South East Asia Early American

¶ … South East Asia

Early American Involvements within South East Asia

Defending French interests -- the French had held power over South East Asia since the mid nineteenth century. Japan had invaded the entire area during World War II. After the chaos of World War II, the French proved inefficient at maintaining their stronghold in Indochina. The United States under the leadership of Dwight D. Eisenhower began supporting the French in their attempt to regain their high revenue colony in the early 1950's. American political agendas justified the financial support of the French as the attempt to stop the spread of communism.

The Korean War -- to further the effort of minimizing the spread of communism, the United States declared war on the nation of Korea. Early efforts in the war proved to be very successful, driving the communist North Korean army further north and closer to China. However, the American military ignored threats from China to not go beyond the 42nd parallel. After chasing the North Koreans over the debated parallel, the Chinese entered into the conflict. The United States left the Korean War unsuccessful, with the North Korean state remaining in communist control.

Vietnam -- After the French left Vietnam, the United States bumped up its involvement within Vietnam and the surrounding countries. After the supposed attack on the U.S. military in the Gulf of Tonkin, the United States declared war on the communist nation of Vietnam. The goal was to eliminate the communist threat and stop "the domino effect" of South East Asian countries falling to the threat of communism. However, after over a decade of fighting and thousands of American deaths, the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam and the central city of Saigon fell into the communist Vietcong hands.

Impact on the Political Climate of the American 1950's