Explain the Increased Escalation of the Usa’s Involvement in Vietnam, Why They Lost the War and with What Consequences.

The USA’s involvement in Vietnam can be traced back to the early 1950s and escalated to the point that in 1968 they had 1/2 million GIs on the ground. Different arguments, such as the desire of the USA to avoid the domino theory, can explain this participation. However this conflict was to end badly for the Americans, as their war tactics and state of mind were weak compared to North Vietnam’s desire to free herself from exterior and non-communist domination. Ultimately, the conflict had worldwide consequences.

First, the war in Vietnam was not 'official' as there never was any declaration of war. However, the USA's involvement was a reality, and escalated gradually from 1950 to 1968. Their participation started with a financial support of France's war costs from 1950 to 1954. Indeed, democrat president Truman helped USA's ally France – who was struggling to get Vietnam back after the Second World War, fighting against the communist Northern regime of Ho Chi Min – by paying 80% of her war costs. This was followed by republican Eisenhower's actions in the 1950's, which first consisted in continuing the financial support by sending 10 million dollars of aid in Vietnam, and then escalated to sending military advisers to support the non-communist regime of Diem (by 1956, 16,000 advisers had been sent to South Vietnam). As the conflict couldn't be solved, the escalation continued with the sending of Ground Infantries (GIs), who were actual soldiers. From 1960 to 1963, under the presidency of Kennedy, the number of GIs in Vietnam increased from 663 to 16,500. The situation reached a whole new level after the Gulf of Tonkin's incident. The fabricated attack on the American battleship the Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin from the Vietcong, led in 1964 to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving the president the right to take actions without constitutionally declaring war. This led to massive bombings of the North in 1965, in response to this fabricated attack from the...