Research Paper on Vietnam

Would you fight for your country even if you did not believe in the war itself? Would you go into the army if drafted or would you flee to another country? These are a few questions young men had to face during the years of the Vietnam War. Many went to fight while others fled to countries such as Canada to dodge the draft. There were protests all over our country. A new generation of people came out of this era. These people who let their hair grow long, dressed differently, and only wanted peace, love, and drugs, became known as hippies. Music played a big role in expressing the feelings of these people and the rest of the country. Protests even continued after the war with the production of several Vietnam War based movies that showed the horror of the war. The protest of the Vietnam War was advanced through music, movies, and demonstrations.

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Vietnam is a country with a troubled past. For most of its history it was under foreign rule, primarily by China. In 1860, France began its domination of the area. By the end of the century, France had implemented its colonization in many regions around the Gulf of Tonkin. Things started to change at the beginning of World War II. The Japanese government took control of the area and set up a puppet regime. The regime was eventually forced out by the Vietnamese at the end of the war in 1945. After World War II and up until 1955, France tried to regain its former territories in Vietnam. An undetermined and unprepared French army failed in their attempt to take back the land. On May 8, 1954 the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu by the communists of North Vietnam. After Dien Bien Phu the French withdrew, which left a buffer zone separating the north and south. France set up elections to form a government in the south. Meanwhile, communists in the north set up headquarters in Hanoi under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. Many northern Vietnamese people fled south where self-proclaimed president Ngo Dinh Diem formed the Republic of Vietnam. Between 1955 and 1960, the north Vietnamese tried to take over the government in south Vietnam with help from the southern communist Vietcong. As a result, southern President Diem was overthrown and executed in November 1963. A year later, the North Vietnamese began a massive drive to conquer the whole country with help from China and Russia. This offensive opened the door for the United States to step in and try to stop the communists. (Leuhusen)

With communism spreading from the USSR into eastern Europe, Korea, and Cuba, the United States feared a communist takeover in Vietnam. America wanted to put an end to the spread of evil communism. With the Cold War at its height, United States leaders feared that tensions would grow with the Chinese and Russians if they attacked North Vietnam. America did not want this to lead to a larger conflict and possibly World War III. This led to many internal conflicts in the United States, which eventually prevented a strong American stance in Vietnam. The United States was hesitant to fully support the south Vietnamese because there was much corruption in the official ranks and the armed forces of southern Vietnam. The low morale of its leaders and their interest in personal gain led to a disorganized Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Therefore, the United States had problems in keeping the South Vietnam army together. The only solution they saw was to take matters into their own hands. This led to America sending its first troops to Vietnam. At first, the troops were there for an advisory role, but it grew to a much larger scale. Led by President Lyndon B. Johnson and his Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the United States began increasing their role in Vietnam. President Johnson did not know what to do because of the social and political problems in America and increasing casualties in Vietnam. Always concerned about his image, President Johnson did not want to be known as the first United States president to lose a war. As pressure on him grew, President Johnson did not run for a second term. The problem of Vietnam was handed to the winner of the next election, Richard Nixon.(Leuhusen) President Nixon had a plan called "Vietnamization", a term that implied the south Vietnamese were not fighting enough in the war. His strategy brought American troops home while relying more on the Army of the Republic of Vietnam for ground attacks. He also increased air attacks on North Vietnam. The communist party was not phased by the increased air attacks, however, and they continued to fight. Seeing it as a no-win situation with increasing protests back home in America, the United States made plans to withdraw troops from Vietnam. This led to a meeting between Secretary of State Harry Kissinger and Democratic Republic of Vietnam representatives Xuan Thuy and Le Duc Tho met to form a peace treaty. The treaty, however, was not passed by the new leaders in Saigon, such as President Nguyen van Thien and Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky. The National Liberation Front in Vietnam also rejected the treaty. After the Christmas bombings of Hanoi and Haiphong in December, 1972, Nixon's administration was criticized and began to reconsider their strategy. They saw it was a no-win situation with increasing protests back home in America. United States made plans for a withdrawal, which led to a meeting for peace. In January 1973, America convinced the Thien-Ky regime in Saigon that they would not abandon South Vietnam if they signed the treaty. Hanoi then told leaders of the National Liberation Front that all southern political prisoners would be released after signing the treaty. On January 23, the final draft was signed and ended fighting between the United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The treaty, known as the Paris Peace Agreement, did not end the fighting in Vietnam. The Thien-KY regime continued fighting communist forces who totally ignored the cease-fire.

Forces of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam tried to save South Vietnam from military and political collapse from March 1973 to April 30, 1975. On April 30, the end finally came as Democratic Republic of Vietnam tanks moved South and communist forces captured the Presidential Palace in Saigon, ending the second Indochina War. (Bringham) On July 2, 1976, North and South Vietnam were officially united as a single communist state. In the end, it had cost about 2 million lives and injury to millions more.(Leuhusen)

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