" Did the Vietnam War Kill the Great Society?"
The Great Society was the vision of President Lyndon B. Johnson. In Johnson's first year of office he obtained usage of one of the most extensive legislative branches in the Nation's history. Maintaining collective security, he carried on the rapid growing struggle to restrain Communist control in Vietnam. President Johnson thought of a plan of programs to help the United States and improve on the foreign affairs that were in established before his presidency. The Great Society proposed under Johnson's initiative was a set of domestic programs. The two main goals of the Great Society social reform were to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. Also the Great Society helped to settle the issues of major spending, education, medical care, urban problems, and transportation. Many believed the Great Society resembled the New Deal policy created by Franklin D. Roosevelt, but in actuality some of the Great Society proposals where adopted from John F. Kennedy's New Frontier policy. As the United States went into war with Vietnam in 1959 America braced for the worst. The policies created was expected to uphold regardless if America was at war or not, but many people where skeptical of the strengths of the policy. As the war progressed and the casualties arose, there was a national cry out for federal aid and the end of the war. In my conclusion the Vietnam War did kill the Great Society. Because of the tremendous amount of money spent on the war, all of the programs created to improve our society were cut because of the debt that our nation was in after the war. That is why I believe that the Vietnam War killed the Great Society.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The involvement of the United States in the war in Vietnam had a very negative impact on the domestic political programs that were proposed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The war in Vietnam cost an incredible amount of money since no equivalent funds were returning to the country. In addition, military expenses, combined with domestic social costs, created budget deficits which fueled inflation. . Government funds, of course, are not completely unlimited. Therefore, there was a tradeoff. . The money spent on the war had to end up reducing the amount of money that could be spent on Johnson’s programs like…
- 461 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Australia responded to various external threats during the 1950’s. The first threat was the Korean War in 1950 to 1953. Following 1945, Korea had been divided into communist North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and later China, and non-communist South Korea, supported by the United States. North Korea invaded the South, and gained control of almost the entire country. Us president Truman raised the issue to the united nations, and called for a national united nations military force to emit North Korean forces from the South. Australia was one of fifteen nations fighting, involving a squadron of the RAAF, two battalions of the Australian Army and various naval forces. Over 300 Australian soldiers were killed in the Korean War.…
- 701 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Lyndon B. Johnson made many changes for United States, by introducing the country to acts that would change America. Johnson declared war on poverty and introduced the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964. The act was aimed at to attack unemployment and poverty, the act provided adult education, job training and loans to small business. The food stamp act was also introduced in 1964, where families with low or no income would be able to purchase food. If Johnson followed a more of a classical liberalism mindset this would not be possible, because that idea believes in less government involvement and a laissez-faire economic system.…
- 255 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
President Lyndon B. Johnson launched the Great Society which is a set of domestic programs in 1964–65. The main goal of this domestic program was the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. In 1965, Democratic majorities in the 89th Congress passed eighty of eighty-three major legislative proposals: an unparalleled record. By 1969, nearly all of Johnson's Great Society reform legislation had become law. Such program made footsteps on domestic program today including Obama Care. Great Society covered aid to education, attack on disease, Medicare, urban renewal, conservation, development of depressed regions, a wide-scale fight against poverty, control and prevention of crime and delinquency, and the removal of obstacles to the right to…
- 221 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
The key events that British officials used to create a “master narrative” consists of three events that contributed to the propaganda regime. The series of events were the barbaric acts committed by the German troops during the invasion of Belgium in 1914, The execution of the nurse Edith Cavell, and the sinking of the Lusitania where 1,200 civilians perished. Jo Fox also explains how the use of barbaric weaponry contributed to the effective use of the propaganda. British officials used these events to effectively distribute the propaganda to their population.…
- 309 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Johnson even had to start asking Congress to pass taxes that could help pay to keep the Vietnam War going strong but required many Great Society programs to end.…
- 775 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Death and destruction was not the only outcomes that derived from World War II. Discontent with the economy, the United States defeat in Vietnam, and decolonization were the pertinent issues of 1945 to 1975.…
- 685 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Although the Vietnam War was clearly a detrimental event in the history of America, some still try to argue that it benefited America and or strengthened our nation. They may say it benefited our country because in reality, it was a place where we had the opportunity to test new weapons and learn about many new medicines. When trying to refute my personal claim that Vietnam was a bad war for America to join, these are the only two main reasons others say the war was a good event for America’s history.…
- 272 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Yo, yo, yo, listen up, I’ve got a story to tell about this radical group that did so well. Okay, I’m terrible at rapping, let’s start this again. Okay, let me set the stage. Picture this, your living in America in 1972, where nearly 50% of the American population is under 18 years old. You have watched the previous generation protest for civil rights. You have witnessed most of the civil society protest movement prior to 1972, you have seen first had the discrimination, racism and violence. You are now at an age where you can make a radical change but where do you start? You have seen the success of non violent Civil rights movement groups however there is…
- 412 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential reign began with the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy in 1963. While the people of the United States tried to recover from the loss of Kennedy, Johnson used it to his advantage. Many citizens did not notice that this was being done, and some even wonder if Johnson himself knew he was using it to his advantage. By him telling America that Kennedy would have wanted the Great Society, the people believed him and went through with it. Many things, both good an bad came out of the Great Society. The Great Society was Johnson’s way of fixing the problems in America, that being the political, emotional and mostly the social problems.…
- 908 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
There has been a necessity in the twentieth century (due in part to the Great Depression and World War II) for big government. The legislation behind Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal called for the involvement of the federal government to create a highly bureaucratic social policy. The combination of Roosevelt's political assertiveness and society's willingness to allow such centralization that made big government possible. The laissez-faire mentality of the twenties was seen as the cause of the depression. The federal government and the ensuing reforms were seen as a way of insuring economic security. In the sixties President Johnson followed with a plan of social reform: "The Great Society". In contrast to the severe economic circumstances of the thirties, the sixties were consumed with social unrest. The predominantly white bourgeoisie saw such reforms as a financial threat. The civil rights act of 1964 was a distant promise to the underprivileged for a better way of living. The American people were not willing to give up some of their money so that the more unfortunate could a have a better way of living. The…
- 864 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Anti communism was the centrepiece of us foreign policy from 1941 but by the 1970s it was less important, and indochina was also.…
- 658 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
According to Clausewitz, “war is nothing but a duel on a larger scale… immediate aim is to throw his opponent in order to make him incapable of further resistance” (Clausewitz, P75). As a result, one of the most important ways to win a war is to know the kind of conflict you’re fighting. It must also include a good understanding of the enemy at hand. For all the compelling reasons, that awareness will allow the development of effective strategy encompassing all elements of national power.…
- 504 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In summary, the Vietnam War caused many deaths to both American and Vietnamese soldiers. In my opinion, the North Vietnamese army succeeded with their effective tactics. On the other hand, the United States not only did not win the war, but also lost the trust of the people. In conclusion, the Vietnam War taught two important lessons: it was the strategies that determined an army’s power, and being dishonest to the people would eventually damage their faith in the…
- 325 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
What is the Great Society? Lyndon Johnson came up with the Great Society of the 1960s. It helps with education and people in poverty. Medicaid and Medicare are also two big parts of the Great Society during the 1960s.…
- 1208 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays