...Although it seemed as though opposition to the Vietnam War reached an all time high during the Nixon administration, the conflict had lasted nearly two decades, from the early 1950s until the early 1970s. Four presidents-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon-- made a series of misinformed decisions regarding America’s presence in Vietnam, resulting in nearly 60,000 deaths. Thus, what began as an attempt to contain the spread of Soviet communism in the Cold War era would cast a shadow over the United States for decades to come. Between 1954 and 1973, the US took a misguided approach to resolving the conflict in Vietnam, which included the initial support of South Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin incident...
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...Abstract This paper discusses how the Vietnam Conflict impacted American society. The topics explored involve how the U.S. was affected socially, economically, and politically. Impact of Vietnam Conflict on American Society The enormity of the damage caused by the Vietnam Conflict is still felt in American society today. While public attitude toward Vietnam Veterans is changing, and faith in the military has returned, there is still a lot of skepticism toward the U.S. Federal Government. Americans don’t want to send their sons and daughters into another seemingly pointless war. One of the major consequences on U.S. society created by the Vietnam Conflict was the enormous strain on the American economy, due to the estimated $167 billion spent on the war. Inflation and increasing federal debt had a major negative effect on the US economy and seriously lowered living standards from the late 1960’s until the 1990’s. Another consequence on society was the public rejection of the war and the soldiers who fought in it. Vietnam vets were considered vicious killers, immoral human beings, drug addicts; they were treated like the lowest form of human existence ("Cold war in," 2011). The Vietnam conflict was a viewed as a devastating loss and resulted in a loss of pride and self- confidence in the American people. The U.S. experienced a reappraisal of American power and glory. At the beginning of the war the American public supported it, because they believed it was part...
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...Within cooperation, there will always be conflicts and vice versa. In this essay, I will be looking at how conflict plays a more significant role and more is impactful in South East Asia (SEA) compared to cooperation. Conflict is a state of disharmony between two or more parties of ideas or interests. In the context of this essay, conflict occurs when there is a disagreement such as different views, clashes of interest and different views on ideology between the countries. While there is an inevitable fact that cooperation exists within SEA, the impacts that conflicts leave on the history of the region is far more significant than those of cooperation. In the next few paragraphs, I will be going in depth into how conflict has left a deeper indentation on the history as well as more current affairs of SEA. Some countries have conflicts with other in their history, before they learn from their mistakes and work together to reach the level of agreement they have now, such as Indonesia and Malaysia. One major conflict between them is the Konfrontasi, where Indonesia had carried out attacks on Malaysia and there was high tension between these two countries. In December 1962, a revolt had broken out in Brunei to oppose Brunei from joining the Federation, and instead proposed a separate union of Brunei, Sarawak and Sabah (Borneo territories). This revolt had fitted Sukarno’s (former Indonesia’s president) beliefs that independence should only be gained through revolutionary struggle...
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...To what extent was America's involvement in the Vietnam Conflict the result of the wrong judgments of American policymakers? Abstract In this paper, I will discuss the policy of America during the Vietnam conflict and how this resulted in the unnecessary Vietnam War. I will discuss why the U.S. thought the domino theory would suit the American policies during this time period. Also, I will analyze why the domino effect was not suited well for America. America thought that if communism were to takeover Vietnam, then it would eventually leak out into the surrounding region. This was incorrect and in this paper, I will discuss why it was invalid information. This paper will also examine why American policymakers exaggerated the stakes of the Vietnam War and why this led to unnecessary involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Even as the US realized that the stakes had been exaggerated and that the domino theory was implausible, they continued their involvement in the war. As for sources, I will utilize the sources provided for us by the teacher. These sources are Chapter 10 from LeFeber and History in Dispute: Was US intervention in Vietnam justified? These sources will help me explain why the US’ tried to base their policies off of the domino theory and why this was not the best policy. Also, I will conduct my own research using the online database JSTOR. I will also utilize the Pentagon Papers, a source I found online. Together, all these sources will help me formulate and discuss...
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...Vietnam The Vietnam War or conflict as it was known was complex in its origins and followed France’s failure to suppress nationalist forces in Indochina, better known as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, as it struggled to restore its colonial dominion after WWII. Led by Ho Chi Minh, a Communist-dominated revolutionary movement, the Viet Minh, waged a political and military struggle for Vietnamese independence that frustrated the efforts of the French and resulted ultimately in their leaving from the territory (Bowman, J. S.). Vietnam The U.S. Army’s first encounters with Ho Chi Minh were brief and generally sympathetic. During World War II, Ho Chi Minh’s anti-Japanese resistance fighters helped to rescue shoot down American pilots and supplied information on Japanese forces in Indochina. United States Army officers stood at Ho Chi Minh’s side in August of 1945 as he celebrated in the brief contentment of proclaiming Vietnam’s independence. Five years later, however, in a worldwide sense overwrought with ideological and military confrontation between Communist and non-Communist powers. Army advisers of the newly formed United States Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG), and Indochina, were assisting France against the Viet Minh. With combat rampant in mainland China and Korea experiencing a recent collapse to the Communists, the war in Indochina now became visible to Americans as one...
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...justifications for the Vietnam war was to prevent the spread of communism, the U.S defeat was to produce nothing of the kind: apart from the fact that Cambodia and Laos became embroiled, the effects were essentially confined to Vietnam”. This quote embodies the reason for the involvement in the war and also the end result. Communism was the number one factor for entering the war in Vietnam and containment was the policy. In the end, Vietnam fell to communism and the United States failed at their goal. Communism was the main reason for the initial involvement in the war that escalated into a full scale conflict; leading the United States to learn some valuable lessons. The era in which the war took place was one plagued with the fear of communism. The foreign policy known as containment was used to as a justification to intervene in numerous foreign conflicts. This policy is centered around the idea of containing communism to its borders and not...
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...questions governments; The Korean and Vietnam Conflicts.[1] The Cold War led to tension between the two countries with both countries trying to prove who was better. This lead to the Space Race, and the Arms Race. Also after WWII it was unknown who should control Germany. The solution was to spit Germany into two section; East and West Germany. West Germany was to be controlled by the US and other non-communist countries[2] East Germany was control by the USSR. Even the Capital of Germany Berlin[3] was spilt into two sections. During the Cold War America believed in the idea of containment, which means that the US, try to contain the USSR and top the spread of communism....
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...The Vietnam War Before the war, almost all of Americans really trusted their Congressmen, their universities, and other official institutions. At the beginning of the 1960s that trust begin to change as the world around them changed as well. Two basic viewpoints began to evolve during this time. One group felt that though intentions had been good for getting into the conflict, it was a losing battle that carried too great of burden both socially and economically and at the United States needed to get out of Vietnam. The other group felt that we had gone to Vietnam for a purpose and we shouldn't leave until the job was done. Most of the large demonstrations to protest the war took place on college campuses. During the Vietnam War, the draft was instituted for the first time since 1942. This meant that men and women of the Baby Boom era were eligible to be sent off to fight in a conflict that was being questioned for the American involvement. Draft deferments and exemptions were available for college students and this meant that young men in the working class who did not go to college because they could not afford it far outnumbered those of the middle or upper class. Students who avoided the war by going to college were aware of the injustice of the situation and used protests as a way of communicating this to the powers-that-be. In addition, once the students graduated, they would then be eligible to be sent off to Vietnam. This gave them added incentive to protest and try...
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...The North Vietnamese Communist leadership's ability to reassess and adapt during the Vietnam War was reflected in how well they combined guerilla and conventional operations to achieve their strategic goal of unifying Vietnam under communist rule. Throughout the conflict, the Viet Cong (VC) were employed to conduct guerilla operations while North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and VC "main force" units were used to transition to conventional operations. Guerilla operations enabled Hanoi to inflict a steady flow of casualties on US forces which increased anti-war sentiment in America. NVA and VC main force conventional operations reinforced the US Army's conventional approach to the fight which caused the Americans to alienate the people of South Vietnam. By alienating the South Vietnamese people, the Americans enhanced the VC's ability to conduct guerilla operations and control rural population centers which weakened the credibility of the Government of South Vietnam (GVN). The combined effects of guerilla and conventional operations supported the North Vietnamese strategy of a protracted conflict that was sure to weaken the resolve of the United States and eventually defeat the GVN. The relationship between conventional and guerilla operations was a key element of the Vietnamese communists’ “Dau Tranh” strategy to fight and win the Vietnam War. A brief description of the Dua Tranh (meaning struggle) strategy is appropriate since it was the basis for North Vietnam’s success. The strategy...
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...are cliche in many aspects, yet each letter is unique in its own way. Many soldiers, including those who fought in Vietnam, sent letters back home to describe their ups and downs in the war. Unfortunately, those who fought in Vietnam were not only dealing with the struggle of fighting, but they also faced the struggle to survive in a place where the enemy was everywhere. They faced mental hardships throughout the war. They were fighting a war in an ugly, yet beautiful, battlefield. All the letters that are sent home during the Vietnam Conflict were written by those who served in the military of the United States. They either fought in the frontlines, provided information to those who fought in the frontlines, assisted those who fought in the frontlines, or assisted those who coordinated the battle in the frontlines. Their first hand accounts of the war was credible in many ways. Their letters were not written from secondary sources but were written from primary sources. Their letters could only be written by those who saw the war with...
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...Debating the Past: The Vietnam Commitment Rene Nodal HIS 145 August 26, 2015 Nancy Fraleigh Debating the Past: The Vietnam Commitment The conflict in Vietnam was controversial to say the least for many reasons. Many did not agree with the U.S. becoming involved with politics in southeast. As America went through the cold war it developed policies regarding communism and strategies to contain it that would later fuel interests in many other countries around the world including Vietnam. Choices would shape how the commitment in Vietnam would change from aid into a costly all-out war exacerbated by the lack of clarity in regards to the overall goal of the U.S. in Vietnam. In the aftermath of the cold war with the U.S.S.R, America engaged in many small conflicts around the globe for various official reasons and for one real reason: The Containment theory. There were many instances in which American military had a direct involvement with another country that dabbled in communism or had communist ties. Both Venezuela and Cuba, for example had dealt with America because of its ties to communism. Vietnam was to be no different. The French had left and where they occupied the United States would support it with military equipment and financial aid. The American presence in South Vietnam initially was mostly military advisors and its cadre. It was very challenging in many ways. The government initially supported a man named Ngo Dinh Diem who seemed to be a strong character capable...
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...Vietnam War Essay During 1968, the Vietnam War was a defining moment in American History. It was caused by many factors that contributed to the warfare in Vietnam during the years. Most factors were the beliefs held by people who wanted or to prevent Vietnam becoming an independent country. Many people suffered due to these beliefs and policies and that the Vietnam War is now considered as one of the most distressing moments in the 20th century. During this time, fear and suspicion were prevalent due to the decisions of the government, and battle occurring in Vietnam. The Vietnam War had evolved from a civil war to a guerrilla war, and then ultimately became a total war. The Vietnam Conflict started out as a civil war, because after the French left the colony of Vietnam county divided into two rival factions, North and South. The communist nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh, whose ideals were based on communist China, led the north. The south was empathized the ideals of a democracy. Because of this difference, at the Geneva conference, they decided to split Vietnam into two different countries: North and South Vietnam. After the United States became involved on the side of the south, the North Vietnamese or the Vietcong fought guerrilla warfare. Ho Chi Minh and his people did not have the money or the weapons to fight a total war. The Vietcong used their strengths to fight the war against the South Vietnamese and the United States by using their knowledge of hit and run guerrilla...
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...(2008) is “simply a situation, a problem, or even an opportunity that requires thought, discussion, or investigation to make a decision” (p. 60) whether it is right or wrong, ethical or unethical. Ethical issues results from the conflicts among individuals’ personal moral philosophies and values, the values and culture of their organizations and their society. Especially in the business environment, the ethical conflicts appear more normal when the benefit of one organization is the loss or suffering of the others. Ethical issues include many problems, situations or opportunities, however, within this context, I would like to discuss on the following three issues. First ethical issue relates to the environmental protection that becomes the most concerned today, especially in countries with high speed of industrialization and urbanization like Vietnam. Pollution is caused from dust, raw sewage, toxic chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides, industrial waste… from factories and transportation vehicles that are damaging the living environment. In a latest report by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), Vietnam stands 6th among the cities having highest level of pollution when dust is as 2 to 3 times higher than normal level. Some rivers in Vietnam are now being called as “black rivers” instead of their own names as the water is being so polluted with bad smell that no fish can exist after years they are being filtered by waste from manufacturing factories without any control...
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...some people on the left to make comparisons to the American experience in the Vietnam War. These people argue that the United States has put itself into an in-extractable “quagmire” from which there is no feasible withdrawal. This type of reasoning by historical comparison is not wise because no two historical events are completely alike. In the case of Iraq and Vietnam, extreme caution should be exercised in comparing two wars so far apart in historical circumstances, geography, and time. It becomes pretty obvious that the differences between the two conflicts greatly outnumber the similarities. This is especially true in the strategic and military dimensions of the two wars. There is simply no comparison between the environment, the scale of military presence, losses incurred over time, the quality of enemy resistance, the role and scope of enemy allies, and the duration of open warfare style combat. There are, however, two political parts of the Iraq and Vietnam wars that are similar in nature: our attempts at nation-building in a foreign culture, and our trying to sustaining domestic popular support in a long and drawn out war against insurgents. Policymakers should have an understanding of the reasons for U.S. political failure in South Vietnam, as well as for the Johnson and Nixon administrations’ failure to sustain popular support for the accomplishment of U.S. military objectives in Vietnam. A repeat of those failures in Iraq could have uncalculated consequences for...
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...amongst the generation itself, and the Vietnam War could be considered the hottest issue. The personal interviews presented in Discovering the American Past conducted on baby boomers, asking about their experiences revolving the Vietnam War, effectively displays the variety of reasons young individuals at the time believed the war was being fought for; some individuals shared similar reasons and others had differing reasons. In...
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