| Abstract |
This lesson covers the events and political issues leading to the Vietnam War. Areas covered are the realpolitik of the post-World War II world. The influence of the Cold War on what happened in Southeast Asia, alignment of American allies in the area, the effects of Containment and the Domino Theory on developments in French Indo-China. The lesson covers American political decisions taken due to the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and the resultant Geneva Accords in 1954. Particular emphasis covers American actions taken after the French defeat to create a South Vietnam. The lesson then proceeds to focus on the steps that the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations took to ‘save’ Vietnam from the Communist sphere. |