Question

In a short paragraph, list the factors that led to US involvement in the Vietnam War. Turn this in with the drop box at the bottom of Slide 8 of this lesson.

Answer 1

The factors that led to US involvement in the Vietnam War include the US policy of containment of communism during the Cold War, the domino theory which posited that the fall of one nation to communism would lead to the fall of neighboring nations, the Gulf of Tonkin incident which led to the US Congress passing a resolution authorizing military intervention in Vietnam, and the belief by US leaders that the war was necessary to protect US national security interests and prevent the spread of communism. Additionally, the US provided economic and military aid to the French who were fighting the Vietnamese independence movement during the 1950s, and later provided direct military support to the South Vietnamese government in their fight against the communist National Liberation Front (NLF) and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA).

Answer 2

The factors that led to US involvement in the Vietnam War were primarily political and strategic. The US was concerned about the spread of communism in Southeast Asia and saw Vietnam as a key battleground in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Additionally, the US had a commitment to support South Vietnam, which was seen as a democratic ally in the region. The Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, where US ships were allegedly attacked by North Vietnamese forces, also played a role in escalating US involvement. Finally, the US military-industrial complex, which had grown in the post-World War II era, also played a role in pushing for intervention in Vietnam.