Introduction
The story of Vietnam War is one that many historians would recognize and agree with, while others have grown up with versions of the war. The war that occurred from 1955 to 1975 is considered among the most significant historical events in America as well as the most misunderstood ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) . It influenced the lives of many Americans who were enrolled in the Army, and who was wounded, traumatized or lost their beloved ones. The war took place in Vietnam during the cold war period when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were still high.
The components and causes of the cold war triggered the Vietnam War, as well as the belief by the American government on the threat of the spread of communism to other countries ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) . The U.S fought a brutal war against the North Vietnams as allies of the French and South Vietnam in a war to contain this domino theory. The explanation for American involvement in the war was to prevent a communist takeover in South Vietnam and other countries across the world. North Korea had plans to unify Vietnam by conquering South Vietnam and create a communist government. However, South Vietnam wanted to be independent and invited the United States to help in the battle to contain the spread of communism. The Chinese backed North Vietnam while Americans backed South Vietnam in a cold war that saw many lives lost and millions left refugees ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) .
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Historians still argue about the lessons of the Vietnam War and whether it was a warranted cause with the topic continuing to shape debaters when talking about the lengthy and bloody war in Vietnam. The arguments fall into two schools of thought: there are those who those who believe it was justified and those who think it was unnecessary. Individuals who support the Vietnam War thinks the concern to contain communism was genuinely based on the results of communist rule in the countries that fell. Those who oppose the think the consequences were unwarranted and could have been avoided. This paper discusses both schools of thought and will conclude the most convincing school of thought.
Arguments against the US involvement in the Vietnam War
One school of thought believe the United States engagement in the war was unnecessary because of the unprecedented consequences of the war. The implications of the war on Americans including loss of lives and trauma that were unjustified and could have been avoided. This war had an enormous impact on the public and private lives of Americans. More than 58000 American forces lost their lives while over 300,000 were wounded from the battle ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) . Additionally, over two million Vietnams lost their lives during the nine years of official American involvement in the war. Such lives were innocent, for example, the result of air bombings that killed millions of people. The United States conducted several bombardments and air attacks on North Vietnam as a reason to encourage North Vietnam to accept South Vietnam as a noncommunist. The bombing resulted in the death of numerous people including children that did not have to be killed.
The Vietnam War was an act that the United States created because of their in-belief to contain the influence of China and the Soviet Union. Americans believed that decolonizing Indochina was the only way to establish a stable noncommunist force in the countries surrounding China. Therefore, the war began out of fateful misunderstandings, American overconfidence, and the cold war miscalculations. The United States entered the war as a superpower confident of its cause and victory, and this made it overstay in the battle despite the many deaths occurring to the people. Additionally, the US government wanted to suppress the fact Vietnam had made a historical movement to drive French colonialism out of their country. Vietnam was part of the French empire before the Second World War and established their government when the Japanese retreated ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) .
Additionally, the American involvement in the war led to the political leaders to lose national support for the war. The consequences of the war are still in effect today as it changed the minds of American citizens and how they perceive the involvement of America in wars and military conflicts. Additionally, the war affected the American’s trust in government and politicians. The citizens believe the politicians misled the public over the U.S interests in Vietnam ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014).
There was no need for the country to engage in foreign conflicts that were not beneficial to the state. It is evident that country did not benefit from getting involved in the war because its defeat meant Vietnam was unified under the communist regime. After the end of the war, the political situation was still the same as before showing how the deaths of such people were pointless. Additionally, the communism ended up fading away, and the Soviet Union and China were never plotting to dominate the world. Furthermore, for Vietnamese, the fight was not against communism but rather for independence.
Arguments justifying the US involvement in the war
On the other hand, there is a school of thought that supports the involvement of American in the Vietnam War. First of all, the French had been a close ally of the United States in the wake of American Revolutionary War and Statute of Liberty, and the country could not have ignored the calls by South Vietnam to help the French in the war against the communist. Additionally, the United States was under obligation to defend the Independence of South Vietnam and avoiding the conflict could have undervalued America’s promise and commitment, thus shaking their credibility in the world. The United States foreign policy was based on providing support to friend countries and in this case, South Vietnam as they opposed the plan to spread communism throughout the nation ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) .
Secondly, the Domino theory regarding the spread of communism influenced the decision to join in the war. The United States entered the conflict in Vietnam based on the Domino theory that the country was a real threat regarding nation’s falling to communism and with regards to the resultant impact. It was evident to the United States that communism was spreading to the region and they thought they had to contain its further spread to other neighboring countries. The Americans believed communism would spread to other counties in Eastern Asia, Africa, and East Asia under the influence of Soviet Union and it needed to be contained ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) .
Also, there was a need to stop the totalitarian North communist regime that was becoming worse. This regime was arresting, torturing and executing thousands of its people who were labeled landlords during their land reform programs and was spreading to South Vietnam ( Engel, Lawrence & Preston, 2014) . As a result, they would halt the economic development of such countries. The involvement of the United States into the war motivated some countries in Southeast Asia to engage in economic development thus stopping the communist spread.
Conclusion
Therefore, the United States involvement in the Vietnam War was justified based on the firm commitment to their foreign allies and their strict foreign policies against communism and the rise of communist countries. Americans involved in the cold war was due to a desire to contain the spread of communism. The domino effect and fear of communism was a real threat during the time of making decisions and it was necessary to plan and protect the world against these threats. A consideration from the perspective of time when American officials were making the decisions justifies the domino theory and the fear of communism. The decision can, therefore, be justifiable at the time of making it despite the negative consequences the war had on Americans that comprises social, economic and political repercussions.
References
Engel, J. A., Lawrence, M. A., & Preston, A. (Eds.). (2014). America in the World: A History in Documents from the War with Spain to the War on Terror . Princeton University Press.
