Vietnam: From Colonial War to Cold War, 1945–1975

This course looks at the various decisions made by the great powers which turned a deaf ear to the postwar Vietnamese desire for independence and instead ushered in a period of unrelenting turmoil and suffering. France's attempt to re-establish her colonial overlordship in Vietnam ended in failure in 1954, with the United States subsequently stepping in to prevent South Vietnam from falling victim to Communism. As an important "domino", South Vietnam became a recipient of US military and economic aid, to ensure her survival as part of the free world. In the end, however, the costs of such policies became unbearable, at home as well as abroad and like France before her, the United States too had to pull out of Vietnam.