Why did the U.S. enter the Vietnam War?

Answer 1

To stop communist aggression.

Answer 2

1. The president signed a document saying that if any country needs help in the stop against communism, then the United States would help them without a hint of hesitation.

2. The Vietnam War was all part of the Cold War. The Cold war was all about communism and Fear. The USA wanted to get rid of communism. We enterd this war so we could get rid of communism or slow it down some. We lost the War.

3. The United States was following an idea called the Domino Theory. The fear was that if Vietnam fell to Communism then Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, all of Asia would turn to communism also.

4.That's not the whole answer, it was simply the justification that the US used to enter the conflict. In the beginning of the conflict, the Vietnamese were trying to toss out the French who had been bleeding them dry since the 1800's. The French, trying to follow in the footsteps of the England's "Empire" model had installed their own puppet government in South Vietnam. The Vietnamese needed weapons to fight the French and would have taken aid from any country who offered. The Soviets were the only ones who stepped up to the plate. This opened the door to interests in the US who were searching for a conflict . . .any conflict! When Eisenhower left office, he warned the American public against the huge Military-Industrial Complex that had developed during WWII. The conflict in Europe had fattened the coffers of American defense industries 'till they were overflowing and none of the industries were going to go away quietly. With their political influence and tons of cash to buy lobbyists, it was easy as hell to put pressure on the Administration to escalate the US commitment in Vietnam. The "Domino Theory" was such a great marketing ploy for Defense Industries it probably was created in some Madison Avenue advertising boardroom. If you don't believe that the Domino Theory was a scam, just look at what happened to Vietnam after the US left! The Soviets didn't gain anything, no countries bordering Vietnam have gone "commie" and the Vietnamese economy has been growing steadily ever since to where they are now one of the fastest growing economy's in the far east.

The war was not about stopping the Communists, it was about money. Well over 58,000 young American soldiers died (ave. age 19yr's old), 1.1 million N. Vietnamese soldiers died and an estimated 2 million Vietnamese civilians died and for what? They died so that the defense industries could wallow in $140 Billion dollars spent by the US between 1958 and 1975 (that's $686 billion in today's dollars).

Hey. . .Eisenhower warned us.

Answer 3

The overall purpose was to support an anti-communist government, part of the Cold War policy of containment. The Soviet Union supplied much war materiel to the North, and the US did likewise in the South. But the conditions and political factors were different from Korea, and the US fought a limited conventional war, mainly in the South against the Viet Cong guerrillas.

It was not until 1972 (when seeking to disengage) that the US began escalated attacks against the industry and trade in North Vietnam.

Answer 4

To stop communist aggression.