Why did the US make a commitment to an independent South Vietnam? Could a major war have been averted? Fredrik Logevall provides a concise, comprehensive and accessible introduction to the origins of the Vietnam War from the end of the Indochina War in 1954 to the eruption of full-scale war in 1965, and places events against their full international background.
Chapter 1 Introduction: The Problem; Part 1 The Background; Chapter 2 The Franco-Vietminh War; Part 2 The Origins of the Vietnam War; Chapter 3 The Diem Experiment; Chapter 4 The Crisis Deepens; Chapter 5 The Coming of Major War; Part 3 Assessment; Chapter 6 An Avoidable War?; Part 4 Documents;
