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Could we have prevented the Vietnam War?
Share All sharing options for: Vietnam War could have been avoided, McNamara says. Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, a key architect of the Vietnam War, said Monday that the conflict could have been halted more than a decade before it ended or avoided altogether.
Why did people not want the Vietnam War to happen?
Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds, appalled by the devastation and violence of the war. Others claimed the conflict was a war against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention in a foreign civil war; others opposed it because they felt it lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable.
Why the US shouldn’t have been involved in the Vietnam War?
Much of the public was against getting involved because they did not believe it was their war to fight. The main reason the Vietnamese were at war was communism. South Vietnam wanted to be a non communist country however North Vietnam did not agree and thought they should be a communist country.
Who was against the Vietnam War?
Vietnam War, (1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States.
What was a consequence of the Vietnam War?
The most immediate effect of the Vietnam War was the staggering death toll. The war killed an estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians, 1.1 million North Vietnamese troops and 200,000 South Vietnamese troops. During the air war, America dropped 8 million tons of bombs between 1965 and 1973.
How did the US get involved in the Vietnam War?
When France was defeated in 1955 and Ho Chi Minh formed the People’s Republic of Vietnam in North Vietnam, prevailing Cold War policy – remember this is just two years after the armistice in the Korean War – meant the United States was to take over advisory duties from France in South Vietnam.
What did Ho Chi Minh do after the Vietnam War?
Ho disbanded the Communist Party in the immediate post-war period, a constitution similar to ours was adopted, and he called for a general election. President Roosevelt had publicly endorsed Vietnam’s independence and Ho believed the President would bring Vietnam its long awaited goal, freedom.
How long was the US involved in Vietnam before 1965?
A large number of Americans do not understand how long the United States was involved in Vietnam before 1965. The two best chances at avoiding the Vietnam War came in 1945 and after those chances were lost, there weren’t, with the assumptions and knowledge that officials were working on from 1946 to 1965, to avoid the Vietnam War.
How did the OSS meet the Viet Minh?
In July of 1945, the OSS parachuted a team into Vietnam codenamed the “Deer” team, about 70 miles west of Hanoi. They were met by the Viet Minh and treated as heroes. They were brought to the austere headquarters of the Viet Minh where the team found Ho close to death suffering from malaria and dysentery.