Matt Mummert
Dr. Fahmy
POL 155
February 9, 2014
Causes of War One of the ugliest US Conflicts, the Vietnam War, began due to a variety of causes. The earliest of these causes was the failed French imperialist state. France had occupied and managed Vietnam for decades, and they eventually were forced to leave after they continued to lack success in Vietnam. Revolutionary North Vietnamese organizations were growing in power. France lost touch with the national interests of the Vietnamese which eventually led to France leaving Vietnam and an American entrance into Vietnamese affairs. The United States filled the hole and became entrenched in Vietnam. The US filled this vacancy as they feared a rapid takeover of Vietnam by the communist interests in North Vietnam. A top priority of the American government was to contain communism. American officials feared South East Asia turning communist red, and they made a huge commitment due to this fear. The costs of this war stem beyond body counts and tax dollars wasted. Many of the Vietnam War’s costs are political. The human costs of the war extend beyond one million. Nearly sixty thousand American soldiers died. More than 150,000 American soldiers were wounded. Sixteen hundred American soldiers were missing. American lives account for a small percentage of the life toll, and these figures effectively express the human cost of the war. Financially, the Vietnam War cost $111 billion per the 1975 dollar value. This war cost more than $ 700 million by today’s dollar. The diplomatic costs of the war reverberate today. The international distrust of Americans in South East Asia and other