Why did the US become involved in Southeast Asia following WWII?
The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.
Who did the US support in the Indochina War?
France
The Pentagon Papers, Chapter 4, “US and France in Indochina, 1950-56” The United States decision to provide military assistance to France and the Associated States of Indochina was reached informally in February/March 1950, funded by the President on May 1, 1950, and was announced on May 8 of that year.
Did the US stop the spread of communism during the Vietnam War?
Not only had the USA failed to stop Vietnam falling to communism, but their actions in the neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia had helped to bring communist governments to power there too. Many US politicians were mounting pressure to commit to peace.
What led to eventual US intervention in Indochina?
Due to political pressure from anti-communist Republican Joseph McCarthy and others in Washington, D.C., against Democrats who were seen as soft on communism’s spread throughout the world, President Harry S. Truman stepped up America’s involvement in the French re-colonization of Indochina under the Truman Doctrine.
How did the US stop the spread of communism?
In 1947, President Harry S. Truman pledged that the United States would help any nation resist communism in order to prevent its spread. His policy of containment is known as the Truman Doctrine. To help rebuild after the war, the United States pledged $13 billion of aid to Europe in the Marshall Plan.
How did the US help stop communism in Asia?
American aid would end poverty and halt its spread. In Asia, containment policy followed similar lines to those adopted in Europe. Poor countries devastated by warfare and Japanese domination were given economic aid and a US military presence to help them stem the spread of Soviet-inspired communism.
What was the US involvement in the Vietnam War?
The United States got involved to prevent South Vietnam from falling into communist hands. At first, the U.S. operated behind the scenes, but after 1964, sent combat troops and became more deeply mired in the war. Following France’s defeat in the First Indochina War, an international agreement divided Vietnam in two.