The United States became involved in the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s, with the goal of preventing the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The conflict was fought between the communist North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and the South Vietnam, supported by the US and other anti-communist nations.
Initially, the US involvement was limited to providing military advisors to South Vietnam. However, in 1964, the US Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which allowed President Lyndon B. Johnson to increase US military involvement in the war. Over the next several years, the US sent hundreds of thousands of troops to fight in Vietnam, making it one of the largest US military deployments in history.
The US military strategy in Vietnam was based on the concept of attrition, which aimed to wear down the North Vietnamese army by inflicting heavy casualties. However, this strategy proved to be ineffective, as the North Vietnamese were able to replace their losses and continue to fight. Additionally, the US faced significant opposition from the South Vietnamese population, who felt that the US was not doing enough to protect their interests.
As the war dragged on and the US military suffered heavy casualties, public opinion in the US turned against the war. Protests against the war became widespread, and many young men who were eligible for the draft refused to serve. In 1968, President Johnson announced a partial bombing halt in an attempt to negotiate a peace settlement, but the talks were not successful.
The war continued until 1973, when a peace treaty was signed and US troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. However, the peace agreement was short-lived, and fighting resumed in the following years. The US officially ended its involvement in the war in 1975, when the North Vietnamese army captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam.
The Vietnam War had far-reaching consequences for the US and its foreign policy. The conflict left a lasting impact on American society, with many veterans suffering from physical and emotional scars. The US military also suffered a major setback in its credibility, as the outcome of the war was widely seen as a defeat. Additionally, the US became more cautious in its use of military force, as the experience in Vietnam showed the limitations of US power and the dangers of intervening in other countries' affairs.