Conditions that Influenced Sino-Soviet Involvement in the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

Conditions that Influenced Sino-Soviet involvement in the Vietnam War In 1954 the Communists in North Vietnam reached a turning point in their history. The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu was a turning point in the history of this country. Free from the oppression of foreign countries the Communists of the DRV were freed to turn their attention to the task at hand; the infiltration and subjugation of South Vietnam. The influence that both China and the Soviet Union had on this fledgling government was substantial. Without the necessary material, logistics, and support the Communist victory in South Vietnam would never have come about. This paper looks to examine the motives that both the Chinese and Soviets had in their commitment to supporting the DRV in the Vietnam War. In dealing with the motives of both China and the Soviet Union it is also important to keep in mind the conditions of the world in this time period, 1950-1975. Both foreseen and unforeseen events would alter the respective policies of each country. In observing these events, this paper will take a chronological prose; history will be dealt with as it was made. In this style of analysis it is possible to shed some light on a seemingly confusing array of foreign policy's that even till today are hard to rationalize. China and the Soviet Union altered their obligation and support levels to North Vietnam according their policies and the history that those decisions produced. The United States will provide a backdrop to the Sino-Soviet involvement in Vietnam. This will provide insight into the relative positions that China and the Soviet Union took in North Vietnam. To both of these countries the United States represented 'the other side'. This is to say that the ideologies of both socialist countries depicted America as the opponent. In ideology this is true; capitalism was the precursor to a more egalitarian socialist society. This was to prove more so for the Chinese Communists, but that will be explained later. It is safe to say that both countries were able to rationalize their actions by telling the world they were defending one of their 'brothers' from an imperialist power. When making reference to the United States as the 'other side' it is crucial to remember that this analogy is only relative to the shifting relationship that each country would experience with the U.S. as the Vietnam War escalated.