Americans' Support of Vietnam War: Cold War Causes and Effects - Essay Sample

Introduction

Vietnam War was as a result of conflict between the communist and capitalist allies. It erupted after the Cold War, and the US was actively involved in intervening different areas by supporting military and financial support to its partners. The two primary contributors to the war include the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Some partners supported the war while others did not because they did not see any gain. The essay discusses why some Americans supported the war while others opposed it.

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One reason why some Americans supported the Vietnam War was that it feared the growth of communism. France colonized Vietnam, but Japan seized during the Second World War. During the war, France was thrown out of the country, and this divided the country into North and South. North Vietnam tried to gain its freedom and become an independent state. The US supported South Vietnam because they were capitalists. Therefore, some Americans endorsed the war because they wanted to prevent communists from taking roots.

The second reason is that the US wanted to throw out French troops that were fighting to maintain the colonial powers. The US had an interest in Indochina after the end of the Second World War. In the 1950s, France was fighting insurgency of communists. The Vietnam soldiers made significant gains, and France lost its control of the South. As a result, the US had to support the Vietnamese so that they could gain their position in the South and throw away the French troops.

On the other hand, there are reasons why some Americans came to oppose the involvement of the US in the Vietnam War. The first reason was as a result of media coverage that informed many American citizens about the evils and atrocities that happened in the war. Images of innocent civilians being killed were all over as well as torture, and this frightened many people. The news terrified the Americans, and they opposed the war because of the atrocities done against humanity death of innocent people. As a result, Americans never wanted to be part of the war that violated human rights.

Another reason is that the American soldiers defended the Southern government which was later revealed that it was the most corrupt. A majority of Americans asked many questions as to how and why the American government can support an oppressive government. The responsibility of the US as a superpower was to protect the rights and freedom of people, but in this case, it was supporting evil deeds in the society. Besides helping government that many people opposed, the question of the cost of entering the war came up. The country suffered a significant financial loss during the Second World War; hence the Vietnam War could worsen the economic situation in the country. Therefore, they opposed the war and instead wanted the government to focus on building its economic growth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Vietnam War erupted after the Second World War. France colonized Vietnam and Japan seized it immediately after the end of the war. The country was divided into North and South, and there were efforts to reconcile the two regions. The reasons why the US supported the war include opposing communists and throw away French troops that were fighting to retain the colony. However, some Americans opposed the war as a result of the media coverage that showed atrocities committed against innocent civilians and the people wanted the government to concentrate on developing the economy that deteriorated after the Second World War.

Bibliography

Michael Brenes et al., "The Cold War," Ari Cushner, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018.