The Vietnam War

In 1946, the Vietnamese people began fighting for independence from the French colonial rulers of their land, which at the time was known as Indochina. By the mid-1950s, the French had been defeated, and separate governments were set up in North Vietnam and South Vietnam pending elections to unify the country. Those elections never took place. The American government supported South Vietnam, wanting to prevent the spread of communism from North Vietnam. Small numbers of U.S. troops were sent to help South Vietnam at first, but by the late 1960s more than 500,000 American soldiers were fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, and the conflict had spilled into the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos. This book in the MAJOR U.S. HISTORICAL WARS series examines the events that led up to the Vietnam War. It discusses the political and military strategies that the U.S. and Vietnamese employed, and provides information about key people, battles, and events. The Vietnam War would finally end in 1975 with a victory for the North. More than 2 million people, including over 58,000 Americans, died in Vietnam. Each title in this series contains color photos, maps, chronology and back matter including: an index, further reading lists for books and internet resources, and a series glossary. Mason Crest's editorial team has placed Key Icons to Look for throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are then used in the prose throughout that chapter, and are emboldened, so that the reader is able to reference back to the definitions- building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Text Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. A Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter contains terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.