Streaming now on Fox Nation: The Unauthorized History of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War left an indelible mark on a generation of Americans and changed the course of human events across the globe. New evidence provides a different perspective on key events and pivotal decisions from the largely misunderstood conflict.
46 years after the fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War, the 20-year-long conflict remains a contentious subject that has left an impact on nearly every America.
Now, Fox Nation dedicates a five-part deep-dive into the subject with ‘The Unauthorized History of the Vietnam War,’ bringing a fresh perspective on one of modern history’s most controversial conflicts. This five-episode series helmed by Fox News' Bret Baier traces the war from its initial breakout through the fall of Saigon.
Napalm strike erupts in fireball near U.S. troops on patrol in 1966, South Vietnam. A few million people died during the war. (AP)
Following World War II, the Iron Curtain descended upon the world as a new conflict emerged, plaguing the rest of the twentieth century with the Cold War. As Democratic and communist countries began expanding to secure dominance, Vietnam became the quintessential conflict of the Cold War with the United States, the USSR and China serving as defenders of democracy or communism.
As the special explores, Under Joseph Stalin, the USSR sought to expand communism and set up a border between free Western Europe and communist Russia. In response, the United States emphasized the policy of containment to prevent the spread of communism, becoming the main motivator for early conflicts and growing tensions between the USSR and the United States.
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Prior to the Vietnam War, a wave of communism swept Asia with China falling to communism in 1949 and the Korean War splitting the nation into a communist North Korea and democratic South Korea in 1953.
By the time Vietnam broke free from the French, the United States and the USSR began supporting different leaders as Vietnam’s fate was yet to be decided. Episode one of the Fox Nation special hones in on the rising threat of Vietnam amid Cold War tensions.
As the Cold War expanded and tension increased into the 1960s, the United States’ involvement in Vietnam changed. The Kennedy administration supported a coup to kill and replace South Vietnam’s president, escalating America’s involvement in the war. Episode two dives deeper into the increased involvement during the Kennedy Administration.
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty," President John F. Kennedy can be heard proclaiming in his inaugural address.
But the buck didn't stop with JFK.
Episode three covers Lyndon B Johnson’s leadership during the war following Kennedy's assassination.
After Kennedy's death, Lyndon B Johnson continued increasing American involvement in the war - including sending more American troops to Vietnam. The Tet Offensive - a surprise attack launched by North Vietnam at the start of 1968 - was considered a major turning point in the war, and allowed the harsh realities of the conflict overseas to resonate with the masses in the United States.
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As the war dragged on, Americans began a string of mass protests at home with some of the largest public protests in U.S. history. In 1973, the Paris Peace Accords formally ended America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and initiated the gradual removal of troops. Episode four of the Fox Nation special looks at the growing tensions on America’s home front and President Nixon’s work to end U.S. involvement.
In the final episode of ‘The Unauthorized History of the Vietnam War,’ the fall of Saigon comes into focus, as well as the developing relationships between the U.S. and Asian nations like China and Vietnam moving into the 21st century. In April 1975, the final evacuation of U.S. personnel and South Vietnamese support occurred while Saigon falls to the communist North Vietnamese – proving to be, what many Americans believe, a fruitless endeavor.
Though not all would agree.
The Vietnam War is perhaps one of the most controversial and impactful conflicts of modern warfare, and its influence still shapes geopolitics today despite massive changes in the government landscape of Asia after the fall of the USSR. Many relationships and perspectives are shaped by this war, despite this conflict being largely misunderstood.
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