦its goddamned bombing campaign that had dropped more on Vietnam than on Europe in the whole of World War II and we hadn’t gotten a goddamned thing for it.† Henry Kissinger, in a secret memo, admitted to President Ford that â€Å"In terms of military tactics†¦our armed forces are not suited to this kind of war.† One Admiral, cited by the Historian George Allen, stated â€Å"We should have fought in the north, where everyone was the enemy†¦where you didn’t have to worry whether or not you were shooting friendly civilians†¦I remember two of our marines being killed by a youngster†¦Ã¢â‚¬  On the other hand the North Vietnamese had a â€Å"people’s will to resist† . As Nguyen Co Thach described, â€Å"You (America) have your nuclear weapons. We have our secrecy.† Most importantly the Vietnamese had a common purpose which Giap proclaimed, â€Å"Our objective was national independence.† Kolko briefly describes the conduct of the North Vietnamese, â€Å"The night virtually became the NLFs property, since it deprived the enemy of freedom to use most of his firepower. The exploitation of the rainy season was another method. The alteration and improvisation of tunnels and mines became a fine art.† The resistance that Americans met proved to be too strong- technology and attrition were no match forShow MoreRelatedVietnam War Paper1273 Words   |  6 PagesThe Vietnam War escalated from a Vietnamese civil war into a limited international conflict, in which the United States was deeply involved. The Vietnam War was fought in South Vietnam be tween government forces aided by the United States and guerilla forces aided by the North Vietnamese. Despite increased American military involvement and signed peace agreements in 1973, the Vietnam War did not end until North Vietnams successful invasion of South Vietnam in 1975. The Vietnam War may have beenRead MoreEssay on The War in Vietnam1662 Words   |  7 Pagesin Vietnam America became increasingly involved in the war in Vietnam, mainly because of the domino theory, the fear of the spread of communism. If South Vietnam fell to the communist the US feared that communism would spread throughout Asia and to neighbouring countries. The influence of the previous presidents also caused another main reason for the US to become more involved in Vietnam. But there is one underlining fact; if the ‘French had not left, America wouldRead MoreThe Secret War And How It Affected The Hmong People1230 Words   |  5 Pagescan already be implied to what the â€Å"Secret War† was. It was a war that was kept as a secret from the public, and by public, I mean the American public. Many of you may wonder what exactly is the secret war, and I will explain that throughout my speech. But before I continue to explain the details of what it was and when it took place, it is also important to introduce the group of people who I will be talking about throughout my speech and how they were affected by this war, and that group of peopleRead MoreEssay on Dear America Edithed by Bernard Edelman1186 Words   |  5 Pages Edited by Bernard Edelman, â€Å"Dear America† is a collection of letters written by soldiers during the Vietnam War. Their letters are written to love ones back home such as parents, siblings, and spouses but they are a great depiction of the Vietnam Wa r. The soldiers would write these letters to help keep hope alive and to keep sane. Throughout the book the letters are categorize into those who are barely arriving into the war to those who have been there a long time. The stress and anxiety grows moreRead MoreUnited States Involvement in Vietnam Essay1302 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States Involvement in Vietnam The end of World War Two was the beginning of Americas worries about Communism. They feared that it would spread throughout the countries of the world. Because of this President Truman made the Truman Doctrine. This said that America would help any nation threatened by Communism. He said that he would lead containment in the spread of Communism and the Soviet Unions expansion. The doctrine came from the USA believing thatRead MoreSimilarities Between Tim Osrickland And The Vietnam War963 Words   |  4 PagesThe Vietnam war had its controversy. Many families were getting split apart. Left and right, people were getting taken away from their loved ones. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of people died during the war. The stories â€Å"On the Rainy River† and â€Å"John Strickland: Draft Dodger† both represent the controversy during the Vietnam War. Both Tim OBrien and John Strickland had to leave their loved ones because they got drafted. Tim OBrien went to the war and hated himself for that, while John StricklandRead MoreThe Vietnam War And The Cold War1494 Words   |  6 Pages When examining the Vietnam War you must first understand the involvement of the events surrounding the Cold War. The ‘Vietnam War’ as it is known is a product of the cold war era, by this I mean that events in the Cold War led to the US’s involvement and creation of issues causing the conflict. â€Å"The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the UnitedRead MoreThe Movement, Drugs, And Rock Music1212 Words   |  5 Pagesus believe that this decade was dominated by the hippie movement, drugs, and rock music. But this decade goes much farther than that. This was the decade of the peak of the protest movement, the opposition to the Vietnam War, and several other issues associated with the â€Å"political left,† as some may call it. The Sixties was a time in which a major shift in political views and life in general occurred, and because of this, became the main decade in which the protest movement reached its peak, especiallyRead MoreThe United States Involvement In The War In Vietnam Essay examples1731 Words   |  7 PagesUnited States Involvement In The War In Vietnam There were many reasons why the US became increasingly involved in the Vietnam War, and when all linked together they explain why. In this essay I will explain all aspects of why the US got involved and then I will summarise all the points at the end. Since the 1880’s, France had controlled an area of eastern Asia called Indo-China, which consisted of Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In 1940, France was at war with GermanyRead MoreWhat Led The United States Into The Vietnam War?1449 Words   |  6 PagesReilly Fletcher HUS History Mr. Hlavacek 5/30/16 What Led the United States to Enter the Vietnam War? The United States played a very crucial role in the conflict that occurred in Southeast Asia between the U.S.-backed democratic South Vietnam, and Soviet-backed communist North Vietnam. Following the defeat of its French administration in 1954, North Vietnam, led by Communist leader Ho Chi Minh, wanted to reunify the country with the help of its rebel allies in the south, known as the Viet Cong