Introduction
Essentialy, the Vietnam War is for the most part seen as another attempt to stop the spread of communism. Although this was a deffinate factor, the Vietnam War was far more complex. From Vietnam's stand point it was a civil war in which, also against popular belief, the communist north was fighting for the union of the the two. After Vietnam had achieved independence from its former colonial power, France, it had to solve the problem of its division. While some people favored a democratic form of government others pushed for a communist one. Although the obvious majority favored communism, it turns out that, in the U.S's eyes, a corrupted and forced democracy was still holier than another majority driven communist nation. In any case, at this point, this was still solely Vietnam's war and the U.S.'s only involvement was in the Military advisers it sent to "guide" the South Vietnamese. Then in 1964, two U.S. destroyers that just happen to be cruising by waters under conflict, and just happen to pass by a little too close to the coast of North Vietnam, through the Gulf of Tonkin, reported being attacked by North Vietnamese patrol boats. At this, the always peaceful U.S. still did not declare war, but L.B.J. and Congress did feel it was appropriate to "'take all measures necessary measures' and 'all necessary steps' to defend U.S. armed forces and to protect southeast Asia 'against aggression or subversion'" and so passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.
Below is a more in depth view of the U.S.'s involvement in the Vietnam War through the four U.S. Presidents that in someway or another contributed to it.
Below is a more in depth view of the U.S.'s involvement in the Vietnam War through the four U.S. Presidents that in someway or another contributed to it.