The Vietnam Wars

Analysis of Vietnam Wars Student’s Name Institution Course Instructor Date Analysis of Vietnam Wars Introduction Comparison entails looking at the similarities and differences between different events. It helps in better generalization, categorization, and evaluation of such events. Comparison in history is essential because it promotes the understanding of how and why specific events took place. When comparing two or more wars in the past, one identifies the triggers of the war as one notes the possible patterns in the wars. Doing so helps one identify the possibilities of such wars taking place in the future. For example, when one notes a similarity in historical wars, one can advise future governments to avoid falling into situations similar to the one that promoted these wars. On the other hand, noting differences helps one know that specific causes were specific to the regions where the wars took place. The paper compares the French War in Vietnam with the American War in Vietnam and explains the importance of this comparison. Comparison between the Cold War and the Second World War and their Importance Similarities The French War in Vietnam and the American War in Vietnam were both caused by external forces that influenced Vietnam. The United States promoted the American war in Vietnam, while France promoted the French war in Vietnam (Anderson, 2002a, p. 15) (Anderson, 2002b, p. 23). Having external forces promote the war in Vietnam shows the importance of self-governance and independence for any country from outsiders. As nations interact, they develop different interests that might not involve bringing out the best of specific nations. Influence can be devastating to the extent that the country being influenced goes to war. Therefore, this similarity is essential in helping nations identify the need to detach from nations that might have interests in them that do not match what they want of themselves. The two wars in Vietnam were political and involved the need for control. The United States showed that it needed Vietnam to become a democratic nation, and that was why it got involved in the war in Vietnam. However, the real reason was political and involved the need for an open-door policy in Asia (Anderson, 2002a, p. 21). The different states in Asia were adopting communism at the time, which made it difficult for the United States to penetrate their markets. Therefore, the United States was willing to support a system that moved away from having all Asian countries follow the same path so they could be independent from each other. In doing this, Vietnam could not be controlled by other Asian countries. It could control its resources, which would favor the United States. Similarly, the French promoted the war in Vietnam due to the need for resource control. As a colony of France, Vietnam did not have control over its resources. Leaders in the country were answerable to France, making it impossible for them to conduct themselves as they wanted to. The country went to war to retain this status when the Vietnamese wanted to be independent of France. Identifying the political influence and need for control is essential because it helps identify the possibilities of solving existing problems without going to war. The two wars prove the backing of political ideologies when it comes to the wars in Vietnam. Had Vietnam, the United States, and France found a way to deal with their political differences and the need for control without going into war, they would not need to go into one. The two wars ended in treaties between Vietnam and the countries that influenced or were involved in the war. The French war in Vietnam ended with the Genva Accord, an agreement that helped to determine the boundaries of Vietnam. The agreement was necessary because it determined the extent of Vietnam as a country and helped to ensure that it would not be under the rule of France. The American war ended with the Paris Peace Accord. The accord was about the promotion of peace as it prohibited the United States from further involvement with practices that might promote war. Through the different accords that were put in place, one learns the need for peace agreements among nations. In...