Question

Examine the reasons that forced America to withdraw from the Vietnam war.

Answer 1

There are many reasons that forced America to withdraw from the Vietnam war :

• America had failed to achieve its objectives in Vietnam.
• The people in Vietnam were very united and did not give any interest to the US. Moreover, the US was not able to crush the people of Vietnam.
• Many US soldiers and civilians died in large numbers.
• This became the first war to be telecasted on television where battle scenes were shown.
• Many US soldiers were drafted to war which angered the people in the US.
• Moreover, a peace treaty was signed in 1973 in Paris where the war ended.

The US initially supported the campaign by the French in Vietnam to prevent the spread of communism after the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War. However, after the retreat of the French and the division of Vietnam, the Bao Dai regime took power in South Vietnam. It was overthrown by Ngo Dinh Diem who was a reactionary and authoritarian ruler. The opposition united under the banner of the National Liberation Front and received support from the Ho Chi Minh government in the north. This alliance led the US to fear a communist resurgence in a united Vietnam. This eventually sparked American intervention in the Vietnam War