The Cold War | Vietnam and the United State’s Role Essay

A notable and very important period in the world history is the so called Cold War, which is most frequently dated between 1941 and 1997 (Axelrod, 2009). This war was driven by the tension between the U.S. and the USSR. Both of these countries were world superpowers, they had a significant political and economic on other countries, and the ideologies of these countries were conflicting. After the World War II, the USSR started a quick expansion to Eastern Europe, and the U.S. opposed this expansion (Wiest, Barbier & Robins, 2009). Both countries were focused on spreading their values, and believed that their very survival was questioned. As a result, the U.S. and USSR did not enter a state of direct conflict during the Cold War, but quickly built up their military potential and upgraded the means of mass destruction.

The Vietnam War took place between 1945 and 1975 (Wiest, Barbier & Robins, 2009). It is one of the most controversial episodes of the U.S. policy during the Cold War period. It is a military conflict between South Vietnam and North Vietnam. South Vietnam was supported by the U.S. and other pro-democratic countries opposing the communist ideology and regime. North Vietnam was supported by China, USSR and the rest of the communist world (Axelrod, 2009). While on the surface the conflict was between the nationalists and Vietnam people opposing them, in reality it was the conflict between two ideologies, democracy and communism.

The intervention of the U.S., the focus on anti-communist policy, the approach of escalation and the bombing campaigns supported by Nixon had a devastating effect on the country, and resulted in terrible losses for both sides. Overall, about 1.1 million of North Vietnamese soldiers and 2 million civilians, 58,000 of U.S. soldiers and 200,000 of South Vietnamese soldiers were killed in this war (Wiest, Barbier & Robins, 2009).

The role and events of Vietnam War cannot be considered and analyzed outside the context of the Cold War; the connections with other countries and the hostility between these ideologies have shaped the background for this war and led to the death of millions of people. The ongoing conflict between the U.S. and USSR and struggle for influence, power and control over the important world regions laid background for this war. Southeastern region and particularly Vietnam belonged to such important spheres of control, for which the two superpowers competed. The scope of Vietnam War and its duration were so huge because of the support of the two ever-opposing parties.

There were other military conflicts in the history of the Cold War which were driven by power struggle and ideological differences. A vivid example of such conflict is the Korean War which took place in 1950-1953 between North Korea and South Korea (Ulam, 2002). Both Korean and Vietnam War are similar, because they were backed up by the Truman Doctrine which stated that if Vietnam and Korea would become communist, this would threaten the other countries and stop the U.S. in its anti-communist struggle. In both wars, the U.S. provided military and political support to the pro-democratic side. In both of these wars, nationalism was involved as well. However, in the Korean War the U.S. managed to defeat North Korea because of its superior technology, while in Vietnam the tactic of guerilla warfare led to the defeat of the U.S (Ulam, 2002). Furthermore, the Vietnam War was long and exhausting, and it was widely covered in the media (Ulam, 2002). The opinion of the U.S. citizens and their resentment played an important role in adopting the Case-Church Amendment (Ulam, 2002).

Both examples illustrate that Cold War led to implicit military conflicts among the U.S. and Chinese/USSR troops, although these countries did not enter the state of direct war. Millions of people died because of the conflicting ideologies. Furthermore, the communist ideology was often combined with nationalism, so the assumptions of the external parties were not correct. The sad lessons of the Cold War illustrate how intensive competition, conflict and mistrust of the leading countries can affect the lives of people all over the world. The Vietnam War teaches the world that correct understanding of the reasons behind different events and peaceful solutions of existing contradictions are extremely important.

 

References

Axelrod, A. (2009). The Real History of the Cold War: A New Look at the Past. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.

Ulam, A.B. (2002). Understanding the Cold War: A Historian’s Personal Reflections. Transaction Publishers.

Wiest, A., Barbier, M.K. & Robins, G. (2009). America and the Vietnam War: Re-examining the Culture and History of a Generation. Routledge.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

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freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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