Reasons for American Intervention in Vietnam

This thesis examines reasons for American intervention in Vietnam. It ranges over the period of the years 1950 - 1965, from the initial stages of American involvement in Vietnam to the onset of the full-scale war with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). The thesis investigates the decisive moments which eventually influenced the further development of American presence in Vietnam. In assessing the respective events the emphasis is put on the international political context, the US foreign policy toward Indochina/Vietnam, the decision- making process on the highest political and army levels, the relationship between the superpowers, and the personal beliefs of single international players. In the first part of the thesis close attention is paid to the initial phase of the American intervention - getting involved in the affairs of South-East Asia and ending with the Geneva Accords. The second part is focused on the critical years of 1963-1965 that set the scene for the subsequent escalation of the Vietnam war