vietnam
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Vietnam was a country 9000 miles away from the United States. Yet America felt that its national interest was threatened strongly enough to fight a war there. The explanation lies in the fear caused by the spread of communism at that time. The establishment of the 'Iron Curtain' in Europe after the second World War, the communist take-over of China, the Korean War and the communist victory over the French in Vietnam - all led many Americans to fear that the communists were taking over the world and must be stopped. Many people believed in the 'Domino Theory', suggesting that if one Asian country fell to the Communists the others would quickly follow. The US government believed that by helping the South Vietnamese government resist the attacks of the communist North they were helping to prevent the spread of communism throughout the world.
The Conduct of the War
The war in Vietnam was fought in a particularly brutal manner. The Americans were frustrated by the Vietcong guerrilla tactics and unable to use their superior weaponry effectively. They found it difficult even to tell who the enemy was and as a result many innocent civilians were killed, both in violent 'search and destroy' missions and in indiscriminate bombing missions - many were hideously burned by napalm, or poisoned by Agent Orange. The Massacre of civilians at My Lai in 1968 caused great revulsion in the United States, and intense opposition in America to the war was caused by television coverage of events in Vietnam...