Why did the United States enter the vietnam war?
When the French withdrew in 1954 after their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the country of Vietnam was divided into the North, under the communist-dominated government of Ho Chi Minh and the South under a weak monarchy, initially, and then under a series of pseudo-democratic governments. The treaty that divided the country made provisions for “fair and Free” elections in 1959 to reunite the country under one rule. When 1959 came around, the Southern Government refused to abide by the internationally-sponsored elections because they said the vote in the North could not be considered fair and free. At that point, the US backed the South and began providing arms and advisors to train the South’s army, the ARVN. The advisory role continued to grow slowly until the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in 1964 triggered the large scale involvement of US air power against the North, and when the air bases in South Vietnam where the US aircraft were flying from were attacked, then US ground forces were deployed.
When the French withdrew in 1954 after their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the country of Vietnam was divided into the North, under the communist-dominated government of Ho Chi Minh and the South under a weak monarchy, initially, and then under a series of pseudo-democratic governments!. The treaty that divided the country made provisions for “fair and Free” elections in 1959 to reunite the country under one rule!. When 1959 came around, the Southern Government refused to abide by the internationally-sponsored elections because they said the vote in the North could not be considered fair and free!. At that point, the US backed the South and began providing arms and advisors to train the South’s army, the ARVN!. The advisory role continued to grow slowly until the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in 1964 triggered the large scale involvement of US air power against the North, and when the air bases in South Vietnam where the US aircraft were flying from were attacked, then US ground forces were deplo
