The Vietnam War still remains one of the largest military conflicts in the second half of the 20th century. This conflict also affected other countries, including the USSR and the USA, and also influenced the self-consciousness of many people in the world.
Civil War
The war began in South Vietnam. This was due to the beginning of the struggle for the independence of local residents. Since the end of the 19th century, Vietnam has been under the colonial yoke of France. Military-political organizations appeared, including underground ones, expressing their dissatisfaction with the current situation. One of them was the Vietnam Independence League, created in China and called the Viet Minh. The key role in it was played by the Vietnamese politician Ho Chi Minh, who proclaimed independence on September 2, 1945 throughout Vietnam. At the same time, the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam was created.
France could not allow Vietnam to gain independence, especially during the period of rivalry with another colonial power - England. In 1946, France began the colonial war in Vietnam. The United States also joined in, which actively began to support the French colonial empire. On the other hand, the Viet Minh received the support of the People's Republic of China. The Battle of Dienbiefu resulted in the defeat of the French Empire. The Geneva agreements were concluded, according to which Vietnam was temporarily divided by the demilitarized zone into North and South. Reunification was planned after a general election. However, South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, announced that it did not intend to implement the Geneva agreements, which meant the abolition of general elections. Diem announced a referendum, as a result of which South Vietnam became a republic. The struggle against the Diem regime resulted in the emergence of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF). Diem was unable to resist the NFOYU partisan movement. As a result, he was stripped of power and killed.
Full-scale American intervention
The beginning was the collision of the American destroyer Maddock with North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. The consequence of this was the adoption by the US Congress of the "Tonkin Resolution", which gives the US the right, if necessary, to use military force in Southeast Asia. During this period, the situation in South Vietnam itself left much to be desired. In Saigon, the government was constantly changing, which could not but affect the promotion of the NLF. From March 1965, after the United States sent two battalions of the Marine Corps to South Vietnam, America could be considered a full participant in the Vietnam War. Already in August of the same year, the first battle with the participation of the Americans, called Operation Starlight, took place.
Tet 1968 and Easter Offensive
During the Vietnamese New Year (Teta) in 1968, the North Vietnamese forces launched an offensive against the South, including the capital of the country, Saigon. The North Vietnamese army and the NLF suffered heavy losses, being repulsed by the US-South Vietnamese troops. 1969 was marked by a new US policy - the so-called "Vietnamization" policy. Its goal was the earliest possible withdrawal of American troops. It started in July and lasted for three years. Another important milestone in the war was the Easter Offensive, which began on March 30, 1972. Troops of North Vietnam attacked on the territory of the South. For the first time, the North Vietnamese army was reinforced with tanks. Despite the conquest of part of the South by North Vietnam, in general, his army was defeated. Negotiations began between North Vietnam and the United States, which resulted in the Paris Peace Agreement signed on January 27, 1973, according to which the United States withdrew its troops from Vietnam.
The end of the war and its aftermath
The final stage of the war began, during which the North Vietnamese troops launched a large-scale offensive. Within two months they got to Saigon. On April 30, 1975, a banner was raised over the Palace of Independence in Saigon, signifying the victory of the North Vietnamese troops and the complete end of the war. One of the main consequences of the Vietnam War was the increased public opinion of US citizens about their country's foreign policy. New movements emerged, in particular hippies, to oppose such aimless and prolonged wars. In the future, even such a concept as the "Vietnamese syndrome" appeared, the essence of which was the refusal of citizens to support such military campaigns abroad.
