The Vietnam War lasted about two decades. The United States was engulfed in a civil war between North and South Vietnam and wanted to assist the south with preventing a hostile takeover by North Vietnam under the Communism banner. The Vietnam War was not only America’s longest War, but also costliest and deadliest. We spent over $150 billion and suffered close to $58 thousand American deaths and nearly 300 thousand wounded. By the time we decided to withdraw from the war, North Vietnam easily swept through the south and unified Vietnam under Communism. Still to this day, one of the most debated topics regarding the Vietnam War is why the United States got involved and why, when and how we should wage future wars. (Dunn, 2001)…
The war in Vietnam was a conflict that started in the 1950s and ended in the early 1970s. During this time period, the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnamese political, economic and military affairs. There were a combination of reasons as to why the United States became more involved, the most important of which in my opinion were the Domino Theory and the growing influence of the National Liberation Front (NFL).…
The Vietnam Era Antiwar Movement was one of the largest social movements in American history. In 1964 the United States began its military involvement in Vietnam. At this time, very few Americans were not against the United States’ involvement. But some Americans believed that the United States should have stayed out of the Vietnam War and should have withdrawn immediately. The U.S intervened because they didn't want South Vietnam to have a communist take over by North Vietnam. When the U.S started regularly bombing North Vietnam and increasing the draft in 1965, the protests and the Antiwar Movement became more serious. The Antiwar movement started from peace and social justice organizations that already existed. In a massive show of civil…
The Vietnam War was the U.S’ longest and most exhausting war- the only war the U.S had ever lost, had far-reaching consequences and impact on most American life from the economy, culture to domestic politics and foreign policy- some of which continue to do so today. The American military had entered Vietnam as a world superpower from World War 2 but left Vietnam with a humiliating defeat, shockingly high casualties, the American public sharply divided and its leaders uncertain of who to trust with its foreign policy. The Vietnam War was from 1955 to 1975 and fell under 5 different presidents filled with scandals and conspiracy theories. After World War 2, North Vietnam declared itself as an independent nation with Communist Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh gaining control over the nation. The Geneva Accords called for a…
Marking one of the most traumatic periods of U.S. history, the Vietnam War spanned more than a decade and caused massive disruption both in Southeast Asia and on the American home front. Although U.S. leaders were often ambiguous about American involvement in Vietnam, they nevertheless pursued a fairly unbroken policy of interference in the country in an effort to halt the spread of communism during the cold war. In the end, the U.S. defeat in Vietnam proved costly, both financially and in terms of the number of lives lost, and diminished America's reputation as the defender of democracy and freedom throughout the world.…
The Vietnam War started in November 1, 1955 and ended in April 30, 1975. Webster dictionary defines war as a declared armed conflict between the states or nations. The Vietnam War last about over twenty years and it considered the longest and bloodiest years due to the causes, effects, crime, cover up with different strategies by the United State and its intervention in the Gulf of Tonkin. For nearly two decade, most of American combat soldiers fought in Vietnam believed that they’re right to help sustain an independent, to free prevent communist spreading Southeast Asian. During in war, there are over 55,000 troops died after the collapse of the South Vietnamese government in 1975 has promoted many question searching the explanation of the…
The Vietnam War was a bad decision made by the United States government. There was no reason for the United States to start a war with this foreign country. The Defense Department released a film in 1965 addressing why the United States had to go to war with Vietnam. They said it was to defend freedom and aggression, and to stop the spreading of communism. In reality, this war was made by choice, it was not a “do or die” situation for America, but the United States saw Vietnam as a major threat and decided to declare war on them, only to lose a lot of soldier, time, and money.…
The Vietnam War was a very long war fought by the United States. Actually, the time span was the longest of wars fought. The Vietnam War, itself, spanned for about 15 years with in the time frame from 1955-1975, however, there was conflict leading up to the war for many years before hand. This war was between North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam had allies or support from China, the Soviet Union, and a few other communist allies, whereas South Vietnam was supported or had the allies of the United States, Australia, South Korea, and other anti-communist allies.…
Between the Cold War, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, there was a great deal of animosity and conflict amongst U.S. citizens. Notably, the Cold War had ideological and geological conflicts had sizable impacts on Vietnam in terms of economic and military assistance. Additionally, the Vietnam War was not all as it appeared to be. While Americans were leery of cost and the amount of soldiers being drafted, unimaginable occurrences were taking place as well as incidents going unreported and deaths skyrocketing. Lastly, the U.S. pursued an unsuccessful attempt to organize a reasonable government in South Vietnam due to cultural differences.…
The Vietnam War is different when compared to other wars that the U.S has been involved in. It is different because it was not widely supported across the nation, it was physically different war, it was also lost because of government policies. One reason why the Vietnam War was different compared to other past wars is because it was not widely supported by the nation. There are many reasons why it was not supported, one of them being that the war was considered the first ‘television war’.…
Although very popular the Vietnam war was huge conflict during the years of 1964 through 1975, this single incident changed many Americans opinions about the nation's role both in foreign affairs and domestic ones. The Vietnam war failed in its primary purpose which was to assists in the defense against north Vietnamese communism, just like the cold war previously this proved to be another example of escalation. The US involvement in Vietnam damaged the us reputation due to very misguided and complex intentions on the part of political leaders like those in the Johnson and Nixon administration which brought upon unhappiness and social unrest among the public. This political corruption along with mismanagement on the economic system and the…
The Vietnam War was a defining moment in American history, due to the fact that the American people where concerned about the war and the actions of President Johnson. The lack of trust kept on growing between the American people and the government, which left a lot of unanswered questions. After the country’s involvement in two world wars and the cold war, America felt the responsibility of imposing its way of life on the world to stop the growth of the communists. War has an impact on all the parties involved, and the Vietnam War was the most expensive and longest war in American history. The country did not just suffer financially, it cost the people involved greatly, physically and mentally.…
The Vietnam War greatly changed America forever. It was the longest war fought in America’s history, lasting from 1955 to 1973. The Vietnam War scarred America’s self image by because this was the first time in history the United States failed to accomplish what they planned to do in war. The war also had great effects on the American people. It was the first war ever broadcast on TV.…
One of the most obvious consequences of the war was the 600,000 men who lost their lives in the fighting, or to disease. In total, upwards of a million men were killed or seriously injured throughout the course of the war. This brought a new problem upon the United States, a large part of the nations capable youth had given their lives in the war. This would have many consequences of it's own, including staggering the growth of the United States. Another result of the war was the massive cost that came with it. $15 billion dollars. That doesn't include some factors such as post was pensions, or interest on national debt. The war did have a few obvious positive effects, such as the emancipation of slaves, as well as the fact that the federal…
In 1969, Richard Nixon was elected into presidency. One of Nixon’s campaign promises was ‘peace with honour’. Peace with honour was a strategy that involved taking U.S troops out of Vietnam, but did not involve directly giving in to North Vietnam and the Vietcong. Peace with honour started the process of Vietnamization. From 1969 to 1974, negotiations and ceasefires took place, until in March 1975 no further aid was given to Indo-China from the USA. There are many important causes and consequences of Vietnamization; these include Anti-War protests in America, the Tet Offensive in 1968 and the election of Richard Nixon. Consequences include the fall of Vietnam to Communism, the Cambodian civil war and the fall of Laos.…