Historical note:
Vietnam was a part of French occupied IndoChina. After World War II, independence movements began, along with Communist expansion. In 1954, the French lost the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu, which led to the French abandonment of the colony. Vietnam was split between the Communist North and the western-supported South.
Rather than leave the Vietnamese to their own devices, the USA took over where France left off, fearing a "domino effect"; i.e. if Vietnam fell to the Communists, then the whole of South-east Asia would be vulnerable. The Americans had had a Pacific presence in the west Pacific during World War II and they were still highly influential in the politics of Japan and the Philipines; so it seemed natural to them to intervene in Vietnam. Perhaps, this was the USA's great mistake; since the Vietnam War proved to be an ordeal for the Americans. But some still reckon that the domino theory was correct since, even though the South "fell", the spread of Communism in SE Asia was halted. But arguably other factors, such as Thai Nationalism and Indonesian Islam would anyway have resisted the "Red Peril".
Because the mobilization of military reserves was considered "upping the ante" during the cold war; Vietnam was fought by draftees or volunteers that joined because they were going to be drafted anyway, and were hoping for a better deal if they enlisted first. Therefore, US citizens opposed the war, because they didn't want to be drafted into military service. People do not normally care about someone else's problem(s)...until they are involved; then they care!
Many Americans didn't support the Vietnam War because they didn't feel that America should have gotten involved. They did not believe that it was America's place to involve themselves in another countries issues.
one answer:
Many Americans of the 1960s generation had no idea why we were fighting in Vietnam, since the Vietnamese had never attacked us. Unlike World War II, which had a clear villain and a clear purpose (defeating the Nazis and keeping Hitler from ruling the world), the purpose for going over to Vietnam was never entirely certain. Our involvement in what was then Indo-China began quietly under President Eisenhower in the 1950s, and then, the war escalated during the 1960s, much to the surprise of many Americans. We were told we were fighting Communism, but young people (who were being drafted to go fight there) did not believe the war was worth it, nor did they see a reason for our involvement. As the death tolls mounted and it became obvious that the US government was not being totally honest (nor even partially honest) about why we were there or whether we were winning, opposition to the war began to grow. To this day, many historians and many of us Baby Boomers believe the War in Vietnam was a disastrous mistake.
another answer:
The Vietnamese war was the last gasp of Imperialism in Vietnam. And many Americans recognized that the Viets no longer were going to suffer with the jackboot of unbridled capitalism on their necks. It was all started by the mistreatment of plantation and other workers by the Michelin rubber company. Pretty soon every one was in it and in the end the last Americans left by helicopter from a rooftop.
US citizens didn't like the war, because they were being drafted to fight it.
They didn't want to be drafted into the military; 40,000 men a month in 1968!
They feared the military draft. If it wasn't for the draft, they didn't care who went to Vietnam...because they KNEW that who ever went there...VOLUNTEERED!
The draft.
One of the main reasons for the UK's none involvement in the Vietnam War was their role in the Indonesia-Malaysia War which took place at the same time. Britain fought a war against Communist forces similar to that of the US against the Viet Mihn (except unlike the US, Britain won).
A World War (like World War I and World War II) has a lot of the world participating (in a more friendly word) in it. A Civil War (like the Vietnamese Civil War/Vietnam War or the USA Civil war) is when a large body fights against each other in a war. It's not like when your class can't decide whether to have pepperoni or cheese for your pizza party.
625,000 Civil War (both sides USA) 116,516 WW1 416,800 WW2 36,516 Korea 58,209 Viet Nam
On December 7, 1941 Hawai's port Pearl Harbour a Naval Base of the United States Fleet was hit by an air raid of the Japanese Air Force declaring war against USA. It was the date that USA entered officialy into the WW2 activities.
As a politician, he had noticed that the people of German descent in the USA never asked the US to support Germany; at best they supported non-intervention. The US citizens of English descent on the other hand actively supported the French/British cause and were in favor of a policy of support and even of joining the Allied war effort. Moreover, the US public and Wilson were revolted by the stories of German atrocities in Belgium, the torpedoing of the Lusitania by a German submarine and of German efforts to have Mexico declare war on the USA and reclaim Texas.
The Vietnam War had the least support by American citizens. The war lasted for over 18 years. The USA lost 58,220 soldiers.
When USA invaded Vietnam to keep it from becoming a communist country the people that lived there fought against the USA This made it an impossible for the USA to win. The USA spent many years attempting to subdue the country without success.
french,USA,earlier china was it's friend but afterwards it invaded Vietnam for some reason
1. The US Air Forces waged aerial combat & bombing campaigns against NORTH Vietnam. 2. The US Navy waged Riverine Warfare against the enemy in South Vietnam. 3. The US Army/Marines waged ground warfare against the enemy in South Vietnam.
Vietnam Vietnam - 1971 was released on: USA: September 1971
During the Vietnam and till 1975 Vietnam was divided in two parts. North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Government in South was supported by USA and was not socialist in nature. Majority of population in South supported US led war effort but population of North Vietnam was much larger than South and stood firmly behind Ho Chi Minh and his forces in war against USA.
That's just what powerful governments do to poor citizens. -Just like the USA made thousands of poor or ill educated Americans go to Vietnam while the rich and well educated remained in US.
The USA gave aid to Ho Chi Minh, and other people, when the Allies fought the Japanese who were in Vietnam in the Second World War. The way the USA gave support to almost anyone who fought against the Axis powers in WWII.
The USA fought in the Vietnam War for freedom of democracy and to prevent the spread of communism.
Q who was the victor of the Vietnam war? A I have no idea who won the Vietnam war!!!!
They never heard of the place until they got their draft notice in the mail.