How did American involvement in Vietnam escalate?

Answer 1

In 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin, a murky set of events occured with the US naval ship USS Maddox claiming that they had been torpedoed by enemy North Vietnamese naval ship. What was not said was that Maddox was taking supplies to anti-communist forces in the South and the claim of a second attack on the 4th AUgust has been completely renounced by a North Vietnamese troop from the ship. From there, war time privlidges were given the president Johnson (LBJ), which allowed for him to make decisions without having to get them passed by congress. US Military advisors quickly turned into armed combatants and the numbers of US soldiers within the country rapidly increased. With every small loss in Vietnam, the US took this as an opportunity to intensify their war effort with an increase in weaponary available as well as troop numbers. Because of this type of wreckless escalation from the Johnson government, the Vietnam War quickly went from being a war against communism and the domino theory to a war where America needed to save face instead of humiliating themselves even further than they already had. If America had called it quits, instead of just escalating their war effort each time then millions of lives would have been saved and Vietnam would not be a war raped country with many of its people living in poverty

Answer 2

The causes of the Vietnam war were derived from the symtoms and the consequences of the Cold War. Bombing takes place because there was a simple belief held by America that Communism was spreading all over South-East Asia.

Answer 3

The cause of the war was combating the spread of communism. Said another way, "making a stand against communism."

Answer 4

A big influence in the escalation is the U.S. weapons manufacturing lobbyists. They are the ones to gain the most from the state of any war.