History
why did America enter into Vietnam?
McCarthyism red scare was a main contributing factor to why the USA entered into the war in Vietnam. Many people feared communism and that any president or government official that didn’t take action to prevent communism from spreading would have to been perceived as suspicious or weak, So in order to not seem suspicious or weak they entered into the war
People also thought that it was a Cold War issue because of the evidence that they were being influenced or help by the Soviet Union or China so because of this many people didn’t see it as a civil war in a foreign country but more of a global problem within the Cold War.
The USA wanted to maintain its reputation as the world police and leader of the free world. Many people in America supported American foreign intervention in order to prevent communism for American citizens. Politicians believed in something known as the domino theory this is where if one small country fell to communism then a larger country would fall to communism than a larger country and then an even larger one so those prevent this they would prevent communism from infecting any areas which are possible.
The North Vietnamese were communists so many people including politicians and civilians had also soldiers Wanted to continue with the US foreign policy of containment of communism so in order to prevent communism from Fully investing in Vietnam They decided to go to war
Johnson didn’t want to be seen as the first US president to lose a war And would have been seen as a weak leader and would have significantly damaged his chances of being re-election .