The dramatic failure of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a conflict that lasted for over 10 years. Tens of thousands of people were killed, and many more were injured. It was a devastating time for the United States, and it left a lasting impact on the country.

French colonialism in Vietnam began in the 19th century, and it lasted for nearly a hundred years.

During this time, the Vietnamese people were oppressed and exploited. Japan invaded Vietnam in World War II, but they were defeated by the Allied powers in 1945. 

Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader of the Vietnamese independence movement, proclaimed the independence of Vietnam on September 2, 1945.

Vietnam had been under Japanese occupation since 1940, and Ho Chi Minh saw Japan's defeat as an opportunity to establish an independent Vietnam.

However, France reasserted control over the country and continued their colonial rule. He created the "Viet Minh", short for Việt Nam Độc Lập Đồng Minh Hội, which means "League for the Independence of Vietnam".

It was a revolutionary force created to oppose French rule.

The United States was initially supportive of France's efforts to maintain control over Vietnam.

However, they became concerned about the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. In 1950, the United States began providing military aid to France.

The United States became involved in Vietnam because they were fearful of the spread of communism.

They supported the French in their war against Ho Chi Minh's forces. Unfortunately, this was not enough, and the French were defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 by Ho's forces.

Following the defeat, the French surrendered control of Vietnam. An international treaty was signed, which divided the country into two parts: North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

Ho was given control of the north and the south promised to hold elections, which Ho was expected to win

However, South Vietnam’s president, Ngo Dinh Diem, refused to hold elections. He was supported by the United States, who feared that any victory by Ho would encourage the spread of communism in the region. 

As a result, Ho’s supporters, began a guerilla war against the south. They were supported by China and the Soviet Union.

The United States sent 700 military advisers to South Vietnam in 1955. They were sent to help train the South Vietnamese army.

By the early 1960s, thousands of U.S. military advisors were in South Vietnam. On the 2nd and 4th of August 1964, in the Gulf of Tonkin, two U.S. ships were allegedly attacked by North Vietnamese forces. 

In response, in early 1965, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson approved Operation Rolling Thunder, which was a campaign of bombing airstrikes against North Vietnam.

To do this, they had to build air bases in southern Vietnam, which required U.S. soldiers to guard them.

In response to this, the North Vietnamese began attacking the American soldiers as well.

As a result, the United States' commitment to the country escalated and the president deployed 40,000 ground troops to South Vietnam in March of 1965.

Operation Rolling Thunder lasted for over three years and caused extensive damage to North Vietnamese infrastructure.

Despite this, the North Vietnamese Army continued to gain ground, and by 1968 they had a significant presence and influence in South Vietnam.

The military presence also increased. By 1968, more than 500,000 combat troops were stationed in Vietnam.

The costs also escalated, with the U.S. paying $2 billion every month to maintain their army, navy, and air force's roles in the war.

The draft, formally known as conscription, played a significant role during the Vietnam War in the United States.

Established under the Selective Service System, the draft required all males aged 18-25 to register for potential military service.

It was used as a means to bolster the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam as the war escalated.

As the conflict continued with heavy American casualties and no clear path to victory, opposition to the draft and the war itself grew substantially.

Thousands of young American men evaded the draft, either by fleeing to Canada or by seeking deferments. Some burnt their draft cards as a form of protest.

The draft became a focal point of social and political unrest and contributed to a broader anti-war movement, with mass protests on college campuses and other public venues.

In 1973, as U.S. troop withdrawal from Vietnam was underway, the draft was effectively ended, shifting the U.S. military to an all-volunteer force.

The Tet Offensive was a series of surprise attacks by the Viet Cong (the military force of North Vietnam) and North Vietnamese army against South Vietnamese and U.S. forces.

It began on January 30, 1968, which was the Vietnamese New Year (Tet).

The offensive was a failure militarily, but it was a turning point in the war because it showed that the North Vietnamese forces were capable of mounting a major offensive against the South Vietnamese and American forces.

It also led to increased support for the anti-war movement in the United States.

One of the most notorious events of the war was the My Lai Massacre, which was a mass killing of civilians by U.S. troops that occurred on March 16, 1968, in the village of My Lai, South Vietnam.

U.S. troops entered the village and killed more than 500 civilians, including women and children. The massacre led to increased opposition to the war in the United States.

The United States began to withdraw its troops from Vietnam in 1969. However, they continued to provide military aid to South Vietnam.

In January of 1973, the United States and North Vietnam signed a peace agreement: the Paris Peace Accords.

The accords allowed for a ceasefire, and US troops were gradually withdrawn from Vietnam. However, fighting between the North and South Vietnamese continued.

The fighting between North and South Vietnam continued, however. On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops entered the city of Saigon, which was the capital of South Vietnam.

This marked the end of the Vietnam War. The United States had withdrawn most of their troops by this time, but they did evacuate some South Vietnamese citizens and U.S. personnel from the city before it fell.

After the war, Vietnam was unified under Communist rule. Many people in South Vietnam were sent to re-education camps, where they were forced to work and study Communist ideology.

There was also a lot of economic hardship in the country after the war. Millions of people fled Vietnam as refugees.

The aftermath of the war was devastating for both countries involved. In Vietnam, over two million people were killed.

This includes civilians, soldiers, and members of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army.

In the United States, over 58,000 troops were killed and over 300,000 were wounded.

The war also had a significant economic cost. It is estimated that the war cost the United States over $150 billion.