Event during the post-war period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Event during the post-war period - Essay Example The following now turns to an exploration of the Vietnam War (Young & Kent, 2003). The Vietnam War was one of the most protracted conflicts in American post-World War II history. Between 1954 and 1975, the United States was engaged in an ideology battle for supremacy in Asia and sought to contain the communist threat wherever that threat may be. With the exit of the French in the former colonial territory, a power vacuum emerged between communist and pro-Western forces. American involvement in Vietnam began as America sought to contain the spread of communism around the world. Following the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon Johnson effectively ratcheted up the American engagement in Vietnam and actively sought to the annihilation of communist forces within Vietnam. Between 1964 and 1965, America significantly expanded the scope of US armed forces personnel in Vietnam, responding to the increasingly precarious situation on the ground. Accordingly, in addition to an increase in soldiers as well as the offensive parameters of the US army , the deployment of US Marines also increased significantly from 3,500 to nearly 200,000 by the end of the year. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively paved the way for increased American intervention in the conflict and set the stage for the massive troop deployments. This represented a departure from previous American thought that South Vietnam would defeat the communists largely on their own. Now, the United States seemed more committed than ever to eradicating the forces of communism from Vietnam. Fundamentally, President Lyndon Johnson escalated the Vietnam War in order to put an end to a conflict which was progressively escalating and getting out of control. Massive troop deployments following the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution allowed President Johnson the leeway necessary to enact a policy