Vietnam War and its aftermath

After the Cuban crisis, relations between Moscow and Washington improved slightly, but the powers were still fighting for influence in the world. The best-known training ground was the Vietnam War. American strategists feared that Ho Chi Minh would reunite Vietnam which would have a knock-on effect and the Communists would extend their influence on the other countries of the region. To prevent this, support for pro-Western South Vietnam was started, which dragged the US into a 13-year war. Initially, the Americans had limited military support, but the longer the conflict lasted, the greater their involvement. In 1968, at the height of the war, more than half a million American soldiers were stationed in Vietnam. However, the US failed - in 1975 Vietnam was reunited under the Communist rule. The involvement of the USA in Vietnam also had consequences for the internal affairs of democratic countries - in the Western world a pacifist movement developed, young people and students rebelled against the values of their parents, promoted communism and socialism or revolutionary customs. In 1968, student protests in France led to a general strike that paralysed the country for some time.