Causes

Causes

The causes of the Vietnam War trace their roots back to the end of World War II. A French colony, Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, & Cambodia) had been occupied by the Japanese during the war. In 1941, a Vietnamese nationalist movement, the Viet Minh, was formed by Ho Chi Minh to resist the occupiers. A communist, Ho Chi Minh waged a guerilla war against the Japanese with the support of the United States. Near the end of the war, the Japanese began to promote Vietnamese nationalism and ultimately granted the country nominal independence.

After WWII, the country fell once again under French colonal rule. The Viet Minh then continued their resistance against the French Occupiers. The United States felt obligated to support its French allies and were uneasy with Ho Chi Minh's communist leanings. The Soviet Union was only too happy to enter the conflict and support Ho Chi Minh as a part of their program to expand their influence throughout the world in the post war era.

The French era ended with the battle of Dien Bien Phu, With the French forces being soundly defeated. A treaty was negociated-The 1954 Geneva Conference-that divided the country in two. South Vietnam was supported by the US and North Vietnam was supported by the USSR and China. Ho Chi Minh and his communist supporters were not happy with this division of the country and began at once to attack the South. The US, led by President Kennedy's vow to "bear any burden" to prevent the spread of communism, supported the South. This began an ever rising cycle of conflict with the two Superpowers throwing more and more resources into the conflict in support of their surrogates. By the early 1970's the United States was virtually fighting the war alone as the South Vietnamese government and army became less and less effective. With hopes of a South Vietnamese victory fading and support for continuing the war evaporating at home, the US withdrew after the 1973 Paris Agreement was signed calling for free elections and peaceful reunification of the country. This treaty was not honored by the North as they were confident of a total military victory with the US out of the picture. The Capitol of South Vietnam fell two years later and the Vietnam War was over.