Vietnam War
Date of Vietnam War: 1959 – April 30, 1975
The Vietnam War was a military conflict fought mainly in South Vietnam during 1959 and 1975. A continuation of the first Indochina war (which was when the Vietnamese fought for independence after WWII from France), The Vietnam war was caused by long standing conflicting political and social opinion, and militarily speaking, the Vietnam War initiated due to the North Vietnamese and Vietcong attempting to overthrow the South Vietnamese government.
The Geneva Accords in 1954, split Vietnam into two areas, the North and the South. Like in Korea, the North was communist and was allied with the Soviet Union, the People’s republic of China, and fought against the South, which were allied with the U.S, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
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Historical Importance of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a struggle of communist forces trying to unify the country under a communist government. The involvement of the U.S, again is very much akin to the reason they were involved in the Korean War – They were attempting the spread communism. The main reasoning behind their involvement, is the Domino Theory. Watch the following video for a better understanding of the United States involvement in Vietnam, and the Domino Theory.
Unfortunately for the U.S, the Vietnam War did not win them very many public supporters, as it was a War that American's believed to be ‘unwinnable’. Both President Johnson and Nixon took these protests extremely seriously. Watch the clip below for more information about Anti-Vietnam war protests.
The End of The Vietnam War
Paris Peace Accords
The Vietnam ended on April 30th 1975, however it was on January 27th, two years earlier that the Paris Peace Accords were signed, thus ending the conflict, followed by the withdrawal of American Troops. The accord, which called for a ceasefire in South Vietnam, gave the North Vietnamese the opportunity to keep the territories that had captured, release all prisoners of War, and find a way to resolve political problems and cease the conflict.
Unfortunately however, with supporting forces gone form the country, the South Vietnamese were unguarded and essentially stood alone.
The Fall of South Vietnam
After 1974, the American Congress signed the Foreign Assistance Act of 1974, meaning that all military aid would be cut off to South Vietnam. Not so long after the act was put into place, the North Veitnamese pushed their defensive towards Saigon (Now referred to as Ho Chi Minh City). North Vietnamese eventually captured Saigon, and South Vietnam surrendered on April 30th 1975. Under Ho Chi Minh, 30 years of fighting finally united Vietnam under communist rule – much to the West’s dismay.
To view more effects of the Vietnam War,click here