How did the United States get entangled in the Vietnam war? Was there a turning point...

How did the United States get entangled in the Vietnam war? Was there a turning point in the war that changed public opinion?

Expert Solution

The US had been involved in Vietnam before the end of World War 2. At that time Vietnam was part of French Indo-China along with Laos and Cambodia.
The US got involved in the Vietnam War because it did not want another country going to communism (and therefore the Soviet sphere of influence) after what happened in China. Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia had been combined into a French colony called "French Indochina" back in 1887.
With the defeat of the Japanese in 1945, the French assumed they would resume where they had been in 1945. However the Vietnamese fought the French and under General Giap defeated them at Dien Bien Phu. At a peace conference in 1954, Vietnam was divided into 2 at the 17th parallel, communist North, and US-backed south. Cambodia and Laos were declared neutral.

The turning point in the conflict was the Tet Offensive. A huge attack by the Viet Cong in various cities of South Vietnam. It completely took the US- and South Vietnamese troops by surprise.

Hayet Jeridi answered 6 months ago

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