Origins of the Vietnam War / Edition 1

by Fredrik Logevall

Overview

The war in Vietnam was a seminal event in post-1945 world affairs. The conflict had a profound and lasting impact on the politics and society of Vietnam and the United States, but also shaped the larger international system in critical ways.

This volume provides an authoritative and accessible introduction to the origins of the war. It situates the developments from the French colonial period to the eruption of major war in 1965 in their larger global setting, showing how Vietnamese affairs were shaped by -- and in turn shaped -- developments outside Vietnam.

Containing a Who's Who, Chronology and detailed Bibliography, The Origins of the Vietnam War provides an indispensable introduction to one of the most important events in recent history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900582319188
Publication date:	09/07/2001
Pages:	174
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction to the Series	vii
	Note on Referencing System	viii
	Acknowledgements	ix
	List of Abbreviations	x
	Maps	xi
	Chronology	xiii
1.	Introduction: The Problem	1
Part 1	The Background	5
2.	The Franco-Vietminh War	7
	The Coming of the French	7
	Ho Chi Minh	10
	The Franco-Vietminh War	16
	Dien Bien Phu	19
Part 2	The Origins Of The Vietnam War	23
3.	The Diem Experiment	25
	The Geneva Conference	25
	A Yogi-like Mystic	29
	Frictions in the West	30
	American Realism?	32
	Turmoil in the South, Consolidation in the North	33
4.	The Crisis Deepens	39
	A New Team in Washington	39
	The Fall 1961 Decisions	43
	The Credibility Imperative	45
	Fleeting Gains: 1962	47
	Summer of Discontent	49
	Give Peace a Chance?	51
	No Nhus is Good News	54
5.	The Coming Of Major War	58
	LBJ's World	58
	A Bleak Picture	60
	Reassessment in Hanoi--and in Allied Capitals	61
	Seeking 'More Flags'	64
	Tonkin Gulf	65
	Choice and Decision	68
	An Opening for Diplomacy?	72
	Escalation	75
	The Johns Hopkins Speech	77
	Forty-four Battalions	79
Part 3	Assessment	83
6.	An Avoidable War?	85
Part 4	Documents	93
	Who's Who	133
	Bibliography	137
	Index	146