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Why was the Vietnam War fought?

The Vietnam War was fought over the unification of Communist North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam. (Communism is a system of government in which the state controls the economy and only one political party has power.) The two countries had been formed in 1954; prior to that time all of Vietnam had been part of the French colony of Indochina. In 1946 the Vietnamese fought the French for control of their own country. The United States provided financial support to France, but the French were ultimately defeated in 1954. Once France had withdrawn its troops, an international conference was convened in Geneva, Switzerland, to decide what should be done with Vietnam. The country was split into two parts along the 17th parallel, but this division was not intended to be permanent. Elections were supposed to be held on reunification of the two Vietnams, but they never took place....

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