Policies In Vietnam Essays - Politics Of Vietnam, Asia, Vietnam

Policies In Vietnam Lyndon B. Johnson had a vision of A Great Society for the American people and fellow men everywhere. In his first years of office, he obtained one of the most extensive legislative programs in the history of the Nation. Maintaining collective security, he carried on the increasing struggle to fight Communist encroachment in Vietnam. During President Johnson's term, two crises had been gaining momentum since 1965. The first was the unrest and rioting in black ghettos that troubled the nation. The second crisis was trying to prevent North Vietnam from taking over South Vietnam, preventing the spread of communism. The United States and Vietnam have had relationships (not always direct, but through the French) since the early 1940's. A brief background of US involvement in Vietnam will be given in order to understand how Johnson got involved in Vietnam, but first a look at the geography of Vietnam. Geography Vietnam covers an area of 329, 600 square kilometers and stretches around 100,000 square kilometers from North to South. The Annamite Mountain Range connects the North and South. To the north of Vietnam is China; to the west is Cambodia and Laos. The location made the United States be very careful when using military because it did not want to start a World War III with China who was supporting the North Vietnamese. Vietnam is a little smaller than the newly united Germany. History of United States Involvement The French used to have a colony rule over Indochina, which consisted of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. During World War II, France fell to the Germans and in return, the Asian French colony was turned over to Japan. At this time, the Vietnamese turned from being anti-French to anti-Japan. The United States started aiding various groups in Vietnam, so that they could battle the Japanese. The United States even aided the nationalist group, led by communist Ho Chi Minh. After World War II, the French returned to take over its colony, but in December 1946, found itself battling the Vietminh. France requested aid from the United States, so that it could win the battle against the Vietminh. The United States was not too sure at first, until Intelligence proved that the Communist Ho Chi Minh was becoming very popular. The United States immediately increased its aid to France to try to prevent the communist from spreading. The French were to set up a regime with Bao Dei, from the Vietnamese royal family. The United States sided with Bao Dei's claim as the regime, especially after the fall of China. Around 1954, the United States was paying 80% of the French military cost in Vietnam. The French decided to use a fortress to try and get the communist to use a large number of it's troops to attack the fortress, but it was easily over come by the communist and the French surrendered. May 1954 was the end of the French role in Indochina. May-June 1954 was the Geneva Accords where the major powers were to come to an agreement on Indochina. The agreement was a temporary one that divided Vietnam at the seventeenth parallel with a demilitarized zone between the two areas. The North would be the Vietminh or the communist and the South would be the Bao Dei regime. No side could come to agreements involving foreign policy nor accept foreign troops on their soil, until after two years when elections were to be held, scheduled for July 1956. At this time, the permanent government of Vietnam would be determined. Ngo Dinh Diem became a political leader in the South and was pro-Western. Diem announced that the division of Vietnam into two nations would remain and there would be no elections. In rigged elections, Diem emerged victorious over Bao Dei. The United States backed Diem because he promised to make reforms. Diem in the end had no plans of ever having free elections again. Although Diem never made any of his promised reforms, President Eisenhower backed Diem's regime. Eisenhower sent 1,500 advisors to South Vietnam by the end of his administration in order to help make sure South Vietnam was safe. At this time, Ho Chi Minh came to an economic agreement with the