How have our views on war changed over time?
Nothing can impact society like war. War can be viewed as noble and just, or cruel and inhuman, as well as everything in between. War affects everyone in society whether they are fighting in a foreign country or waiting at home for a loved one to return. War is an indispensable part of civilization; found at every chapter of human history. It is the culmination of the basic survival instinct when provoked. As has the technique of battle; society's view on war has changed as well. Today the act of war has become almost shameful, whereas in earlier eras war was glorified and heroic. American society's view on war has changed also. Our history, even as a young country has seen a great deal of conflict.
We've come a long way since the early styles of warfare seen in the American Revolution and the Civil War. World War I was the first war where the United States proved to the world we were a formidable power. Made up almost entirely of immigrants, America sent to Europe an armed force the fight against the Germans. The war brought a divided nation together as one. It represented pride and unity. The World War I victory portrayed the United States as a world superpower. Americans living in the early 1900s saw the war as a "just cause", and supported our actions abroad. World War II came just 20 years later. This time it was a single attack that drew us into the war. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led us into World War II. The country furious with the cowardly assault; rallied, and stood behind the President's decision to send troops to the South Pacific and Europe. The American view on the war was very supportive. The country went to work manufacturing equipment offsetting the economic failure of the depression the United States was dealing with previous to the war.
Engaging in the war in Vietnam brought a whole different set of "American Views" to the topic of war. This time the country did not support the war like we've seen in the past. Mostly by young people, the war effort was criticized and Americans staged massive protests. The Vietnam War's controversy spurred a great many sources of protest, against our government's use of power, how far we could stretch the rights of free expression, and primarily against the violence of the war itself.
The Vietnam War was the most publicized war during its era; moreover, this was the most unpopular war to hit the United States. All over the country riots began to rise, anti-war movement spread all over the states begging to stop the war and chaos overseas. This truly was a failure on the political side of things. For the public, all they saw was a failed attempt in a far away country. Events such as the Tet Offensive where the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong established an all out attack on key locations around Vietnam, and although the Viet Cong was virtually wiped out, this still had a large affect psychologically on the troops as well as the populist back in the United States.
The Vietnam War took place in between 1947- 1975. It consisted of North Vietnam trying to make South Vietnam a communism government. The United States later joined this conflict because of the stress North Vietnam was putting to South Vietnam to become a government that America did not want. The main reason why America joined was because of a theory called the Domino Effect. America and Russia were going through what has been dubbed the Cold War. The Domino Effect is the theory that communism will spread form one country to another. United states does not want this because our government is a democracy and communism opposes everything we stand for. America fearing communism was growing, stepped into Vietnam with America’s interest in mind, instead of Vietnam’s. There are several reason why American should have not gotten involved with this war. The most important reason was that America government officials made to much of a big deal about communism. This might sound cynical, but America to a certain degree did over react. Let it be said that it is much easier to say this after the fact. By looking back at McCarthyism, we can see the silliness of this fear. There is a serious side though. Thousands of people dies for a government that has no impact of their daily life. What regime Vietnam was going to change over to had no effect on the every day cycle of the United States. So truly, one can say, this can not one thing to do with America, its government and people.
The vast majority of Americans supported World War II (WWII) after Pearl Harbor was bombed, recognizing a fascist threat to Western democracy. WWII was a good war. It had the ability to unite America. They united against Nazism and fascism. But even a good War has its bad times. If you look behind what you think happened at what really happened in WWII it becomes clear that the U.S. has nothing to be proud about.
The Differing Reactions to United States' Involvement in Vietnam Everyone in America had a different reaction to the Vietnam War. Some people supported the war because they feared Communism. They were afraid that if they did not stop the Communism in Vietnam, that type of government would affect all other countries. This was according to the Domino Theory. They thought that stopping the Vietnamese would be the correct and easy thing to do, but they were wrong.
World War I may not have made the world safe for democracy, but it did help to lay the groundwork for a decade of American economic expansion. The war began in Europe in 1914, and the United States entered the fray in 1917. The 1920s saw the growth of the culture of consumerism. A significant reason for United States involvement in the war was the nation’s economic links to the Allied Powers, and especially to Great Britain. American soldiers returned home in May 1919 with the promise of a prosperous decade (Baughman 197).
In spite of the fact that the war was ten years of age in 1965, there was no sign that North Vietnam would be crushed. At this point, numerous Americans ended up contradicted to the war. Some thought a war in Vietnam was not America's worry. They were furious to see youthful Americans being killed while battling for another nation. Others were simply against the senseless killing of each other. Vietnam War dissents ended up normal in America.
Through its history, America has experienced a plethora of tragedies and victories, each making an impression on its identity. But as with all things, it did not evolve overnight into what it is. Politics are the brain of the country, but the people are the heartbeat. The direction of the former depends on the status of the latter and certain events affect the citizens of a country beyond repair. War shakes a nation to its core, transforming every facet of society. Sometimes it is for the better, but not every time. Throughout the last century the US has had the misfortune of going through three wars, each very different. The start of the century kicked off with World War I, giving the nation economic as well as societal changes, from the growth of Progressivism to the start of the journey for women's equality that would shape the political world of the 21st century. As for the next World War which came all too soon, it gave America the patriotism that was so long admired and the unity of thought on a national matter. Yet again, women in the war transformed their role in society, but this time even greater. However the economy did not fare so well, and suffered even more from Roosevelt's policies and massive tax implements affecting the the future decisions regarding the deficit and budget. To finish, Vietnam was an even greater disappointment to our nation. The riots and movements of the day regarding communism which was the enemy, and the open hate towards the soldiers from the media seriously hurt the war and the nations view of it. NOt to mention Nixon's feeding of the welfare beast and EPA. All in all, despite every other event of American history, very few have had as much of an affect on the nation politically as WWI, WWII ...
World War II, also known as the Second World War was fought by Japan, Germany and Italy, also referred to as the Axis powers; that went against the Allies that consisted of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain with help from others. 60 to 80 billion deaths were the result of World War II ("Reasons for American Entry Into WWII"). Initially the United States did not want to interfere with a war going on in a different continent. At the start of the war America began a state of isolationism which kept America away from the war; until its “breaking point”. America’s deviation from isolationism in World War II is what establishes them as a powerhouse country economically an. Also, how America’s growth industrially lead to a post-war boom.
I believe that the Vietnam War (1954-1975) was one of the most important events in the 1960’s because it was a highly controversial and covered heavily by media. Vietnam was the first war to be videotaped by reporters for the public to see on a daily bases. Before this everything was filmed by the government and edited to show how great of a job we were doing but in Vietnam reporters didn’t have that kind of restriction on their filming. Some reporters would go to the front lines and give the American public a look into the horrors of the war. This negative press that the war got, usually portrayed the American soldier in Vietnam as a blood thirsty savage, that would shoot at anything that came in their path. This was really not the case but the public didn’t know that and quickly came to the conclusion that the war was unjust. Many felt that America was meddling with another countries Civil War and that American soldiers should begin to be withdrawn from Vietnam and return to their families. Men around the country were also very unhappy because the draft could take you from your everyday life and you could be sent to Vietnam to fight for a cause that they didn’t believe in and do nothing about it or risk spending time in prison and or paying a heavy fine. The American government thought the war was just because they were fighting of communist whom have different views than our capitalist run country but the American people thought still that we should leave Vietnam.
The American Revolution and Vietnam War had several similarities. The insurgents were able to effectively use the media to control the narrative. The information that was broadcast back home was disturbing and caused the citizens to rise up against the wars. This results in major street protest, which put pressure on the government to withdraw the Soldiers. In both uprising the insurgents were also using unconventional tactics which the conventional Armies reluctantly did not adjust to. The British thought that force would only bring about a temporary solution, so their initial duty was to enforce the law and stop any rebellion. (Daly) The Americans initial role in Vietnam was to act as military advisors, to stop the spread of communism, to
Participating in the Vietnam war caused a lot of blood and huge expense. U.S. governement had moved a lot of money away from domestic priorities to the military for fighting with Vietnam. Many U.S. citizens started to question the necessarily, the wisdom and the morality of the war; many anti-war organizations and even many liberals also doubted the role the U.S. government played in the international relation. However, there were still some Americans supported the war. The Vietnam war revealed how undemocratic America had become, and liberals started splitting into two extreme parts. Additionally, the economy had also become inflationary; the economy could not continue to support the social construction and economic aid, which potentially caused the fall of the liberal
The Vietnam War was one of the lowest points in United States history. As the war progressed, many United States citizens began to support antiwar movements, a large portion of the American youth became draft dodgers, and an increasing number of protests against the war as citizens believed it was not worth the large sum of casualties. The government told the public that it would be an easy victory, but in reality, there were many American deaths and no progress was made in Vietnam. After the war, citizens found out about the mistreatment American soldiers placed on innocent Vietnamese lives, which ultimately pushed
...untry to war at anytime and anywhere in the world. Because of this, the American people want to have confidence in its leader’s abilities. Plus, the actions of the President and his staff have a direct influence on the thoughts and perceptions of the people towards interference in foreign countries. Most people did not find the threat of Vietnam falling to communist rule as justification for the number of lives that were lost.
The Vietnam War caused great controversy within the borders of the United States. Meanwhile the U.S was focusing on its foreign affairs, in Vietnam, it was also undergoing the defining Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Its aim was to abolish racial discrimination in the United States. The public opinion was extremely divided as a wide selection from the American population believed that the US could not tolerate the growth of communism in Southeast Asia, whilst being opposed by a selection of a parallel magnitude that argued that the war was gratuitous and a waste of young American lives. The U.S. became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam and those who wanted peace. Sources 1, 2 and 3 illustrate opposition
Intro: In the many wars that the Us was involved none more than the vietnam war to change the american people opinion of war. Being a war that the people really didn't want to get into to begin with the recent advent of live same day broadcasting did little to persuade that people that going to necessary The vietnam war being one of the first war to be broadcasted by the mass media. made it easier to bring the war to the home front for the first time making it increasingly difficult for the average person at home to ignore the horrors and atrocities of, the so called necessary war by the US Government