The History of Vietnam War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The History of Vietnam War - Research Paper Example V. The Tet Offensive a. Beginning of U.S. – North Vietnam peace talks VI. End of the War a. Vietnamization b. Signing of Paris Peace Agreement c. Total withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam d. Capture of Saigon and formation of Socialist Republic of Vietnam History of Vietnam War INTRODUCTION Vietnam War was one of the most expensive wars in the history of the world in terms of materials and loss of lives. In fact, Vietnam War was the fourth costliest war in terms of loss of lives that United States has ever been involved. The war registered 45,943 U.S. battle deaths, with 1333 men going missing and 10,298 dead of non-battle causes. In terms of money, United Stated government lost 138.9 billion dollars, which is only comparable to the amount of money spent in World War II. South Vietnam, an ally of United States in the war, lost 166,000 soldiers and an estimated 415, 000 civilians. On the other hand, it is estimated that Northern Vietnam and Viet Cong combined registered more than 937,000 deaths. Other than loss of lives and resources, the war also witnessed the loss of morals among soldiers at the war front. Citizens also lost faith in their governments. This was largely affected the Americans. During the war, American soldiers became undisciplined. They engaged in drugs and racial conflict. Generally, all the warring parties suffered from the war. This paper looks into the history of Vietnam War and the events that lead to the war in Vietnam. The paper discusses the origin of Vietnam War, the entry of United States into the War, the strategy of attrition, the Tet offensive, and the end of the War. ORIGIN OF THE WAR Vietnam had been colonized by the French since 19th century. During the Second World War, Japan attacked and established its authority of Vietnam. In the course of this struggle, Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese nationalist, formed Viet Minh Party to help him fight the Japanese and the French occupation of Vietnam. He was assisted by Soviet an d the Chinese communists. In August 1945, the Japanese were overpowered by the Viet Minh and they withdrew their forces from Vietnam leaving the French in control of Vietnam. During this time, Viet Minh’s superiority was on the rise. They captured the northern town Hanoi and declared independence of Democratic Republic of Vietnam in September 1945 with Ho Chi Minh as the president (Christian, 31). The French soldiers were pushed to the south. In July 1949, they formed the state of Southern Vietnam with its capital in Saigon under the leadership of Bao Dai. The war between the French and the Viet Minh called the First Indonesian War continued for the next eight years. The war ended in May 1954 when the French forces were defeated by the Viet Minh forces at Dien Bien Phu. The ensuing peace talks in Geneva led to the signing of the Geneva Peace Accord. The Accord divided Vietnam into North Vietnam under the leadership of Ho and South Vietnam under the leadership of Bao. The Gene va Accord also stipulated that nationwide elections were to be held in 1956. The elections were aimed at unifying North and South Vietnam into one nation. However, in 1955, Â  Ngo Dinh Diem, a strong anticommunist, ousted Bao as the leader of Southern Vietnam and formed the Government of the Republic of Vietnam with him as the president (Le Duan, 51). U.S INVOLVEMENT INTO THE WAR United States joined the struggle in 1950 when President Truman assisted the French forces in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. United States provided the French forc