Vietnam War?

Question

why did it start? were we(US) the bad guys? all i know is that it lasted for a long time and we kinda lost

Answer 1

Why is it that people always leave out important details??? (Because they have a line to sell, I know.)

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topi...

History » The two Vietnams (1954–65)

The agreements concluded in Geneva between April and July 1954 (collectively called the Geneva Accords) were signed by French and Viet Minh representatives and provided for a cease-fire and temporary division of the country into two military zones at latitude 17 °N (popularly called the 17th parallel). All Viet Minh forces were to withdraw north of that line, and all French and Associated State of Vietnam troops were to remain south of it; permission was granted for refugees to move from one zone to the other during a limited time period. An international commission was established, composed of Canadian, Polish, and Indian members under an Indian chairman, to supervise the execution of the agreement.

This agreement left the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (henceforth called North Vietnam) in control of only the northern half of the country. The last of the Geneva Accords—called the Final Declaration—provided for elections, supervised by the commission, to be held throughout Vietnam in July 1956 in order to unify the country. Viet Minh leaders appeared certain to win these elections, and the United States and the leaders in the south would not approve or sign the Final Declaration; elections were never held.

There is more interesting reading about how the US prompted the SVN govt to spend money on more important things like military, rather than developing .... well read it yourself.

To make a long story short - the US and the south refused to hold the elections agreed under the Geneva accords, and some folks took umbrage at that action, and they took action.

Answer 2

you are pretty much correct. before world war 2 vietnam was a colony of the french. the japonese conquered it. after the war the french got it back in the terms of the peace agreement. but they had trouble maintaining order. the US began by lending the french money and materials. when the communists kicked them out the US, which was already partially involved, was afraid of the whole country becoming communist, so they asked for a brief respite and wanted free elections in vietnam, but while they waited designated that north a line would be communist and south would be democratic. at first the US sent in "peacekeepers and advisors" to train the south vietnamese army. the elections never took place because most of the vietnamese lived in the north. the reason the US got involved was the domino theory, meaning that if one county becomes communist, then another might become communist and then the next and so on.

Answer 3

The US started the Viet Nam War by pretending it had been attacked. Actually, the US had been doing sneaky damage in Viet Nam, before the Gulf of Tonkin incident ever happened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Ton...

That war was started to enable corporations of the Military-Industrial Complex to make big profits, in return for their campaign contributions and other gifts to politicians. That happens in all wars. The 1935 book "War Is A Racket," by Major General Smedley D. Butler, explains how it happens.

Butler used World War I, which was called the "Great War," when he wrote the book, as an example of how our government's war spending programs give big profits to certain people.

http://www.doublestandards.org/butler1.h...

Answer 4

allright..ill be a brief as possible

after the vietnamese defeated the french under the leadership of ho chi minh,vietnam was divided into northern and southern vietnam..

the southern part  wa under the control of some dctator and the northern part was under the control of hoch minh and the communists...

the US made entry into the war because of the growing communism in vietnam..(briefest answer ever)

remember...fighting is bad,it doesnt really matter who started it..so don be sad!!