question about vietnam?

Question

why and how did the U.S. get involved in Vietnam and what was the effect of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution?

hey im polish too

Answer 1

Being the leader of the "Free World", the US was involved in lots of places after World War II. Vietnam was controlled by the French after World War II. However, Ho Chi Minh started a rebellion against them shortly after the War.

There was supposed to be an election in Vietnam a bit after World War II. It was to be overseen by the US. But because the Soviets reneged on their promise to hold free elections in Eastern Europe, the US decided not to allow the elections, especially because they thought Ho Chi Minh might win.

Then in 1954, the French were soundly defeated by the rebels and Minh. They got out of there and asked the US to fill the void. Wanting to stop Communism, the US sent advisers. Vietnam was divided into two countries, North and South.

When Kennedy was in office, the US put ground forces in for the first time.

Then in 1964, an American ship was hit by a mine in the Gulf of Tonkin. Congress passed a resolution that in effect said the Commander-In-Chief could send what support he saw fit to Vietnam to keep the South from the Communists. That gave Johnson the authority to send in troops and he did. The US became a full partner at that point, not just a role player.

Answer 2

The US got involved to help protect a friendly state (South Vietnam) against the agression of a foreign state (North Vietnam). The fact that the enemies of the US - the Soviet Union and China - were sending tons of weapons, ammo and military advisors to North Vietnam helped make that decision. Another factor was that the North Vietnamese army also invaded Laos and Cambodia

The Gulf of Tonkin resolution officially named the North Vietnamese as the bad guys. For whatever reason facts were not enough, but a resolution in Congress was needed.

BTW- I'm Polish, so we were on the side of the North Vietnamese at that time. You guys really blew that war.

Answer 3

~After the French got their butts kicked at Dien Bien Phu and DeGaul advised against US involvement, Uncle Sam stuck his nose in where it didn't belong. Elections were guaranteed to the Vietnamese by the UN (and the US), but when it became clear that Ho Chi Mihn would win, the US prevented them. Instead, Washington shored up the Diem regime until he started to show a little autonomy and independence from the puppet masters in Washington. JFK authorized his assassination and after Diem was murdered Nguyen Van Thieu took over for the duration. The US got involved because it was clear that the Vietnamese wanted a communist government and Uncle Sam wanted to insure that the Vietnamese people were allowed to choose their own government, as long as they did not elect communists and did elect leaders who would knuckle under and kow-tow to US demands. Neither was going to happen and the war ensued.

The Tonkin resolution proved that, with the exception of Wayne Morse and Ernest Gruening, congress was full of unthinking fools who would rather vote for an insane knee jerk piece of legislation without any consideration for the consequences than risk losing a vote or 2 (much like the congress that approved the illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and passed the Patriot Act). The resolution made the military intervention in Nam constitutionally legal - and the same fools never had the guts to repeal it when the mistake became clear. Wouldn't it be neat if our exalted leaders could onlly learn from history? Ah, well, next stop North Korea and Iran.

Answer 4

Divide and Rule is the British legacy in colonialism which the US has inherited. The US were glad in dividing Vietnam- one country into North and South. Never allowed fair and free elections in South, pampered the South and its US_ appointed Leaders, like puppets, waged a war with ' scorched earth policy', destroying flora and fauna of the country, committing brutalities on civilians armed with antique- home-made weapons.. The 'aid' reportedly pumped in by Communists in Russia and China was not in the form of Tanks, Fighter and Bomber plains, Artillery, Naval Units.. It is remarkable how General Giap fought back for years on, and finally made the Us to run away from Vietnam... rather disgracefully and they could not bring along with their puppets to a place of safety. They tasted a defeat with ignomanity as the French did. US had no moral ground to be at a War in Vietnam. Like they have none in Iraq and Afghanistan and Iran and Pakistan. US never tried to help in unifying Vietnam, exactly as they are an obstacle now in unifying Korea and in unifying Kashmir. I stand to be corrected, please by better informed students of current History.