The Vietnam War is still one of the largest military conflicts of the second half of the 20th century. This conflict affected other countries, including the USSR and the USA, and also affected the self-awareness 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 XIX century, Vietnam was under the colonial oppression of France. Military-political organizations appeared, including clandestine, expressing their dissatisfaction with the current situation. One of them was the Vietnam Independence League, created in China and called Vietnam. The key role was played by the Vietnamese politician Ho Chi Minh, who declared independence on the whole of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. Then an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam was created.
France could not allow Vietnam to gain independence, especially during the rivalry with another colonial power - England. In 1946, France launched a colonial war in Vietnam. The United States also joined, which actively began to support the French colonial empire. On the other hand, Vietnam received the support of the People's Republic of China. The battle of Dienbeuf led to the defeat of the French Empire. The Geneva agreements were concluded, according to which Vietnam was temporarily divided into a northern and southern demilitarized zone. The reunion was planned after the general election. However, South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, announced that he did not intend to comply with the Geneva agreements, and this meant the abolition of general elections. Zyem announced a referendum, which resulted in South Vietnam becoming a republic. The struggle against the Zyom regime resulted in the emergence of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NFUJV). Zyem could not resist the guerrilla movement of the NFED. As a result, he was deprived 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 to use military force in Southeast Asia, if necessary. 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 progress of the NFED. Since March 1965, after the United States sent two battalions of the Marine Corps to South Vietnam, it could be considered that America became a full-fledged participant in the Vietnam War. Already in August of the same year, the first battle took place with the participation of the Americans, called Operation Starlight.
Tet 1968 and Easter Offensive
During the Vietnamese New Year (Theta) in 1968, the offensive of the forces of North Vietnam on South began, including on the country's capital Saigon. The North Vietnamese army and the NFLWF suffered heavy losses, having been rebuffed by the US-South Vietnamese troops. The year 1969 was marked by a new US policy - the so-called "Vietnamization" policy. Her goal was the speedy withdrawal of American troops. It began in July and lasted for three years. Another milestone in the war was the Easter Offensive, which began on March 30, 1972. The troops of North Vietnam attacked in 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, his army as a whole 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.
