How America Lost the Vietnam War - 1691 Words

In the fallout of World War II, decolonization around the world was taking place after their colonial rulers had been wasted off any feasible measure to retain them. At the same time, the communist superpower of the USSR began a campaign to set up a buffer zone, otherwise called satellite states, against their former allies and the North American Treaty Organization (NATO). An feeling of mutual antagonism between the two created a global stalemate, and the only measurable way to demonstrate their power was in small conflicts: such as in Afghanistan for the Communists and Vietnam for the Americans. For America, their duel with the Communists lead to a strategy to hold Communist sympathies in controllable, isolated areas. The American†¦show more content†¦Not only was the repression of Diem solely focused on religious groups but on any dissentious part of society. In the military sphere, Diem held all control. Due to his raging paranoia, he felt there a need to alter and reorg anize the military structure. This need arose from the idea a general could overthrow him. Thus Diem’s restructuring created a military where by the generals focused less on winning a war but on self-serving priority of rise in prestige and rank. Diem for all tense and purposes was consolidating his power and as a result created a system of inefficiencies and incompetence, where by American would be alone in their endeavor. During the period before a full American investment in Vietnam, the war was primarily a covert one fought by CIA spies and military Special Forces, activated by President Kennedy. Though there is worth noting the American policy in greater detail. The rationale for any escalation would have been in defense of an American theory of letting countries become communist. Their theory based off the idea of a toppling domino creates a ripple effect, knocking down all of the other dominos, one after another. This was the United States most taxing issue. For that reason a task of containment would inevitably be linked with the credibility of their mission. If for any reason the Americans were to lose the conflict, their credibility of policing the world, as it were, would be severely tarnished. ForShow MoreRelatedThe Vietnam War: How America Lost the War Against Communism Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesThe Vietnam War was a conflict, which the United States involved itself in unnecessarily and ultimately lost. The basis of the conflict was simple enough: Communism vs. Capitalism, yet the conduct of the Vietnam War was complex and strategic, and brought repercussions which had never been seen before. The struggle between North and South had an almost inevitable outcome, yet the Americans entered the War optimistic that they could aid the falling South and sustain democracy. The American intentionsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Vietnam War By Kristen Ann Hass s Making A Memory Of War897 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica’s involvemen t in the Vietnam War and the toll it had on America as a whole, it can be rather controversial. Many people wonder what the war was even about and some even bring up that the Vietnam War could be considered another Civil War for America. An example of this is how Marilyn Young argues in her article, â€Å"The Vietnam War in American Memory,† how many Americans treat Vietnam as something that happened amongst themselves. I believe what Young meant by this was how throughout the many yearsRead MoreWhy Did the United States Lose in Vietnam? 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Despite its huge wealth and power the US was unableRead MoreThe Impact of the Media on the Vietnam War Essay1230 Words   |  5 PagesVietnam was a country divided into two by communism in the North and capitalism in the South. The Vietnam War, fought between the years 1959 and 1975, was, in essence, a struggle by nationalists in the north to unify the nation under a communist government. This was a long standing conflict between the two sides that had been occurring for years. It wasn’t until 1959 when the USA, stepped in, on the side of southern Vietnamese, to stop the spread of communism. It was a war that did not capture theRead MoreAmerica s Involvement Of The Vietnam War1008 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Why? Why was America involved in such brutal war to stop a brand new country from forming? 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Loren Baritz describes how American culture influenced the way the American soldiers fought in Vietnam and how American culture influenced the