Causes+of+Vietnam

The groups that are exploring the causes of the Vietnam War will outline their findings here. What were the causes of the Vietnam War? How did this conflict come about? Please make sure your information is clear, concise, and proofread before posting.




 * __CAUSES:__ **
 * Northern Vietnam wanted to unify themselves under communism modeled by the Soviet Union and China
 * The U.S. government was worried that the French posed a threat to American interests in China
 * Growing fear of Russian activity worldwide prompted the US to reverse its position against france and support french colonialism in Southeast Asia
 * Southern Vietnam government did not want to unify and kept a relationship with the West and U.S.
 * Soviet Union and China were supplying Northern Vietnam with militia

**__TIMELINE:__  1945 - 1995

**  1945 -- Battle of Dien Bien Phu, France divided into North and South regions 1950s - President Truman committed limited US resources to assist the French 1950s - US government established a Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) in Vietnam to help train the army, screen French requests for aide, and make helpful suggestions regarding strategy 1950s - U.S. sent advisers to France 1954 - US assumed responsiblity for South Vietnam 1961 - U.S. sent combat & support to Southern Vietnam 1963 - After Kennedy was assassinated in November, Lyndon B. Johnson takes office and began to secretly help South Vietnam by constructing plans on how to punish North Vietnam 1964 - North Vietnam attacks the US ship //U.S.S. Maddox //  1965 - the United States finally decides to go to war against North Vietnam  1975 - America loses interest in the Vietnam war and because of this South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam

"Vietnam War." //Encyclopædia Britannica
 * Works Cited **

Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 20 May 2010 <[] >. //