The Vietnam War

B. Immigrations C. Effects of the media on the war D. Effects Of The Music E. Death, Wounded, Costs F. Veterans and PTSD Causes Of The War The French The French were the first who occupyed Vietnam.

They attacked Vietnam, Laos and Kambodscha (Indochina) and made them to one of their colonies. Indochina resisted. During the second World War the Japanese captured it from the French. But France tried to recapture it and send troups to Indochina.

Viet Minh And America Involved 1944 the Vietnam Independence League (the Viet Minh) was founded and defeated the French. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh as president demanded independence for Vietnam.

War broke out between the French and the Viet Minh. The Viet Minh received aid from China and gain gradually ground. The West feared that the success could spread to the neighboring countries, like the domino theory saying that if one nation fell to communism, the neighbouring countries could also fell to it, like a domino causes his neighbour to fall. Because of this fear the American aided the French with financial and military grant. After the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the French colonial power ended.

The Geneva Agreement divided Vietnam into northern and southern parts. Ho Chi Minh presided over the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in North Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem became the head of South Vietnam.

The USA supported Ngo Dinh Diem and reinforced their engagement in Vietnam to prevent the expansion of the communism over the south.

1955 the French gave the power over Vietnam to the USA. In 1956 Ngo Dinh Diem prevented the nationwide election, because the Viet Minh had the choises of the majority. His argument was that in the North the freedom of opinion wasn t guarantee. 1960 the Vietcong (Vietnamese Communists) founded the National Liberation Front (NLF). The War The War Began The Vietcong started to fight guerillawars against Diems regime and against the American military institutions. President John F. Kennedy reinforced another time the American aid for Saigon and South Vietnam.

At the end of 1962 there were already more than 11, 000 US-soldiers in South Vietnam, one year later 5000 more arrived.

After an attack by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on two US destroyers, Lyndon B. Johnson, having become president after Kennedy was assasinated, get full power for warfare against North Vietnam.

The USA started to bomb important military aims in northern Vietnam, as well as the Ho-Chi-Minh-Path in Laos and Camobodia, which the Vietcong used to transport weapons and forces from North to South.

Besides, America reinforced their troups, so there were over 180, 000 men in the end of 1965. Despite, bombardements with Napalm and the use of the defoliant Agent Orange, it didn t succeed to defeat their enemy military.

From 1965 onwards the anti-war-movement increased rapidly. Marches and demonstrations were held up. The Vietnam war brought ...