Exploring The Vietnam War
"No 'healing', no apologies, no memorials, nothing can possibly
compensate for the damage done and the pain inflicted....The only
thing we can possibly do, twenty years too late, is to try and tell
the truth."
Eric Bergerud, Historian UC Berkely
The problem is though, that there is no one truth about the Vietnam
War, even more than two decades after America's intervention. Critics
of the intervention claim that the war was unnecessary and immoral and
also policymakers in Washington dragged the country into and unwanted
war. A group of scholars and military leaders have contrasting ideas,
providing a strong defense for the American intervention. Although
there is a multitude of facts and sources, without a framework to
place them into context understanding the war would be impossible.
Even after a careful examination of all the information we have today,
it would reveal neither view as entirely accurate. The Vietnam War was
arguably the most traumatic experience for the United
Statesconsidering a whole range of events including two world wars,
assassinations of two presidents, the Great Depression, the Cold War,
racial issues, etc... Examining the events of the war including the
Tonkin Resolution, Ho Chi Minh trail and Tet Offense while analyzing
US involvement in the war can help us understand more about the truth
of the war and why it was considered one of the most traumatic
experiences for the United States.
The background of US involvement in Vietnamextended many years into
the past. For much of its history Vietnam was under Chinese control.
In 1858 the French began their conquest of the area...
... middle of paper ...
...ar and we have definitely come back strong,
recovering from the most devastating experience in the twentieth
century.
Bibliography
Bender, David & Dudley William. The Vietnam War Opposing Viewpoints:
2nd Edition. San Diego, Ca: Greenhaven Press, 1990
Bradley, Mark Phillip. Imagining Vietnam and America: The Making of
Postcolonial Vietnam. London: The University of North Carolina Press,
2000
Goldstein, Donald & Dillon Katherine. The Vietnam War: The Story and
Photographs. London: Brassey's, 1997
McNamara, Robert S. In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.
New York: Times Books, 1995
Nixon, Richard M. No More Vietnams. New York: Arbor House, 1985
Vo Nguyen Giap. People's War, People's Army: The Viet Cong
Insurrection Manual for Undeveloped Countries. New York Fredrich
Praefer, 1962
The aftermath — No More Vietnams — is well-covered in Appy’s work. The No More Vietnam mantra is usually presented as avoiding quagmires, focusing on quick, sharp wins. Instead, Appy shows politicians have manipulated No More Vietnams into meaning greater secrecy (think Central America in the 1980’s), more over-the-top justifications (“You don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud”) and an emphasis on keeping American deaths inside the acceptable limits of the day to tamp down any public anti-war sentiment.
The Vietnam War: A Concise International History is a strong book that portrays a vivid picture of both sides of the war. By getting access to new information and using valid sources, Lawrence’s study deserves credibility. After reading this book, a new light and understanding of the Vietnam war exists.
Fussell, Paul. "Vietnam." The Bloody Game: An Anthology of Modern War. Ed. Paul Fussell. London: Scribners, 1991. 651-6.
Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, portrays stories of the Vietnam War. Though not one hundred percent accurate, the stories portray important historical events. The Things They Carried recovers Vietnam War history and portrays situations the American soldiers faced. The United States government represents a political power effect during the Vietnam War. The U. S. enters the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. The U.S. government felt if communism spreads to South Vietnam, then it will spread elsewhere. Many Americans disapproved of their country’s involvement. Men traveled across the border to avoid the draft. The powerful United States government made the decision to enter the war, despite many Americans’ opposition. O’Brien’s The Things They Carried applies New Historicism elements, including Vietnam history recovery and the political power of the United States that affected history.
In conclusion, I think that the United States became increasingly involved in the Vietnamese War because of the policies they had made as a promise to fight communism, and because they had sorely underestimated Vietcong’s ability to fight back using Guerrilla warfare. They refused to pull out of the war in fear of losing face before the world, but this pride factor scored them massive losses in the war. In the end, with both side sustaining heavy losses, the US were still seen as mutilators in the war, with advanced showing what their intervention had costed, and Vietnam was still fully taken over by Communism – they had achieved nothing and lost a lot.
Only in the Vietnam War was the United States’ participation criticized. This is such a gigantic change from prior wars that it bears study as to why it happened, and better yet, should have it happened. This paper will discuss the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, by asking the simple question, Should have the United States’ gotten involved in the first place? This paper will prove that, in fact, America should not have gotten involved in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War took place between 1947- 1975.
The Vietnam War was the longest and most expensive war in American History. The toll we paid wasn't just financial, it cost the people involved greatly, physically and mentally. This war caused great distress and sadness, as well as national confusion. Everyone had that one burning question being why? Why were we even there? The other question being why did America withdrawal from Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is to answer these two burning questions, and perhaps add some clarity to the confusion American was experiencing.
The Vietnam War was one of the most prolonged wars in US history. Although there were no exact dates, it is believed that US involvement lasted for around 20 years. The US went into this war hoping they could stop the spread of communism and defeat the northern Vietnamese. The battles were like nothing they had seen before and it was very difficult for the soldiers to differentiate between the enemies and civilians. To make it even more difficult for the soldiers, their “information was based on faulty intelligence”. Võ Nguyên Giáp, a northern Vietnamese general, believed that the US and the southern Vietnamese had an unstable relationship. He hoped that through the Tet Offensive the US would believe they were no longer worth defending. Fighting was done using guerrilla warfare which blurred the lines of legitimate and illegitimate killings and this had effect of bringing peoples morales down. Support for the war had always been split but this battle caused even the government to reconsider their involvement. The Tet offensive changed the US's attitude towards the Vietnam war by leading to further anti-war protests, a credibility gap in America, and for President Johnson to negotiate peace and not seek reelection.
It is understandable that some Americans strongly opposed the United States getting involved in the Vietnam War. It had not been a long time since the end of World War II and simply put, most Americans were tired of fighting. Mark Atwood Lawrence is one of the people who opposed our involvement in the Vietnam War. In his essay, “Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance”, Lawrence argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and that it went against our democratic policies, but that there were a lot of things that influenced our involvement.
Vietnam war has been one of the most deadliest and expensive wars to date. Not only it resulted in massive casualties and financial losses, it also made a long lasting effect on American psyche. Following the withdrawal of US combat forces in 1973, majority of Americans tried to overlook what had transpired for the past decade. It served as a devastating blow to American image both domestically and abroad. Vietnam war was heavily protested, misunderstood and highly controversial, and although many question the necessity of the invasion, yet it has continued to shape the way American foreign policies and military have evolved over the years. While Vietnam was the first war to be comprehensively televised still it had a negative stigma to it that was exploited by the media and Hollywood. Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, willingly or unwillingly were neglected and scorned.
The Vietnam War has had its effects on America, both good and bad. We can ridicule it, we can deny it, we can say it was for the best, we can say we shouldn't have even gotten involved, but the one thing we can't do is ignore it. Because it's become an unforgettable part of history, and we all need to remember Vietnam.
Anderson, D. (2002). The Columbia guide to the Vietnam War. New York: Columbia University Press.
The longest war in the history of the United States took place in Vietnam during the Cold War. The United States involvement in the Vietnam War started when the Vietnamese were fighting the French for independence. Prior to U.S. involvement, France had attempted to govern Vietnam as one of its own colonies, but after years of being at war with the rebels and communists, France could not take anymore. The United States feared of the spread of communism and saw themselves as a democratic super power, and therefore, they felt morally obligated to stand up and fight against communism in place of France. Vietnam was later split into North and South Vietnam at the Geneva Conference which was originally designed to end the French/Vietnam war. Northern Vietnam was run by communists and supported by China and Russia. Southern Vietnam was then solely supported by the United States.
A variety of very important events that have happened in the past 100 years, many of which are wars. They have change many things from big necessities like medicine and medical practices to little ones like bandages. No matter the winner every war has good and bad consequences. Some wars have ended in triumph for the U.S.A. and its allies, however some didn’t end well at all. A very important war with many consequences, and an example of a loss for the U.S.A., is the Vietnam war. This paper will cover the Vietnam war from both the perspectives of the Americans at home as well as what's going on in Vietnam between the years of 1955 and 1975.
Willbanks, James H. "The Real History of the Vietnam War." ARMCHAIR GENERAL Nov. 2007: 54-67. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.