Why did the US make a commitment to an independent South Vietnam? Could a major war have been averted? Fredrik Logevall provides a concise, comprehensive and accessible introduction to the origins of the Vietnam War from the end of the Indochina War in 1954 to the eruption of full-scale war in 1965, and places events against their full international background.

A re-creation of the deliberations, actions, and deceptions that brought two decades of post-World War II confidence to an end, this book offers an insight into the Vietnam War at home and abroad - and into American foreign policy in the 1960s.

"Examines the history of Vietnam leading up to the war, investigates the reasons for the conflict, looks at the war's escalation and progression (or lack thereof), and explores its repercussions then and now"--Provided by publisher.

Why did the US make a commitment to an independent South Vietnam? Could a major war have been averted? Fredrik Logevall provides a concise, comprehensive and accessible introduction to the origins of the Vietnam War from the end of the Indochina War in 1954 to the eruption of full-scale war in 1965, and places events against their full international background.

This study examines the origins of the Vietnam War itself, going back to the nature of French colonial rule in the early 20th century. It investigates the original conflict between France, as well as the United States, and the forces of Vietnamese nationalism and communism. It argues that it was probably a mistake for the United States to internationalize the war in 1954 and it discusses the American commitment to the war, directed as much against China as against North Vietnam and the ideological hostility to communism.

"Using archival and private papers from Britain and France, Smith argues that Britain did not unilaterally restore Indo-China to France following World War II but pursued an active interest in Vietnamese and Cambodian affairs for strategic and humanitarian reasons. Smith offers anew defence of the controversial actions of the British liberation force commander, Major-General Douglas Gracey, and contrasts British and French attitudes towards Asian nationalism and the common problem of communism. This Anglocentric study produces a new insight into British foreign and imperial policy during the formative years of the Vietnam War."--BOOK JACKET.

Discusses the origins and legacy of the Vietnam War and its impact on the United States.