Vietnam+(EW)

===__A War Ends and a New One Begins__=== During the Cold War Russia made an endeavor to expand the influence of Communism to neighboring countries. In their conquest they took China as an ally in Communism and China in return decided to expand Communism beyond China's borders and into Vietnam. During this time a nationalist leader named Ho Chi Minh had led the nation in repelling the French troops out of Vietnam, officially making Vietnam an independent country. Minh was an advocate of Communism and gladly accepted the notion of making Vietnam a Communist ally. The French pleaded to America for aid in the fight, but the US was could not intervene due to their disbelief of colonialsim. However, when the Communist movement became entangled in the debate, Eisenhower saw it as a means of stopping Communism. As the Vietcong army fought South Vietnam's forces, South Vietnam's leader, Ngo Dinh Diem, was losing politcal power due to his corrupt actions. In !963 Vietnamese generals issued a military coup to overthrow Diem; shortly after the coup Diem was executed. American military completely took over in the South Vietnam forces after the execution. The war escalated as American forces started using chemical weapons such as agent orange and nepalm.